The Top 50 Software CEOs of 2024

40. Brant Hwang — QueryPie

Brant Hwang is QueryPie’s founder and CEO. QueryPie provides a modern data governance platform that enables businesses to manage and protect data, and control access to it, across different sources and environments. His software development career spans more than 15 years, with particular experience in data analysis, automation, and optimization. He is a Y Combinator alumnus and holds Oracle Certified Professional credentials, along with Sun certifications in Java programming and network administration. Before QueryPie, he worked as a software engineer at Kakao Corp., following an engineering role at CNPTechnology that formed part of his military service. He began his career as a junior software engineer at EugeneData and earned his undergraduate computer science degree at KAIST.

1. Reggie Aggarwal — Cvent

Founder and CEO. Founded Cvent in 1999 and built an events and hospitality software business serving 22,000 customers worldwide. He led the company through two public listings and its 2023 acquisition by Blackstone. Cvent began with two people and now employs 5,000. Its marketplace helped planners source more than $18 billion in meetings business in 2024.

2. Mike Ettling — Unit4

CEO. Led Unit4’s shift toward cloud-based enterprise software, emphasizing culture and innovation. Previously president of SAP SuccessFactors, he also chairs ERP provider SYSPRO. His earlier executive positions include NGA HR, now Strada, and Unisys. He also invests in and advises emerging companies, with a focus on motivating teams, promoting diversity, and using technology to improve the workplace.

3. Tooey Courtemanche — Procore Technologies

Founder and CEO. Founded Procore in 2002 to connect construction teams through one platform. Drawing on experience in carpentry and property development, he grew its reach to over two million users in more than 150 countries. He also previously led Webcage and worked as a software engineer at Skip Steveley & Associates.

4. Ali Ghodsi — Databricks

Co-founder and CEO. Leads a data and AI platform used by more than 10,000 organizations. His background combines distributed computing research, Apache Spark development, and an adjunct professorship at UC Berkeley. Customers include Block, Comcast, Rivian, and Shell. He has more than two decades of AI and systems research experience and earned his doctorate at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

5. Merete Hverven — Visma

CEO. Took charge in 2020 and expanded Visma across Europe and Latin America. Revenue more than doubled under her leadership, supported by acquisitions, recruitment, organizational development, and diversity initiatives. In 2023, Visma recorded €2.4 billion in revenue and €705 million in EBITDA, operating in 33 countries with 16,000 employees. A December 2023 transaction valued it at €19 billion. Previously deputy CEO and chief HR officer, Hverven joined Visma in 2011 after leadership roles at Ernst & Young. She studied finance and international leadership at St. Gallen and the Norwegian School of Economics.

6. George Fraser — Fivetran

Co-founder and CEO. Leads a platform that moves data from applications and databases into cloud destinations for analytics and AI. A former scientist at Emerald Therapeutics, he holds a doctorate in neurobiology. Fivetran supports secure movement across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployments, covering predictive analytics and operational workloads as well as machine learning. Fraser studied cognitive science and biology at Carnegie Mellon and earned his doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh.

7. Bipul Sinha — Rubrik

Co-founder, chairman, and CEO. Oversees data security and recovery across enterprise, cloud, and SaaS environments. His background spans engineering at Oracle and venture investing at Lightspeed and Blumberg Capital. Rubrik applies Zero Trust principles and machine learning to threats ranging from cyberattacks to malicious insiders and operational failures. Sinha’s investments have included Nutanix and Hootsuite. He studied electrical engineering at IIT Kharagpur and earned an MBA at Wharton.

8. Adam Elster — Majesco

CEO. Joined in 2018 to lead technology for property, casualty, life, and health insurers. Previously led global field operations at CA Technologies during its expansion into digital transformation software. That work covered DevOps, API management, security, and agile management. Majesco combines insurance expertise with technology to improve customer experiences. Elster holds degrees in psychology and management and information systems from New York University.

9. David Felsenthal — EAB

CEO. Expanded EAB’s education research, software, and enrollment services to over 2,500 institutional and corporate partners. Previously helped scale The Advisory Board Company and broaden its business from healthcare into education. EAB employs more than 1,800 people and uses data-driven insights to help institutions improve education and communities. At The Advisory Board Company, where he served as president, COO, and CFO, revenue rose from $70 million to over $750 million and staff expanded from 400 to 3,700. Earlier work included internet-based healthcare information and software services. He holds degrees from Princeton and Stanford’s business school.

10. Filip Kaliszan — Verkada

Co-founder and CEO. Leads a cloud platform integrating cameras, access control, sensors, alarms, and other building security tools. Previously founded CourseRank and held product leadership roles at Chegg and Guidebook. He started CourseRank in 2007 and later became Guidebook’s vice president of product management. His academic background includes both undergraduate and master’s degrees in computer science from Stanford University.

11. Alexander Atzberger — Optimizely

CEO. Since 2019, led acquisitions and a rebrand that reshaped the company. Previously held senior roles at SAP, including president of SAP Customer Experience and SAP Ariba. He also co-founded The Wonderbon Chocolate Co. and serves on Oro Labs’ board. A 2013 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a finance and international business degree from NYU Stern.

12. Nick Mehta — Gainsight

CEO. Leads software connecting customer success, education, product experience, and communities across the post-sales journey. Previously ran LiveOffice, which was acquired by Symantec, and worked in product management at XDegrees. Gainsight’s customers include nearly 200 publicly traded companies. Mehta also co-founded Chipshot.com as its marketing vice president. He studied biochemistry and computer science at Harvard, earning undergraduate and master’s degrees respectively.

13. Dan Rodrigues — Tebra

Co-founder and CEO. Founded Kareo in 2004; its 2021 merger with PatientPop formed Tebra. The cloud healthcare platform helps more than 100,000 providers manage their practices and patient care. Tebra employs over 1,000 people across its Irvine and Los Angeles headquarters. Rodrigues entered healthcare technology through software consultancy Skematix in 2001. Before that, he co-founded media search engine Scour, which reached over ten million users, and began his development career at RealNetworks and Visio. He studied computer science at UCLA.

14. Assaf Rappaport — Wiz

Co-founder and CEO. Co-founded Wiz in 2020 to help security teams identify cloud risks through agentless analysis. Previously co-founded Adallom, sold it to Microsoft, and led Microsoft’s cloud security group. Wiz examines clouds, containers, and workloads together, using graph-based analysis to surface actionable risks. Rappaport also managed Microsoft’s Israeli R&D center and previously worked on strategy projects at McKinsey. He holds a computer science master’s from the Technion and an undergraduate degree combining computer science, physics, and mathematics from the Hebrew University.

15. Brandon Daniels — Exiger

CEO. Leads AI tools for supply-chain, third-party, and compliance risk management across businesses and government agencies. His experience includes regulatory change and crisis response, with earlier leadership roles at Clutch Group and CPA Global. His projects have ranged from financial-market regulatory reform to supply-chain support for the COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force. Exiger serves corporations, financial institutions, and government customers, including the defense industrial base. Daniels graduated from George Washington University.

16. Andy Byrne — Clari

Co-founder and CEO. Leads a revenue platform used by over 1,500 organizations to improve forecasting, deal execution, and team productivity. Previously held business development roles at Clearwell Systems and co-founded Timestock. Clari customers include Okta, Adobe, Workday, Zoom, and Finastra. Byrne also worked in sales at MiLAN Technologies. His education includes an MBA focused on technology and innovation at San José State and an economics degree from the University of Nevada, Reno.

17. Kevin Kemmerer — WorkWave

CEO. Brings more than 30 years of software experience. Previously led Brightly Software and its sale to Siemens, with earlier roles spanning product leadership, consulting, venture capital, and software investment. After the Brightly transaction, he served on the leadership team of Siemens’ $20 billion Smart Infrastructure division. His career includes Deloitte, Broadview, Kennet Capital, Safeguard Scientifics, Warburg Pincus, and insurance SaaS provider iPipeline, where he led product. A Symplr board member, he holds a Wharton MBA and an electrical engineering and computer science degree from Vanderbilt.

18. Ulf Persson — ABBYY

CEO. Has led ABBYY since 2017, applying AI to turn business documents into actionable information across more than 200 languages. Previously co-founded technology investor Mint Capital and managed the AIG-Brunswick Millennium Fund. The latter fund managed $300 million in assets. He has invested in and advised growth companies in Europe and the US, including Tablogix and jNetx, and studied economics at the Stockholm School of Economics.

19. Ashutosh Garg — Eightfold

Co-CEO. Leads AI-based talent intelligence for recruiting, retention, skills development, and diversity. Previously worked on search and personalization at Google and IBM Research and founded Bloomreach. The platform operates in more than 155 countries and 24 languages. Garg’s machine learning work has produced numerous citations and patents; his goal at Eightfold is to connect people with meaningful work.

20. Katherine Kostereva — Creatio

Founder and CEO. Leads a no-code platform for workflow automation and CRM used by clients in 100 countries. Her career includes marketing at IBM and leadership at Terrasoft. Thousands of customers use Creatio daily to run millions of workflows. Before Creatio, she was CEO and managing partner at Terrasoft. Her professional experience spans 26 years, and she is a Harvard Business School graduate.

21. Piotr Ciski — Symfonia Group

CEO. Has led Symfonia’s growth since 2015, focusing on technology for SMEs. Oversaw its separation from Sage, new private equity backing, and its first international acquisition in 2024. MidEuropa backed the 2021 separation, and Accel-KKR invested in 2023 to support expansion beyond Poland. Ciski has nearly 30 years of experience in IT and business transformation, including executive work at Cybercom and Computaris Group. He studied computer science and econometrics at the University of Łódź, holds a Warsaw University of Technology MBA, and advocates digital education through the Digital Poland Foundation Council.

22. Max Liu — PingCAP

CEO. Leads the company behind TiDB, a distributed SQL database combining elastic scaling and real-time analytics. Co-authored open-source projects including TiDB, TiKV, and Codis, following infrastructure roles at Wandou Labs and JD.com. TiDB aims to simplify application infrastructure by keeping continuous data access and analytics within one database. Liu has over a decade of systems and software experience, including work on Codis, an open-source Redis clustering solution.

23. Dhiraj Sharma — Simpplr

Founder and CEO. Leads an AI-powered employee experience platform that personalizes access to colleagues, information, and resources. Previously founded and led Simplion Technologies and Lirik. His entrepreneurial career began in 2007, and spans 17 years. Simpplr uses AI to bring information from multiple workplace systems into one personalized access point.

24. Mike Palmer — Sigma

CEO. Leads cloud-native analytics and business intelligence built on cloud data warehouses. Brings enterprise product and marketing experience, including a chief product officer role at Druva. Sigma gives users live, guided access to warehouse data so analysis can evolve without repeated data-model changes. Palmer has held CMO, CPO, and general manager roles across startups and Fortune 500 businesses. At Druva, he worked on customer acquisition, retention, and replacing legacy on-premises systems with cloud services. He studied developmental biology at the University of Rochester.

25. Amit Sharma — CData Software

Founder and CEO. Sets the technical and business direction for tools connecting live data across hundreds of cloud and on-premises applications. Previously worked in architecture and engineering at /n Software, Elixar, and Infosys. He grew CData from a startup into a data connectivity provider offering self-service access tools. Sharma holds a master’s in computer networking from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.

26. Amir Ben-Efraim — Menlo Security

Co-founder and CEO. Leads cloud-based browser protection designed to prevent threats without endpoint software. Previously founded Altor Networks and led cloud security at Juniper following its acquisition of Altor. Menlo’s approach is designed to scale without disrupting the user experience. His earlier career includes Check Point Software, and he holds engineering degrees from UC Berkeley and Stanford, plus an MBA from UCLA.

27. Balaji Sreenivasan — Aurigo

Founder and CEO. Leads cloud software that helps infrastructure and private asset owners plan, build, and maintain capital projects. Combines mechanical and aerospace engineering experience with enterprise software product strategy. His responsibilities include customer engagement and developing future company leaders. He also brings knowledge of blockchain and AI/ML, and studied at NIT Trichy, the University of Florida, and Harvard Business School.

28. Justin Borgman — Starburst

Co-founder and CEO. Leads a platform for accessing and analyzing data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Previously co-founded SQL-on-Hadoop company Hadapt and joined Teradata through its acquisition. At Teradata, he managed the Hadoop product portfolio. Founded in 2017, Starburst aims to let analysts query varied data wherever it resides without sacrificing performance. Customers include seven of the ten largest banks, six of the ten largest pharmaceutical firms, and four of the seven largest US telecom companies.

29. David Keane — Bigtincan

CEO. Co-founded Bigtincan in 2010 and grew it into a sales enablement and employee communications business. Previously founded Veritel Wireless and held operating and sales roles at KGRIND and Novell. Bigtincan adapts to customers’ business processes to help brands create personalized buying experiences. Keane holds an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management and an economics degree from the Australian National University.

30. Matt Britton — Suzy

Founder and CEO. Leads a consumer intelligence platform providing brands with real-time audience feedback. Previously built marketing agency MRY, acquired by Publicis Groupe, and has written about generational trends and AI. Suzy grew 500% over five years and raised more than $100 million from investors including Foundry Group, Bertelsmann Digital Media, and H.I.G. Capital. Customers include L’Oréal, HP, Citi, Google, and Kraft Heinz. Britton has advised more than half of Fortune 500 companies on younger consumers. MRY grew to over 500 employees, while his books include Generation AI and YouthNation.

31. Jason Boehmig — Ironclad

Founder and CEO. Created a contract lifecycle management platform to address challenges he encountered as a corporate attorney. Ironclad helps businesses collaborate, negotiate, and manage compliance throughout contracting. Customers include L’Oréal, Salesforce, and OpenAI. He has taught as an adjunct professor at Notre Dame Law School, where he earned his law degree, after studying economics at Wake Forest.

32. Diaz Nesamoney — Jivox

Founder and CEO. Leads technology for data-driven personalized advertising and marketing. Previously co-founded Informatica and founded business intelligence company Celequest, which was acquired by Cognos/IBM. At Informatica, he helped take the company public in 1999 and build a data integration business exceeding $1 billion in revenue. He holds seven technology patents and a computer science master’s from India’s Birla Institute of Technology and Science.

33. Dan Wright — Armada

Co-founder and CEO. Leads edge computing infrastructure intended to extend access to computing and AI. Previously served as CEO of DataRobot and COO of AppDynamics. At DataRobot he focused on trusted AI and measurable returns for enterprise customers; at AppDynamics he helped grow its application performance management business. Wright holds a law degree from Boston College and an international business degree from Pepperdine.

34. Daniel de Sousa — Rillion

CEO. Joined in March 2024 to expand accounts payable automation and payments software internationally. Previously led Trivec and held multiple CEO roles within Visma Group. With more than 15 years leading SaaS growth and transformation, he focuses on sustained expansion and strengthening Rillion’s product range. He spent over a decade at Visma before moving to later executive roles.

35. Dave Gray — Arcoro

CEO. Leads HR software tailored to construction and field-based businesses. Previously grew fitness and wellness software provider Daxko and supports entrepreneurship and community organizations through board service. Under his leadership, Daxko reached over 19,000 centers and 25 million users in 55 countries. His prior roles include CTS, Calico Commerce, and Grant Thornton. He serves the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and Endeavor Atlanta, and holds a management information systems degree from Auburn.

36. Andrei Danescu — Dexory

Co-founder and CEO. Leads warehouse technology combining autonomous systems and real-time data intelligence. His engineering background supports tools that help logistics operators improve visibility, reduce errors, and optimize operations. Based in the UK, Dexory develops a platform that gives warehouse operators continuous operational insight. Danescu’s interest in robotics began in childhood and grew into expertise in autonomous technology and systems engineering.

37. Mathias Biilmann — Netlify

Co-founder and CEO. Co-founded Netlify in 2014 and coined the term “Jamstack.” Has more than 30 years of experience building developer tools, content management systems, and web infrastructure, with active open-source contributions. He contributes across more than a dozen programming languages and regularly speaks at conferences, meetups, and podcasts. Raised in Denmark, he originally trained as a musician and music journalist before his web development career.

38. Gaurav Saran — ReverseLogix

Founder and CEO. Built a cloud platform managing the complete product returns process for B2B and B2C companies. Focuses on reducing waste and emissions, following enterprise sales and strategy roles at Microsoft and startups. Customers include DHL Supply Chain, FedEx, Samsonite, Electrolux, and Foxconn. ReverseLogix supports every stage of returns management globally. At Microsoft, Saran built executive relationships with Fortune 500 clients, while his startup experience includes Zoho. He also mentors young professionals and holds an e-commerce marketing and telecommunications degree and an MBA in global strategic management from California State University, Hayward.

39. Marili Hooft-Bolle — Trengo

CEO. Since 2023, has guided Trengo toward AI-powered customer engagement. Brings operating experience from WeTransfer, Signal AI, and InSided, and serves on TomTom’s board. Her more than two decades in technology also include consulting at McKinsey, supervisory work at Vonq, and advisory leadership at OnePlanetCrowd. At TomTom she leads the remuneration and selection committee, and she is treasurer of the Prins Bernhard Nature Fund. She holds an INSEAD MBA and law-related master’s degrees from Leiden and Rotterdam.

41. Paige Schaffer — Iris Powered by Generali

CEO. Leads identity and cyber protection services, including global expansion and product development. Under her leadership, Iris expanded to 112 countries with locally tailored services. Her 17-plus years in identity and cyber protection focus particularly on B2B2C SaaS. Iris is owned by Generali and originated in 1982; its offerings now include personal cyber and device protection. Schaffer holds industry board roles, including the UT Austin Center for Identity and Identity Theft Resource Center, and completed FBI Citizen Academy training focused on cybercrime. She is frequently consulted on identity fraud and recovery.

42. Raj Bains — Prophecy.io

Founder and CEO. Leads a low-code platform for visually building and managing data pipelines using software engineering practices. Previously held product roles at Hortonworks and Clustrix and worked on compiler development at 3Dlabs. Its enterprise customers include Fortune 50 companies where hundreds of engineers run thousands of ETL workloads daily. Bains brings two decades of experience and holds a computer science master’s from Colorado State University.

43. Barr Moses — Monte Carlo

Co-founder and CEO. Leads a data observability platform designed to improve data reliability. Previously worked in customer success operations at Gainsight and studied mathematics and computational sciences at Stanford. Monte Carlo raised $236 million from backers including Accel, ICONIQ Growth, Redpoint, and Salesforce Ventures to broaden access to reliable data.

44. Michel Tricot — Airbyte

Co-founder and CEO. Leads an open data movement platform with tools for building connectors for structured and unstructured data. Previously worked at FactSet and Murex and led engineering as a founding member of rideOS. Airbyte offers low-code, no-code, and AI-assisted connector development to help teams turn raw data into useful insights. Tricot has 16 years of industry experience and earned a computer science master’s at Ecole d’Ingénieurs en Informatique.

45. Kyle Hanslovan — Huntress

Co-founder and CEO. Combines managed security technology with a round-the-clock human-operated security center to protect smaller businesses. Previously spent a decade supporting offensive cyber operations in the US intelligence community and Air Force. Huntress has protected more than 150,000 businesses and raised nearly $200 million. Hanslovan won DEF CON’s capture-the-flag competition, has presented at major security conferences, and graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

46. Alexandre Wentzo — iGrafx

CEO. Brings nearly 20 years in process software, including leadership at Casewise, Signavio, and Celonis. Led Casewise’s turnaround and sale and helped develop Signavio’s North American business. His Celonis responsibilities covered software partners, Asia Pacific, Japan, and private equity. He also advises companies such as Pointe and Axellience on growth, funding, and acquisitions. Outside work, he volunteers with Hope and Aid Direct to supply food, clothing, and medical aid to families in need.

47. Stephen Baker — ActiveState

CEO. Brings experience in generative AI, machine learning, search, and speech recognition. Previously led AWS’s global generative AI and machine learning go-to-market organization and held leadership roles at several technology companies. Those roles included Fast Search & Transfer, RAMP, and Attivio, ranging from general manager to CEO. He emphasizes high-performing teams and distinct company cultures, and holds a Hofstra undergraduate degree and a Wharton MBA.

48. Marty Sprinzen — Vantiq

Founder and CEO. Founded Vantiq to develop real-time, event-driven applications. Previously co-founded and led Forte Software, acquired for over $1 billion, and held engineering and international operations roles at Ingres. His work spans systems management, relational databases, and internet application development. He also served as development vice president at Candle Corporation and earned an electrical engineering degree from Cooper Union.

49. Steven Aberle — Rohirrim

Founder and CEO. Leads organization-specific generative AI through the Rohan platform. His research and engineering background includes large unstructured document collections at Los Alamos and systems for commercial, aerospace, defense, and intelligence organizations. His AI expertise includes large language models and transformers. He developed and patented Rohirrim’s approach to organization-specific enterprise generative AI, drawing on experience with complex architectures and extensive document collections.

50. Rahul Ponnala — Granica

Co-founder and CEO. Leads technology helping enterprises prepare data for AI deployment and scale. His research spans machine learning, information theory, algorithms, and distributed systems; he also invests in AI, robotics, and medical startups. His applied research connects computational statistics with scalable machine intelligence. Contributions include patents and peer-reviewed publications, reflecting a career that combines scientific research, engineering, and support for emerging technology ventures.