Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)
Jun 19, 2026 · 1 hr · 11 segments
Cybersecurity leadership isn’t ultimately about technology, it’s about judgment, influence, and the ability to lead through uncertainty. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with…
Steven WardGuest
Peter HighHostNo entities detected.
I think cybersecurity CEOs, you know, need to... need some more practice at building real businesses.
But why is it that we can build these huge infrastructure companies, but we're not building these huge cyber companies?
Steven is the co-founder of Bright Mind Partners, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage cybersecurity companies.
He began his career as a US Secret Service special agent, hunting cyber criminals at a time when almost no one in law enforcement knew what that meant.
He helped take down ShadowCrew, one of the most dangerous criminal networks of its era, by turning its most notorious hacker into an informant.
From there, he moved into the private sector, eventually becoming CISO of TIAA and The Home Depot, two of America's largest companies, before joining Insight Partners and then ultimately founding Bright Mind.
He's seen the cybersecurity challenge from almost every angle, as a federal agent, as a practitioner defending major enterprises, and now as an investor backing the founders building what comes next.
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I think cybersecurity CEOs, you know, need to... need some more practice at building real businesses.
But why is it that we can build these huge infrastructure companies, but we're not building these huge cyber companies?
Steven is the co-founder of Bright Mind Partners, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage cybersecurity companies.
He began his career as a US Secret Service special agent, hunting cyber criminals at a time when almost no one in law enforcement knew what that meant.
He helped take down ShadowCrew, one of the most dangerous criminal networks of its era, by turning its most notorious hacker into an informant.
From there, he moved into the private sector, eventually becoming CISO of TIAA and The Home Depot, two of America's largest companies, before joining Insight Partners and then ultimately founding Bright Mind.
He's seen the cybersecurity challenge from almost every angle, as a federal agent, as a practitioner defending major enterprises, and now as an investor backing the founders building what comes next.