Justin Wilson
CISO · VP of IT and Security
Security isn't a tax. I build it like a growth function.
About
CISO and VP of IT & Security with 15+ years building security and infrastructure programs at high-growth startups — from the ground up, every time.
- Generated over $1.1M in cost savings within the first months at two separate companies — eliminating bloated tooling and replacing MSP dependencies with automation
- Turned compliance (SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, NIST CSF, ISO 27001) into a business enabler that accelerates enterprise sales and holds up under investor due diligence
- Designed enterprise AI governance programs and deployed agentic workforce systems that eliminate operational overhead at scale
- Led teams of up to 40 across IT, security, and operations — and built all three functions from zero at consecutive startups
By the Numbers
- $7.2M in annual operating costs eliminated within 6 months at Embroker — replaced MSP dependency entirely through automation
- $1.7M in SaaS savings negotiated within 3 months at AllStripes — scope expanded to Head of Procurement company-wide
- 70%+ reduction in SaaS spend at Embroker through vendor rationalization and governance
- 90% reduction in employee time-to-productivity at AllStripes via zero-touch deployment and cohort onboarding
- 3× built IT and security departments from zero at consecutive startups — Nurx, AllStripes, and Embroker
- 40 managed and scaled teams of up to 40 people across IT, security, and operations functions
- Designed and led compliance programs spanning SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA, NIST CSF, and ISO 27001 across multiple companies — transforming audit readiness into a repeatable competitive advantage that accelerates enterprise sales cycles and holds up under investor due diligence
- Architected internal security programs that fully replaced vCISO and MSP dependencies — delivering Fortune-500-grade security posture at startup economics, without the overhead or headcount
How I Can Help
For founders scaling 0→1 or 1→10
- Build your security and IT function from scratch — lean, automated, and built for growth
- Get you to SOC 2 or HIPAA in a way that closes enterprise deals, not just checks boxes
- Cut SaaS and vendor spend without slowing your team down
- Stand up the tooling, policies, and infrastructure your team can actually operate
- Build the AI governance framework that keeps your company protected, then deploy agentic workflows that turn that foundation into a productivity multiplier — from acceptable use policies and Shadow AI controls, to autonomous agents that eliminate manual overhead across your business
For investors and VCs
- Assess security posture and technical risk across a portfolio company's stack
- Identify IT cost inefficiencies and build the path to audit-readiness fast
- Translate security risk into language that's meaningful to boards and deal teams
For executives hiring or exploring fractional leadership
- Embedded CISO or strategic advisor for high-growth companies that need operator-level security leadership without a full-time build-out
- Bridge the gap between your engineering team and your board — I speak both languages
- Architect and deploy AI-powered operational workflows that eliminate manual overhead, reduce headcount dependency, and compound efficiency as the company scales — not just securing the environment, but rewiring how the team works inside it
- Design the operational infrastructure your team actually runs on — replacing repetitive processes with intelligent automation and agentic AI systems that give your people leverage without adding headcount
Writing
Thoughts on security, leadership, and the decisions that sit between them.