Joe Lea

Chief Executive Officer

Joe Lea harnesses more than 25 years of executive, product, and cybersecurity experience, bringing a track record of scalable company and product growth to SecLytics. Most recently,  Lea oversaw the market expansion and subsequent acquisition of cloud security company Kivera by  Cloudflare. Prior to that, he was President of Shift5, the observability platform for onboard operational technology (OT), where he scaled the business as a product company through Series A and B financing rounds, and led Product for Armis, Inc., the leader in IoT security, helping drive its $4B valuation. Before that, he led Product at Tanium from a nascent endpoint query tool to a multi-billion-dollar unified endpoint platform. Lea has built operating models that spawned portfolios of offerings spanning the fields of security and systems management and has overseen award-winning product deliveries. He holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science and ten patents.

‍Fun Fact: When he’s not busy at work or spending time with his family, Joe can be found in Brazil or aboard his Hinckley Picnic Boat (Holiday) exploring inland waters downeast. Occasionally, he will share grizzly tales from his youth, competing in some of the world’s most grueling 100-mile mountain ultra-marathons.

Saeed Abu-Nimeh

Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder

Saeed Abu-Nimeh is pioneering predictive defense in cybersecurity. As co-founder of SecLytics, he developed the industry's first Predictive Defense and Response (PDR) platform, enabling organizations to identify and neutralize cybersecurity risks before they strike. With more than 20 years of expertise blending machine learning with cybersecurity operations, Abu-Nimeh has advanced the fields of botnet detection, fraud prevention, DNS security, and network forensics. Prior to SecLytics, he served as a Distinguished Scientist at PayPal, where he engineered advanced threat intelligence systems to protect millions of users worldwide from fraud. Before that, he was Senior Research Scientist at Damballa, where he developed a system to identify botnet operators, and was a Security Researcher at Websense. He has authored more than 19 scholarly publications and books, was an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University, and has delivered talks at Black Hat Middle East and Africa (MEA), USENIX Security Symposium, Virus Bulletin Conference, and others. Abu-Nimeh’s co-authored 2007 paper “A comparison of machine learning techniques for phishing detection” is the top-referenced source for cybersecurity researchers today. He holds a Ph.D. from Southern Methodist University and a postdoc from Carnegie Mellon University.

‍Fun fact: When Saeed isn’t busy predicting cyberattacks, he patrols the soccer pitch as a crafty right winger with a nose for goal.

Bowei Chi

VP of Engineering

Bowei is a seasoned technology leader with a strong background in software development and cybersecurity. A UC San Diego alumnus, he has contributed to pioneering teams at Napster and Forcepoint’s cybersecurity R&D lab. Since joining the company in 2019, Bowei has played a key role in shaping the engineering strategy, driving innovation, and bridging technical solutions with business needs. Now, as the VP of Engineering, he leads the team in building scalable, cutting-edge solutions.

‍Fun Fact: Outside of work, Bowei enjoys overland adventures with his family.

Stephen Poeppe

VP of Solutions Architecture

Steve, a 25-year cybersecurity veteran, excels at operationalizing cyber tools. His diverse experience, from public sector engineer to startup executive, provides him with a deep understanding of industry challenges. As SVP of Solution Strategy at Armis, Steve led the solution development team and charted product vision. And as Senior Director, Technical Account Management at Tanium, Steve managed the SE team and led the development of all pre and post-sales strategies and tactics. He specializes in driving early-stage startup growth through team and tool development.

‍Fun fact: Beyond cybersecurity, Steve enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest, baking sourdough, gaming, and gardening.

Loucif Kharouni

VP of Threat Research

With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, Loucif brings a seasoned threat hunter’s eye and an advanced understanding of detection engineering and adversarial engineering to SecLytics as VP of Threat Research. Loucif has a proven track record of delivering innovative and effective solutions against cyber threats, leveraging his skills in network security and threat intelligence. Before joining SecLytics, he was Senior Director of Threat Management at ADP. Prior to that, as VP of Service Delivery for Global Threat Intelligence at Deloitte, he headed the global threat intelligence and advisory intelligence teams. He has also contributed to multiple publications on malware and botnet infrastructure analysis, detection, and mitigation. Loucif loves to work in a collaborative environment, bringing out the best talented teammates, and is passionate about advancing the state of the art in cybersecurity. 

Fun fact: Loucif is also passionate about classic Kung Fu movies, manga, motorcycle riding and coaching a youth soccer team.