The venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to funding and incubating entrepreneurs and innovations in cybersecurity, Ballistic Ventures has announced the launch of its Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)-in-Residence program. The VC firm named seasoned CISO David Hahn as its inaugural CISO-in-Residence.

“CISOs today are under increasing pressure to prevent, respond to, and even predict the ever-evolving threat landscape. This is a high-stress job with incredible demand – and part of the reason why the average tenure for a CISO is between 24-48 months,” said  General Partner of Ballistic Ventures, Roger Thornton. “We’ve launched our CISO-in-Residence program to give cybersecurity leaders a place to recharge, explore opportunities and technologies, and develop key skills on investing in and advising portfolio companies.”

“It’s an honor to welcome David Hahn as our first CISO-in-Residence,” Thornton added. “As a deeply engaged cyber leader and the consummate connector of people, David is a true driver of community and business growth, and we’re excited to have him on board.”

CISO David Hahn has spent decades building successful cybersecurity programs at leading companies. His career spans industries, including financial services, where he served as Chief Security Officer of Silicon Valley Bank and as Senior Vice President and Group Information Security Officer at Wells Fargo. Hahn has also held security leadership positions for SaaS companies, including CDK Global and Intuit, and was Vice President and CISO of Hearst, one of the world’s largest and most diversified media companies. In addition to his role at Ballistic, Hahn is an advisor to many cybersecurity and technology startups, helping them gain market traction and differentiate their solutions. He is also a CISO advisor to Fortinet, one of the largest cybersecurity companies.

“I am very excited to work with the Ballistic team and their portfolio companies as CISO-in-Residence,” said Hahn. “This new role is about finding innovative founders who can solve complex problems and advance the security posture, while ensuring they’re connected to the right people with the right support in place to address the real challenges CISOs face today.”

Hahn and future CISOs-in-Residence will work with Ballistic to grow the community of cybersecurity practitioners and startup founders working together on some of the industry’s most complex problems. For the Ballistic portfolio companies, this opens yet another channel to expert CISO counsel and access to those who have been in the cybersecurity-buyer’s seat.