Overview
Mike Privette serves as a Venture Partner at Bright Pixel Capital [4]. Privette founded Return on Security in 2021, a market intelligence platform focused on cybersecurity business trends [2][3]. Privette holds an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and dual bachelor's degrees in accounting and management information systems from the University of North Carolina Wilmington [11][12][13]. Beyond the venture partner role, Privette maintains positions as an investor and advisor across multiple cybersecurity-focused companies, including Subsalt, Nullify, Tracebit, and serves on advisory boards for Trustero and Aspiron Search [5][6][7][8][9]. Privette previously held the position of CISO and VP of Information & Cyber Security at Passport from September 2021 to December 2024 [10].
Profile introduction
I’m Mike Privette, a former CISO turned cybersecurity economist. I created Return on Security, a market intelligence platform decoding the business of cybersecurity. Find out more here → ReturnOnSecurity.com In 2021, I set out to build what I couldn’t find: a trusted source that connects funding rounds, M&A, stealth startups, and public market moves to the real-world decisions that CISOs, founders, and investors are making every day. Return on Security now reaches thousands of cybersecurity leaders and operators every week, and it's grown into something more than a newsletter. It’s a strat…
Career history
- Founder & Cybersecurity EconomistJul 2021 to presentReturn on Security
- Venture PartnerMay 2026 to presentBright Pixel Capital
- InvestorJan 2026 to presentTracebit
- Member of the Board of AdvisorsJan 2026 to presentTrustero
- Member of the Board of AdvisorsJul 2024 to presentAspiron Search
- Investor & AdvisorDec 2023 to presentNullify
- Investor & AdvisorJun 2021 to presentSubsalt
- CISO, VP of Information & Cyber SecuritySep 2021 to Dec 2024Passport
Education
Master of Business Administration - MBADuke University, The Fuqua School of Business
Bachelor of Science - BS, AccountingUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington
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