Craig Ellrod is the Founder and CEO of HACKERverse.ai (Techstars 2024), a Techstars-backed cybersecurity startup redefining how enterprise software proves its efficacy. A veteran technologist with 30+ years in cybersecurity, Craig has led enterprise architecture teams, built patented network threat detection systems, and now pioneers Automated Autonomous Evaluation Infrastructure — where Hyper-automation agents spin up live arenas to test real product efficacy using Agentic AI Workflows. Based in Colorado, Craig’s mission is simple: to make cybersecurity software prove itself.

What does your company do, and why is it important?

HACKERverse.ai automates how cybersecurity software proves its value. Our platform uses AI and agentic automation to spin up live, production-like environments where tools are tested against real attack simulations — giving buyers proof instead of promises.

Today, proofs of concept (PoCs) take weeks or months and rely on subjective demos. HACKERverse cuts that to minutes, using autonomous evaluation arenas that validate products objectively and at scale.

It’s important because cybersecurity buying decisions shape how the world defends itself — and right now, those decisions are made on faith, not facts. We’re changing that.

How is what you are building disrupting your industry?

The cybersecurity sales cycle is broken — buyers spend months testing tools in complex, manual PoCs that drain resources and still fail to prove efficacy.

HACKERverse.ai disrupts this by introducing Automated Autonomous Evaluation — a new standard where AI agents spin up live environments, run attack simulations, and generate proof automatically.

We’ve replaced human-dependent PoCs with AI-driven, continuous evaluations, turning a slow, biased, and expensive process into an instant, data-backed experience.

In short, we’re transforming cybersecurity validation from sales theater into science.

What was the most memorable experience from your Techstars program?

The most memorable moment was realizing that Techstars wasn’t just about acceleration — it was about clarity.

Midway through the program, we reframed everything: our category, our narrative, even our measure of success. The mentors pushed us to stop explaining what we built and start leading with why it matters. That shift turned HACKERverse from a product into a movement — where software finally has to prove itself.

What was your biggest takeaway from your time spent in program?

My biggest takeaway from Techstars was that clarity isn’t just a message — it’s momentum. I came in focused on building; I left focused on communicating why what we’re building matters. The program pushed us to refine our story until everyone — from investors to engineers — could feel the purpose behind “proof over promises.” That clarity changed how we lead, sell, and scale.

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