Once seen primarily as a technical gatekeeper, today’s chief information security officer (CISO) is a strategic leader responsible for safeguarding systems and ensuring the trust and continuity of the business.
Yet, for many ambitious CISOs, the inherently defensive nature of the role can feel limiting. These are leaders who thrive on innovation, competition, and forward momentum. However, these traits do not always align with the reactive posture of cybersecurity.
Increasingly, CISOs are making bold moves: leaving the practitioner role behind to found startups or join product companies to develop the tools they once wished they had. This transition reflects a broader transformation in how cybersecurity leadership is defined and where it’s headed.
The CISO’s Dilemma: Mission Driven but Constrained
At their core, CISOs are mission driven. They enter the field to protect, defend, and ensure resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. But the job is often defined by what to prevent rather than what to create. The CISO role demands risk aversion yet measures success by preventing incidents rather than driving innovation.
For leaders with a competitive edge who draw energy from building, scaling, and winning, this can feel like a professional ceiling. I witnessed this. I felt proud of my work as a CISO, yet I sought a role where I could shape the future rather than constantly defending against it.
This tension is not uncommon. Many CISOs share a similar restlessness. They want to do more than mitigate risk; they want to instigate change. And increasingly, they’re finding that opportunity outside the traditional enterprise security role.
The Entrepreneurial Shift: From Risk Managers to Innovators
A growing number of CISOs are stepping into entrepreneurship or joining cybersecurity product companies. This shift reimagines how security leaders leverage their expertise to create value rather than simply changing careers. Having spent years on the front lines, these leaders possess a rare, firsthand understanding of the challenges their peers face. They know what works, what doesn’t, and what’s missing.
This insight is a powerful foundation for innovation. Former CISOs draw on their lived experience, rather than theory, to build tools that address real-world pain points. Whether it’s platforms that streamline compliance, tools that enhance threat detection, or systems that improve incident response, these products reflect a deep understanding of the end user’s needs.
Security teams are increasingly developing innovative solutions to operate more strategically and efficiently, aligning closely with organizational objectives. These tools enable cybersecurity leaders to shift their focus from merely defending against threats to proactively leading and driving effective cybersecurity strategies.
Organizational Blind Spots: The Risk Maturity Gap
One of the key drivers behind this CISO-to-founder trend is the lack of organizational risk maturity in many companies. Outside of highly regulated industries, such as financial services, it’s still rare to find a chief risk officer or a deeply embedded risk management framework. This gap can leave CISOs operating in isolation, responsible for critical outcomes but without the structural support or recognition that their counterparts in other functions receive.
In such environments, career advancement can stall. Despite playing a pivotal role in protecting revenue and ensuring operational continuity, CISOs often find themselves sidelined in strategic conversations. When organizations lack mature risk governance, they undervalue the contributions of CISOs and underutilize their potential.
This disconnect pushes many to seek roles where their expertise is recognized and central to the mission. For some, that means joining more risk-savvy organizations. For others, it means creating something new in an environment where cybersecurity leadership is viewed as a driver of innovation and growth rather than just a cost center.
The Strategic Value of CISOs: Revenue Protection as Enablement
CISOs don’t just protect systems; they safeguard and enable revenue. Every certification maintained, every breach prevented, and every compliance audit passed contributes directly to a company’s ability to operate, grow, and earn customer trust. Product and revenue teams often overshadow this contribution because their work is more visible and tangible. This lack of visibility creates a fundamental misalignment.
Security is more than a safeguard; it’s an enabler. It allows companies to enter new markets, serve regulated industries, and meet the expectations of increasingly security-conscious customers. In this way, CISOs are just as critical to revenue enablement as those who build and sell the product.
Recognizing this need has inspired the creation of tools that protect and empower people. These solutions aim to help security leaders demonstrate their value in business terms. By making risk more visible and actionable, they enable CISOs to shift from being perceived as obstacles to being acknowledged as strategic enablers.
This reframing is essential if organizations want to retain top security talent. Otherwise, they risk losing their most visionary leaders to the startup world.
Conclusion: A New Chapter for Cybersecurity Leadership
The rise of the CISO-founder is more than a trend. It is a signal that the cybersecurity profession is maturing. Ambitious, growth-oriented leaders are no longer content to play defense. They aim to build, lead, and shape the future of the industry.
This shift challenges organizations to rethink how they support and elevate their security leaders. Without the right structures, recognition, and growth paths, they risk losing their most capable CISOs to the innovation economy.
As someone who made that leap, I see it as a vital evolution that injects fresh energy, ideas, and practical solutions into an industry where most tools are built by engineers who have never been in a position to need them. It ensures that those with firsthand experience craft the next generation of cybersecurity tools. For me, founding a company was about taking charge of that journey. To others contemplating this step, I’ll say this: the expertise you’ve honed as a CISO is precisely what the startup world needs. Embrace the opportunity to take the offensive.
