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About
Andrew Schmitt is an American technology entrepreneur and software engineer specializing in cybersecurity. He co-founded Signal Sciences in 2014 alongside Chris Elia and others, serving as the company's Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Signal Sciences developed a cloud-based web application security platform that provided next-generation web application firewall (WAF) capabilities, helping organizations protect against common web exploits without traditional performance overheads. The company quickly gained traction in the industry, raising significant venture capital funding from investors including Accel, Redpoint Ventures, and Greylock Partners, and serving major clients. Under Schmitt's technical leadership, Signal Sciences became a leader in runtime application security, emphasizing ease of deployment and real-time threat detection. In September 2021, Fastly, a leading edge cloud platform provider, acquired Signal Sciences, integrating its technology into Fastly's broader security and networking offerings. Following the acquisition, Schmitt played a key role in the integration and continued to contribute to Fastly's product development in application security, joining Fastly in a leadership role focused on security products and contributing to the integration and advancement of web security solutions within the edge cloud platform provider. Prior to founding Signal Sciences, Schmitt had experience in software development and security engineering, though specific earlier roles are less publicly detailed. He is recognized in the tech community for his expertise in building scalable security solutions and has participated in industry discussions on modern web security challenges. Schmitt remains active in the cybersecurity field, with a focus on innovative approaches to protecting digital applications in an increasingly threat-laden environment. Based in the United States, he exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley and Los Angeles tech ecosystems, where Signal Sciences was headquartered.