SAN FRANCISCO, September 3, 2024 — HackerOne, a prominent figure in human-powered security, made waves today with the announcement of Kara Sprague stepping in as the new Chief Executive Officer, taking over for Marten Mickos.
Sprague’s arrival at HackerOne comes at a pivotal time for the company, with exponential growth seen in various areas over the past year. The company has witnessed a staggering 200% increase in its pentesting and AI red teaming business, alongside a 120% surge in vulnerability findings and hacker rewards. Moreover, HackerOne recently integrated generative AI capabilities into its platform in the form of copilot, Hai, aimed at expediting find-to-fix cycles through valuable insights and recommendations.
With an impressive track record spanning over two decades in the tech industry, Sprague boasts experience from both private and public technology organizations. Notably, she played a vital role as the Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at F5, overseeing a substantial product business generating $1.3 billion in annual revenue. Her responsibilities included managing the company’s portfolio of application security and delivery solutions. Prior to F5, Sprague held key leadership positions at McKinsey & Company, as well as engineering roles at Oracle and Hewlett-Packard.
In addition to her corporate roles, Sprague also dedicated her time to advocacy work, serving on the board of Girls Who Code, a non-profit organization focused on achieving gender equality in the technology sector. She currently holds a Director position on the board of Trimble, a technology company striving to revolutionize global work processes.
Expressing her vision for HackerOne, Sprague emphasized her commitment to enhancing platform capabilities for enterprise clients, nurturing and expanding the security researcher community, and maintaining strong relationships with customers, partners, and researchers. She highlighted HackerOne’s leading position in addressing evolving cyber threats and expressed her eagerness to collaborate with the company and its researchers to create a safer digital landscape.
The appointment of Sprague as CEO has garnered praise from industry insiders, with Bill Gurley, a member of the HackerOne Board of Directors and General Partner at Benchmark, commending her product-oriented leadership qualities. Gurley expressed confidence in Sprague’s ability to drive innovation and deliver exceptional value to customers, given her extensive expertise in the security realm.
Former CEO Mickos, who has played a pivotal role in establishing HackerOne as a trusted entity among top-tier clientele, voiced his belief in Sprague’s ability to steer the company towards its next phase of growth and success. Mickos will continue to provide strategic guidance to the company and remain an influential figure within the industry.
Sprague is set to officially assume her role as CEO on November 4, 2024. Her appointment marks a new chapter for HackerOne, as the company looks towards further expansion and industry leadership in the realm of human-powered security.
About HackerOne: HackerOne stands as a global leader in human-powered security, leveraging the collective expertise of a vast community of security researchers and cutting-edge AI technology to safeguard digital assets. The HackerOne Platform combines the skills of an elite security researcher community with a comprehensive vulnerability database to identify critical security flaws across various attack surfaces. Trusted by leading organizations such as Coinbase, General Motors, GitHub, and the U.S. Department of Defense, HackerOne offers integrated solutions like bug bounty programs, pentesting, code security audits, and AI red teaming to deliver ongoing vulnerability detection and management throughout the software development lifecycle. Recognized as a Best Workplace for Innovators and Most Loved Workplace for Young Professionals, HackerOne continues to set the standard for innovation and excellence in the cybersecurity domain.