Vetted Cybersecurity Professionals

David Lapsley

Screened

Executive Engineering Leader specializing in AI infrastructure and cloud platforms

Tampa, FL14y exp

“Founder building Shipkode.ai, an enterprise SaaS product using generative AI to automate the front half of the software development lifecycle—from idea and customer feedback to engineering-ready specifications—with a beta planned for the first week of April. Has spoken with 24+ VCs over two years and mentors cybersecurity startups through the Tampa Bay Wave accelerator, emphasizing rigorous customer discovery to avoid misaligned product development.”

“Founder of Optibuy, a newly launched advisory firm focused on energy and manufacturing, combining AI, risk management, operational excellence, and digital transformation to solve longstanding industry problems. The candidate is pursuing an E&P studio model to incubate client solutions and has a targeted fundraising strategy aimed at O&G corporate VC arms, energy-focused VCs, and experienced industry angels.”

“Software engineering intern who built an internal AI-agent automation using the Gemini API to reduce manual CRM data entry, iterating prompts closely with analysts to address precision concerns. Also worked on a medical image-diagnostics LLM project involving fine-tuning and benchmarking multiple model approaches, and has quant/sales-trading experience building automated pricers for complex options and persuading sales teams to adopt them with ROI-focused metrics.”

“CRO/operator with experience at both AWS and a rapidly scaling Hawaii-based startup (Mana'olana International), focused on building lightweight but scalable operating systems. Known for implementing QBR/OKR rhythms, capacity/territory planning, KPI dashboards, and ROI-tied funding controls, and for mentoring founders through GTM accelerator work (Blue Startups) using a minimum-viable-process approach.”

“Former Special Assistant at the National Security Council with experience supporting senior federal executives and handling national-security-sensitive information. Helped stand up and standardize operations for a large-scale refugee resettlement effort (60,000 people), creating an executive-driven exception/escalation process and partnering with dev and data teams to prioritize agile sprint work and improve reporting accuracy.”

Andrew Chang

Screened

Executive operator and startup investor specializing in FinTech, crypto, and regulated blockchain

New York, NY22y exp

“Former COO of Paxos who joined near inception and helped scale the company to a $2.4B valuation, owning operations across nearly all functions and implementing core operating systems like OKRs and decision frameworks. Now advises and coaches early-stage founders through Lynx Collective (NYC startup community he founded), teaches a Startup Executive Bootcamp, serves as an NYU Stern adjunct professor, and sits on a public company board.”

“Commercial/GTN leader with GCP experience managing multi-year, multi-megawatt AI/GPU infrastructure commitments, owning segment P&L and governance for take-or-pay/reserved capacity. Drove a major client partnership scaling ARR from $50M to $100M in 18 months by aligning Product/Engineering, GTM, and infra teams and building flexible, margin-protective commercial structures. Known for speeding hyperscaler procurement/security reviews (FedRAMP/SOC2, IAM, data residency) and operationalizing multi-region delivery with landing zones and IaC.”

Paul Kasinski

Screened ReferencesStrong rec.

Executive CIO/CTO specializing in enterprise transformation across retail, e-commerce, and AI

Santa Monica, CA17y exp

“Senior technology executive (CTO/SVP Technology, also board member) with experience modernizing legacy environments and scaling teams in high-growth and PE-owned contexts. Architected a standardized enterprise platform (ERP/WMS/CRM/POS/eComm/DWH/BI/integration) to rapidly migrate acquisitions—moving 7 companies in under 3 years and cutting migration timelines ~4x—while also driving major org redesign and hiring acceleration (30+ hires in 6 months).”

“Fractional CTO and AI/ML consultant at Clover Health with deep insurance domain experience (15 years as CTO/CISO/AI). Has spent significant time in PE/VC-backed environments (including Aquiline Capital Partners and Apollo Group), designing and engineering platforms while delivering against budgets, audits, and regulatory compliance. Recently helped build an insurance startup (2020–2025) and is now seeking a full-time role at a startup.”