2023 SC Awards Finalists: Innovator of the Year  

Idan Revivo, VP of Security Research at Aqua Security and Innovator of the Year finalist, has excelled in developing a strong and innovative IT development team called Nautilus. Their mission is to discover new threats in cloud-native environments, and they have found vulnerabilities in major organizations such as Jenkins, Palo Alto, Cisco, and IBM. Revivo’s leadership has positioned Aqua as an industry thought leader, resulting in the development of next-generation technologies that provide robust cloud-native security to customers. Under Revivo’s guidance, the team has strengthened end-user and customer awareness of IT security threats and the need to evolve cybersecurity approaches. They have identified vulnerabilities and shared information throughout the developer and security communities, helping to mitigate potential risks.

Jack Kudale, CEO and Co-founder of Cowbell Cyber Inc., established Cowbell in 2019, a leading provider of cyber insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Cowbell’s innovative IT development team focuses on creating adaptive cyber insurance policies that address the ever-evolving cyber risk landscape. Utilizing Cowbell’s proprietary risk rating factors, the company assesses risk in real-time, helping businesses to understand and mitigate potential exposures. Kudale has raised over $123 million in funding for Cowbell, enabling investments in next-generation technologies.

John Fokker, Head of Threat Intelligence for Trellix, has been nominated as a finalist for Innovator of the Year. Fokker played a significant role in developing and managing a strong IT development team by merging groups within the Trellix Advanced Research Center and fostering a strategic vision for the team. His leadership helped propel his position within the organization and enabled investments in next-generation technologies. Fokker has focused on educating team members on the connection between high-tech development and business goals, encouraging a shift from research-only objectives to customer-focused outcomes. He has also worked to raise end-user and customer awareness of IT security threats and the need for evolving cybersecurity approaches. In his efforts to inform the cybersecurity community about evolving risks, Fokker has become a prominent voice in the field, engaging with media, conferences, law enforcement agencies, policy groups, and global analyst communities.

MazeBolt Founder and CEO Matthew Andriani has been nominated as a finalist for Innovator of the Year due to his groundbreaking work in cybersecurity. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Andriani has focused on addressing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, realizing that traditional tactics alone were insufficient. Under his leadership, MazeBolt developed RADAR, a revolutionary, autonomous, and non-disruptive continuous visibility tool that visualizes the full DDoS attack surface. Andriani’s expertise and vision extend beyond his own organization, as he seeks to improve the entire industry. RADAR has proven to be a critical addition to cyber defense for various sectors, including financial institutions, healthcare providers, and governments. Through continuous monitoring and threat detection, RADAR enables IT leaders to address potential threats without disrupting activity.

Lenovo’s Nima Baiati, Executive Director and General Manager of Commercial Cybersecurity Solutions has successfully developed and managed a strong IT development team, driving investments in next-generation technologies within Lenovo. He established the company’s Cybersecurity Innovation Center in Israel and has been responsible for cross-functional partnerships with development teams in the United States and Japan. Baiati was instrumental in building the business case for Lenovo’s first security business, working with industry partners like Microsoft, Intel, and AMD to develop new security standards at the chip level. He has also educated team members and senior executives on subscription-based revenue models and agile development. He collaborates with Lenovo’s internal security teams to enhance their expertise, and actively shares information on social media to raise awareness about evolving cybersecurity risks and the need for innovative solutions.