{"690075":{"#nid":"690075","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GT Computing\u0027s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Fuels Rise of Two Influential Software Leaders","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA global media outlet is spotlighting the success of two software companies founded by faculty and alumni of Georgia Tech\u0027s College of Computing (GT Computing).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis week, Time Magazine named CrowdStrike and Pindrop Security among the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/time.com\/article\/2026\/04\/27\/time100-companies-software\/\u0022\u003E10 Most Influential Software Companies of 2026\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECrowdStrike and Pindrop appear on TIME\u2019s new list alongside some of the world\u2019s best-known computing companies, including Adobe, Microsoft, and Palantir. Released on April 27 as part of the outlet\u2019s TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders series, this recognition underscores their rising influence.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see that two out of the ten companies on this list were founded by alumni and faculty from the College of Computing. We are bursting with pride,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/vsarkar\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVivek\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003ESarkar\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing. \u201cThis recognition reflects the strength of our academic and research programs, as well as the impact of our commitment to fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It also highlights how we are empowering our students and faculty to translate bold, innovative ideas into successful ventures. Looking ahead, we will further integrate entrepreneurial thinking with the computational and AI foundations embedded throughout our curriculum.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheir inclusion on TIME\u2019s list this year is especially notable because both CrowdStrike and Pindrop address the growing cybersecurity threat landscape, including deepfakes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/ai-and-cybersecurity-propelling-cs-forward-latest-nationwide-undergraduate-rankings\u0022\u003E[RELATED: USNWR Ranks GT Computing No. 2 for Undergraduate Cybersecurity]\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGT Computing alumnus\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fvijayab%2F\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Calbert.snedeker%40cc.gatech.edu%7C87c6662c175d43c2670c08dea6d36049%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639131623947530805%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026amp;sdata=4CKK7jeg8uPmd8FnTP%2FKg64JTZkB1DiAV9joayw6UJo%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Original URL:\u0026#13;https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/vijayab\/\u0026#13;\u0026#13;Click to follow link.\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVijay\u202fBalasubramaniyan\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(PhD CS 2011) co-founded Pindrop in 2011 with his doctoral advisor, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mustaque-ahamad-ab18811\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMustaque\u0026nbsp;Ahamad\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, and Georgia Tech alumnus \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/drpauljudge\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPaul\u0026nbsp;Judge\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E(PhD CS 2002). It commercialized his doctoral research to help call centers determine whether callers are legitimate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe company has also developed a deepfake protection product and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cc.gatech.edu%2Fnews%2Fwhen-video-isnt-real-georgia-tech-alum-innovates-deepfake-detection-new-era-fraud\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Calbert.snedeker%40cc.gatech.edu%7C87c6662c175d43c2670c08dea6d36049%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639131623947561253%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026amp;sdata=f9bL6fiyWxTqlyyvaLA%2BOn4zhwYb0f5RN4bpcM5oEwI%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cc.gatech.edu%2Fnews%2Fwhen-video-isnt-real-georgia-tech-alum-innovates-deepfake-detection-new-era-fraud\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Calbert.snedeker%40cc.gatech.edu%7C87c6662c175d43c2670c08dea6d3604\u0022\u003Erecently raised $100 million in capital funding\u003C\/a\u003E to expand its deepfake video detection business. During this expansion, the company developed Pindrop Pulse, which \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2Fcollections%2Fbest-inventions-2025%2F7318241%2Fpindrop-pulse-for-meetings%2F\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Calbert.snedeker%40cc.gatech.edu%7C87c6662c175d43c2670c08dea6d36049%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639131623947583874%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026amp;sdata=kCCRLlhSNOGxA9HoUbViZFoOYjmbyAQbZ5jG37NEYw4%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Original URL:\u0026#13;https:\/\/time.com\/collections\/best-inventions-2025\/7318241\/pindrop-pulse-for-meetings\/\u0026#13;\u0026#13;Click to follow link.\u0022\u003ETIME named one of the Best Inventions of 2025\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIdentity, consent, and accountability are society\u2019s contracts. Deepfakes erode all three,\u201d Balasubramaniyan told TIME.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPindrop technology can confirm participants\u0027 identities in audio\/video conference calls within a few seconds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cVijay\u2019s Ph.D. research was of the highest quality, and the Pindrop paper was published in one of the top-tier security conferences,\u201d said Ahamad, Regents\u0027 Entrepreneur and interim chair of the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHowever, because of his work experience before coming to Georgia Tech, he also focused on the real-world relevance of his research, which led to the launch of Pindrop Security. He is a great example of impactful research that students conduct in our laboratories.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike Pindrop, CrowdStrike was founded to counter emerging digital threats and has evolved to combat growing AI-powered security challenges.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dmitrialperovitch\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDmitri\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003EAlperovitch\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (CS 2001, MS InfoSec 2003) co-founded the company and served as chief technology officer at its 2012 launch.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlperovitch, recently inducted into the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/hall-fame\u0022\u003ECollege of Computing Hall of Fame\u003C\/a\u003E, played a pivotal role in securing more than $150 million in capital investments for the company, helping pave the way for CrowdStrike to become one of the world\u2019s leading cybersecurity companies. In fact, its client list includes nearly 60% of Fortune 500 companies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat appealed to me in cybersecurity is that you are never really done,\u201d Alperovitch said during a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/cybersecurity-pioneer-engages-georgia-tech-graduate-students-fireside-chat\u0022\u003Erecent campus fireside chat with students\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs long as there are human beings out there that want to do you harm, there are always security problems to solve.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAsked about the founding of CrowdStrike, Alperovitch described investigating a 2010 breach at Google by a nation-state actor as a pivotal moment for him.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe industry refused to acknowledge this was a widespread problem, and that realization led me to start CrowdStrike,\u201d he said. \u201cYou no longer just have to be better than your competitors. You must stay proactive and vigilant.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlperovitch is the co-founder and chairman of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/silverado.org\/\u0022\u003ESilverado Policy Accelerator\u003C\/a\u003E and the bestselling author of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/worldonthebrink.com\/\u0022\u003EWorld on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the 21st Century.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA global media outlet is spotlighting the success of two software companies founded by Georgia Tech College of Computing faculty and alumni. This week, Time Magazine named CrowdStrike and Pindrop Security among the\u0026nbsp;10 Most Influential Software Companies of 2026.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Two companies founded by Georgia Tech alumni are featured on TIME\u0027s 10 Most Influential Software Companies of 2026."}],"uid":"32045","created_gmt":"2026-04-30 16:41:16","changed_gmt":"2026-04-30 21:41:37","author":"Ben Snedeker","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680133":{"id":"680133","type":"image","title":"Vijay-Balasubramaniyan-Pindrop-cofounder.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPhoto portrait of Vijay Balasubramaniyan (PhD CS 2011), CEO and co-founder of Pindrop Security.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1777567287","gmt_created":"2026-04-30 16:41:27","changed":"1777567287","gmt_changed":"2026-04-30 16:41:27","alt":"Photo portrait of Vijay Balasubramaniyan (PhD CS 2011), CEO and co-founder of Pindrop Security.","file":{"fid":"264373","name":"Vijay-Balasubramaniyan-Pindrop-cofounder.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/30\/Vijay-Balasubramaniyan-Pindrop-cofounder.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/30\/Vijay-Balasubramaniyan-Pindrop-cofounder.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":48849,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/30\/Vijay-Balasubramaniyan-Pindrop-cofounder.jpeg?itok=C8xtTVHY"}},"680134":{"id":"680134","type":"image","title":"Dmitri-Visit-2025-34.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003ECandid photo of Dmitri Alperovitch (CS 2001, MS InfoSec 2003) speaking to students during a campus visit in 2025.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1777567482","gmt_created":"2026-04-30 16:44:42","changed":"1777567482","gmt_changed":"2026-04-30 16:44:42","alt":"Candid photo of Dmitri Alperovitch (CS 2001, MS InfoSec 2003) speaking to students during a campus visit in 2025. ","file":{"fid":"264374","name":"Dmitri-Visit-2025-34.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/30\/Dmitri-Visit-2025-34.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/30\/Dmitri-Visit-2025-34.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":57602,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/30\/Dmitri-Visit-2025-34.jpg?itok=nw4s3mYb"}}},"media_ids":["680133","680134"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"},{"id":"181991","name":"Georgia Tech News Center"},{"id":"506","name":"alumni"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193655","name":"Artificial Intelligence at Georgia Tech"},{"id":"193658","name":"Commercialization"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBen Snedeker\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESr. Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Computing\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Ealbert.snedeker@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}