Wesley Huffstutter
mentor, CEO, and board member in Brisbane, Australia
Wesley Huffstutter
mentor, CEO, and board member in Brisbane, Australia
Wesley Huffstutter is a startup mentor and serial entrepreneur.
Wes is the former CEO/Co-founder of SecuritySnares, a cybersecurity tools company that ends the business disruption caused by malware. Their products stop ransomware and wipers when they attempt to manipulate the first file. He also serves as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence for both Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Australian Computer Society (ACM.) Previously, he was the CEO/Co-founder of QuadMetrics (Acquired by FICO), a cyber risk analytics company based in Ann Arbor, MI. QuadMetrics provides a predictive measure of the cyber risk of networks for insurance underwriters, enterprises, vendor risk assessment. The initial technology was developed at the University of Michigan.
Wes spent nearly a decade working for the University of Michigan's Office of Technology Transfer serving primarily as a startup expert/mentor and as the principal connector to resources (people and funding) for companies forming based on Michigan’s research. During his tenure, U-M started over 110 companies, of which more than 85% were still operating after 5 years, and the launched companies raised over $1B (USD) in equity financing. His role also included leading student entrepreneurship activities at Tech Transfer and entrepreneurial ecosystem development.
Wes has helped/advised/mentored countless companies through the Tech Transfer office and his own consulting.
He started his career in Austin, TX as an early employee of machine vision and artificial intelligence company, Intelligent Reasoning Systems (acquired by Photon Dynamics) serving as an Engineer before finally directing the company's marketing.
He has a Bachelor's degree in computer science from DePauw University. He later obtained two graduate degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, a Master of Engineering Management (McKelvey School of Engineering) focused on innovation and an MBA (Olin Business School) where he was designated a Knight Scholar. He is also an inventor on a U.S. Patent on software design and served on the board of directors of Fetchnotes (acquired by Drift), a graduate of the TechStars Boston program.
His wife is a Professor at QUT whose research revolves around media industries, business models (and disruption), and the future of television. He has 2 wonderful kids. Wes has a proclivity to tinker and likes to build and make stuff. He is an avid fan of Arsenal FC and the Kansas City Chiefs