Upwind Security Names Joe Sullivan, Former CSO of Facebook, Uber, and Cloudflare, as Strategic Advisor

One of the Most Respected Security Leaders in the Industry Joins Upwind as the Company Invests Significantly in the Future of Cloud and AI Security

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Upwind, the leader in runtime-first cloud security, today announced that Joe Sullivan has joined the company as a Strategic Advisor. Sullivan is one of the most decorated and widely recognized security leaders in the technology industry, having served as the first Chief Security Officer at Facebook, Uber, and Cloudflare, and as the first federal prosecutor in Silicon Valley dedicated full-time to prosecuting cybercrime. His appointment reflects the significance of this moment in the cloud security market and Upwind’s commitment to bringing world-class expertise to enterprises navigating an era of rapid transformation driven by modern AI and cloud infrastructure.

As cloud and AI continue to redefine how modern enterprises operate, the demands on security teams have never been greater. The threat landscape is evolving faster than traditional approaches can match, and the attack surface is expanding in real time. For security leaders navigating this environment, runtime visibility has moved from a competitive advantage to a foundational requirement. It is the foundation of modern cloud security programs today.

“There is no one in this industry who has built security at the scale Joe has, across organizations that defined the modern internet,” said Rinki Sethi, Chief Security & Strategy Officer at Upwind. “I have known Joe for years and have admired the way he thinks about security not just as a technical discipline but as a business imperative and a matter of trust. This is an important moment for cloud security, and for Upwind. The pace at which enterprises are adopting AI infrastructure is extraordinary, and the risks are evolving just as quickly. Having Joe as part of our journey means our customers get access to one of the most influential voices in security, someone who has sat in their seat and understands what is actually at stake."

Sullivan has spent more than two decades at the intersection of government, technology, and security. He began his career with eight years at the U.S. Department of Justice, co-founding the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Unit and earning national recognition for his work on landmark cybercrime cases. After joining eBay and PayPal to build their eCrime and security programs, he became Chief Security Officer at Facebook in 2008, a role he held for seven years as the company scaled to over a billion users worldwide. He then served as the first CSO at Uber and later at Cloudflare, where he helped build the security foundation for one of the world's most critical internet infrastructure companies.

Beyond his operating career, Sullivan has been a defining voice in shaping how governments and enterprises think about cybersecurity at the highest levels. He has testified before the U.S. Congress twice, served on President Obama's bipartisan Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, and advised the Department of Homeland Security. He is a sought-after keynote speaker at leading industry forums including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DEF CON, and Stanford University, and has advised companies ranging from Airbnb to DoorDash throughout his career. Sullivan is also a member of the Cloud Security Alliance's Safe AI Non-Profit Leadership Council.

"Security leaders are navigating something genuinely new right now,” said Joe Sullivan, Strategic Advisor at Upwind. “The tools, the risks, the speed at which everything is moving in 2026 is unlike anything I have seen in my career. And the enterprises that are going to come out ahead are the ones that invest in real-time visibility at the cloud and AI layer, not just controls at the perimeter. What Upwind has built addresses exactly what the industry needs: the ability to see what is happening at runtime, in the moment, and act on it. I am proud to be part of what this team is building and look forward to contributing to the team, their customers and the conversations happening across the industry."

Coming off 900% year-over-year revenue growth and a $250 million series B led by Bessemer Ventures, Upwind is investing boldly at the forefront of cloud and AI security, expanding its runtime security platform and continuing to advance AI across its product suite to give security teams the speed, context, and confidence to stop real threats as they happen. Sullivan's advisory role will span enterprise strategy, customer engagement, and helping Upwind continue to shape how the industry approaches modern cloud-native security in the age of AI. Today, Upwind is one of the fastest-growing independent cloud security companies in the market, emerging as a challenger to legacy approaches amid rapid industry consolidation.

About Upwind Security

Upwind is the next-generation cloud security platform built to lead the Runtime revolution. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Upwind brings together a unified vision for cloud and application-layer protection, empowering organizations to run faster, detect threats earlier and secure their environments with unmatched precision. The company was founded by Amiram Shachar and the founding team behind Spot.io (acquired by NetApp for $450 million) and is backed by leading investors including Bessemer, Salesforce Ventures, Greylock, Cyberstarts, Leaders Fund, Craft Ventures,TCV, Alta Park, Cerca Partners, Swish Ventures and Penny Jar Capital. Upwind has raised $430 million since its founding in 2022 and is trusted by forward-thinking enterprises globally to bring real-time runtime intelligence to modern cloud security. For more information or to schedule a demo, visit www.upwind.io.