Charlie Kawasaki, CISSP

HiddenLayer, a Gartner-recognized Cool Vendor for AI Security, is the leading provider of Security for AI. Its AISec Platform unifies supply chain security, runtime defense, posture management, and automated red teaming to protect agentic, generative and predictive AI applications. The platform enables organizations across the private and public sectors to reduce risk, ensure compliance, and adopt AI with confidence. Founded by a team of cybersecurity and machine learning veterans, HiddenLayer combines patented technology with industry-leading research to defend against prompt injection, adversarial manipulation, model theft, and supply chain compromise. The company is backed by strategic investors including M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Moore Strategic Ventures, Booz Allen Ventures, IBM Ventures, and Capital One Ventures.

Eclypsium establishes trust in every endpoint, server and network appliance in enterprise infrastructure (IT, cloud, data centers, network) by identifying, verifying and fortifying 3rd-party software, firmware and hardware in every device. Eclypsium’s platform continuously monitors firmware, hardware and software within each critical asset for threats, backdoors, implants and vulnerabilities, and mitigates supply chain risks throughout the asset lifecycle. Powered by world-class research team, Eclypsium was named as Gartner Cool Vendor, and a winner of Fast Company’s most innovative security companies, CNBC Upstart 100, Cyber Defense Magazine’s Most Innovative Supply Chain Security, and CRN’s Stellar Startups awards.

DeepSurface is the first risk-based vulnerability management platform that allows cybersecurity teams to automate the process of analyzing and prioritizing vulnerabilities. Created by a team of cybersecurity experts, DeepSurface is trusted by enterprise companies to analyze and prioritize vulnerabilities in their full context. DeepSurface RiskAnalyzer automatically collects and considers more than 50 attributes of an environment to contextualize vulnerabilities (and chains of vulnerabilities) in order to predict where an adversary could cause the most damage. By leveraging DeepSurface, teams can use provable prioritization to effectively measure and report vulnerability risk. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, DeepSurface Security is a privately held company funded by Differential Ventures, Osage Venture Partners, Voyager Capital, and Cascade Seed Fund.

HiddenLayer, a Gartner-recognized Cool Vendor for AI Security, is the leading provider of Security for AI. Its AISec Platform unifies supply chain security, runtime defense, posture management, and automated red teaming to protect agentic, generative and predictive AI applications. The platform enables organizations across the private and public sectors to reduce risk, ensure compliance, and adopt AI with confidence. Founded by a team of cybersecurity and machine learning veterans, HiddenLayer combines patented technology with industry-leading research to defend against prompt injection, adversarial manipulation, model theft, and supply chain compromise. The company is backed by strategic investors including M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Moore Strategic Ventures, Booz Allen Ventures, IBM Ventures, and Capital One Ventures.

Eclypsium establishes trust in every endpoint, server and network appliance in enterprise infrastructure (IT, cloud, data centers, network) by identifying, verifying and fortifying 3rd-party software, firmware and hardware in every device. Eclypsium’s platform continuously monitors firmware, hardware and software within each critical asset for threats, backdoors, implants and vulnerabilities, and mitigates supply chain risks throughout the asset lifecycle. Powered by world-class research team, Eclypsium was named as Gartner Cool Vendor, and a winner of Fast Company’s most innovative security companies, CNBC Upstart 100, Cyber Defense Magazine’s Most Innovative Supply Chain Security, and CRN’s Stellar Startups awards.

Founded in 2007, the Oregon Venture Fund is a community supported, professionally managed, collaborative venture capital fund backed by the leaders of the regions business, technology, and entrepreneurial communities. Pitchbook consistently places OVF in the top 25% of all global venture funds (2025). OVF invests $15-20 million annually in the most promising startups and growth companies, regardless of stage or sector, in Oregon and Southern Washington. Learn more about OVF in our quick overview video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiH6O4BEp0 Over 6500+ jobs have been created by the 90 companies in the portfolio. Some of OVF’s largest investors include the State of Oregon, Oregon Community Foundation, and Meyer Memorial Trust. In 2023, the group launched Oregon Venture Fund XV, to accommodate additional institutional investors and family offices. The $25M+ fund has a 5-year investing period and invests alongside each annual Oregon Venture Fund in the same portfolio. OVF receives generous support from Tonkon Torp LLP, Geffen Mesher & Co., and Stoel Rives.

DeepSurface is the first risk-based vulnerability management platform that allows cybersecurity teams to automate the process of analyzing and prioritizing vulnerabilities. Created by a team of cybersecurity experts, DeepSurface is trusted by enterprise companies to analyze and prioritize vulnerabilities in their full context. DeepSurface RiskAnalyzer automatically collects and considers more than 50 attributes of an environment to contextualize vulnerabilities (and chains of vulnerabilities) in order to predict where an adversary could cause the most damage. By leveraging DeepSurface, teams can use provable prioritization to effectively measure and report vulnerability risk. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, DeepSurface Security is a privately held company funded by Differential Ventures, Osage Venture Partners, Voyager Capital, and Cascade Seed Fund.