Executive Overview
Daniel Nurmi is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Anchore, a company specializing in software supply chain security with a strong presence in cloud-native technology and DevSecOps solutions. With over a decade of experience in secure, large-scale distributed systems and cloud infrastructure, Nurmi has held pivotal roles in both technology leadership and product innovation within the enterprise software and security sectors. Anchore, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, is recognized for industry-leading solutions in DevSecOps and software container security, serving prominent clients including the U.S. Air Force, Cisco, NVIDIA, eBay, GitLab, and GitHub.
Professional Background
Current Role
- Title: CTO & Co-Founder
- Company: [Anchore](https://anchore.com/)
- Location: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
- LinkedIn: [Daniel Nurmi](http://www.linkedin.com/in/dannurmi)
Company Profile: Anchore
- Founded: 2016 (by Saïd Ziouani and Daniel Nurmi)
- Headquarters: Santa Barbara, California; remote-friendly presence across the U.S. and Europe
- Size: 11–50 employees
- Industry: Information Technology / Software Supply Chain Security / DevSecOps
- Mission: Providing policy-based container security workflows and solutions that enable rapid, secure software delivery for enterprises and federal agencies
- Deployment: >75,000 deployments globally
- Key Clients: U.S. DoD/Platform One, Air Force (DoD Iron Bank), Cisco, NVIDIA, eBay, GitHub, GitLab
- Endorsements: Recognized as a key component of the DoD Enterprise DevSecOps initiative and the DoD Iron Bank
- Solutions Portfolio: Anchore Enterprise, Anchore Federal, CI/CD Security, Container Registry Scanning, NIST and FedRAMP compliance solutions
- Core Values: Kindness, Openness, Ownership—fostering a transparent, diverse, and people-centric work culture
Relevant Experience
- Distinguished Technologist: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (focus on cloud and enterprise infrastructure)
- Co-Founder & CTO: Eucalyptus Systems Inc. (cloud platform acquired by HPE)
- Research and Development: Extensive background in scientific research, distributed and high-performance computing systems, and designing secure enterprise applications
Education
- Ph.D., Computer Science — University of California, Santa Barbara
- M.S., Computer Science — University of Chicago
Industry Authority and Thought Leadership
Daniel Nurmi is widely recognized for his expertise in:
- Designing and orchestrating secure, production-ready, large-scale distributed systems and high-performance computing environments
- Advancing container security, supply chain security, and DevSecOps methodologies across industry, enterprise, and federal sectors
- Authored technical publications and contributions, including posts for the NVIDIA Technical Blog and public speaking on software supply chain security (e.g., YouTube: Containers and Supply Chain Security)
Open Source and Community Impact:
- Instrumental in launching [Anchore Toolbox](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dannurmi_introducing-anchore-toolbox-a-new-collection-activity-6719276862859833344-h7nU), a suite of open source DevSecOps tools.
- Advocates integrating security into CI/CD pipelines, directly contributing to software velocity without compromising compliance or security.
Strategic Partnerships and Notable Client Relationships
- Federal & Defense: Anchore’s technologies are integrated into the U.S. Department of Defense’s DevSecOps pipeline and Iron Bank, critical for compliant software deployment in the defense sector.
- Enterprise: Trusted by global tech leaders for container scanning, vulnerability analysis, compliance enforcement, and custom security policies.
- Cloud-native Ecosystem: Anchore’s tools are actively used to secure and manage production workloads in Kubernetes clusters and are integrated with major development platforms (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, NVIDIA NGC).
Organizational Influence and Leadership
As CTO & Co-Founder, Nurmi drives:
- Product vision and technical roadmap for Anchore, focusing on securing the software supply chain and innovating on DevSecOps workflows.
- Collaboration with enterprise and public sector clients, particularly in highly regulated or security-sensitive environments.
- Internal leadership, cultivating Anchore’s values-driven culture and championing openness and technical excellence.
Key Insights Relevant to Engagement
- Nurmi’s leadership at Anchore aligns directly with organizations seeking scalable, policy-driven solutions for container and CI/CD security, federal compliance, or software supply chain modernization.
- Anchore’s proven track record with U.S. government agencies and F500 enterprises positions Nurmi as a decision-maker and strategic influencer for security and DevOps partnerships.
- Nurmi’s technical background, combined with previous founding/exit experience (Eucalyptus Systems), underlines a propensity for innovation and enterprise solution adoption.
For technology partners, software vendors, or organizations operating in regulated digital environments, a dialogue with Daniel Nurmi would directly address needs around container security, compliance, and high-velocity application delivery—all within a culture of transparency and technical integrity.
