From Dorm room to Boardroom: A fireside Q&A with David Ulevitch
Presented by the Career Center
The moderator for the event is Anne Marie Knott, the Robert and Barbara Frick Professor of Business, Olin Business School.
Biography
David Ulevitch is a member of the senior leadership team at Cisco, an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in San Jose, California, that develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, and other high-technology services and products. As Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cisco’s Security Business, he oversees the company’s global security strategy, portfolio, and architecture for a business with more than 5,000 employees, 240,000 customers, and two billion dollars in annual revenue. Previously, David led Cisco’s cloud security strategy and product development.
David joined Cisco through the 2015 acquisition of OpenDNS, a cloud-delivered security service, where he was founder and CEO. A talented innovator and entrepreneur, his vision and leadership are responsible for creating a service that today protects more than 85 million people worldwide across more than 15,000 enterprise customers.
Before founding OpenDNS, David earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Washington University and founded his first company, EveryDNS, while a student. He grew EveryDNS into the world’s largest free DNS service, which he sold to Dyn in 2010.
At OpenDNS, David hosted events for alumni and students including summer meet ups, an Eliot Society Connections Series event, and WUSTL welcome events for incoming freshmen and their families. He served as a judge for San Francisco’s IdeaBounce and as a panelist for ASK events focused on entrepreneurship. OpenDNS was lead sponsor of the student-led WUHACK, a hackathon for students passionate about technology and design. He also recruited several Washington University graduates to work at his company.
In 2013, David launched the first startup accelerator open to all WU undergraduates. With the program, students are invited to house their startups in the OpenDNS office space and have access to successful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs for advice and counsel. In 2015, David was recognized by his peers and became the first recipient of Washington University’s San Francisco Bay Area Regional Cabinet Young Alumni Regional Award.
David is a volunteer leader in the San Francisco Bay Area serving as a member of the executive committee for the WashU San Francisco Network and a member of the San Francisco regional committee for Leading Together: The Campaign for Washington University. He is a former member of the Alumni Board of Governors and the Alumni/Parent Admission Program (APAP).
David has received a number of awards and honors including recognition in Inc. Magazine’s 35 Under 35 in 2014, , and Forbes Enterprise Software’s Next Generation of Leaders in 2013. He also received the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer award in 2011, and was listed in Business Week Magazine’s “Most promising Entrepreneur Under 30” in 2008.
Until recently, David served for three years on the Board of Directors for the Tony Hawk Foundation. He is also an active angel investor and mentor to entrepreneurs.