Key Executives is pleased to announce The Top 25 Tech CEOs of Denver for 2024. As one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in the U.S., Denver has seen remarkable expansion in its technology sector, with high-tech jobs increasing by 23.7% in recent years. The city is home to a robust network of over 1,500 tech startups, with a growing emphasis on industries such as artificial intelligence, software development, cybersecurity, and digital health.
With over 110,000 tech professionals contributing to the city’s growing ecosystem, Denver has become a magnet for innovation and talent. The CEOs on this list stand out not only for their leadership in high-growth sectors like AI, cloud computing, healthcare technology, and e-commerce but also for their ability to lead and inspire transformative change within their industries. As their companies lead the evolution of Denver’s tech landscape, these CEOs are solidifying the city’s status as a future global leader in technology.
Among this year’s awardees, Bijal Shah, CEO of Guild, is recognized for her leadership in education technology, developing a platform that enables companies to enhance talent mobility and foster workforce development. Michael Beaudoin, CEO of Housecall Pro, stands out for his expertise in SaaS for home service professionals, driving the growth of a platform that streamlines business operations in industries like plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. Meanwhile, Bryan Leach, Founder and CEO of Ibotta, is acknowledged for his leadership in performance marketing technology, pioneering a pay-per-sale model that has revolutionized brand-consumer interactions.
This year’s awardees were selected through a methodical nomination process and careful consideration of each candidate’s career track record and industry contributions. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Tech CEOs of Denver for 2024.
1. Andre Durand
Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Ping Identity
Andre Durand is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Ping Identity. Founded in 2002, Ping is a provider of enterprise identity security, serving more than half of the Fortune 100 and protecting more than 3 billion identities worldwide. In 2016, Ping was acquired by Vista Equity Partners and in 2019, became the first Vista company to IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2022, Thoma Bravo acquired PING and took the company private for $2.8 billion.
Prior to Ping Identity, Durand founded Jabber to commercialize the Jabber open source instant messaging platform, which was acquired by Cisco in 2008. Durand serves on the board of Jamf and in his spare time focuses on causes related to children in the foster care system, building culture, and creating opportunities for entrepreneurs. Durand holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and economics from the University of California.
2. Bijal Shah
Chief Executive Officer, Guild
Bijal Shah is the Chief Executive Officer of Guild, a comprehensive education and skilling solution for building talent. Guild works with organizations like Walmart, Chipotle, Discover, Target, and Providence Health to provide pathways for talent mobility that enhance the employee experience and activate internal talent to achieve business goals.
Prior to Guild, Shah held leadership roles across data analytics at Ibotta and corporate strategy at Visa. She also served on the Board of Directors of Girls Inc. Shah holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Bijal Shah's Insight
"To me, leadership is about staying adaptable—understanding when to lead decisively, when to collaborate, and when to dive into the details. It’s about constantly learning, evolving, and showing up with authenticity and purpose. In a rapidly changing world, I believe the best leaders foster growth not just in their teams, but in themselves—balancing wisdom gained over time with a willingness to embrace fresh ideas and perspectives.”
3. Michael Beaudoin
Chief Executive Officer, Housecall Pro
Michael Beaudoin is Chief Executive Officer of Housecall Pro, a vertical SaaS platform that is designed to help home service professionals manage their businesses more efficiently. Housecall Pro offers a range of features, including scheduling, invoicing, payment processing, customer management, and marketing tools, all aimed at simplifying operations for businesses in industries like plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and more.
Prior to Housecall Pro, Beaudoin served as Co-Founder and Co-CEO of HomeAdvisor which pioneered the online home services space. He was also a member of the founding team of Einstein Bagels. Beaudoin holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
Michael Beaudoin's Insight
"I'm thrilled to be recognized in this year's group on behalf of the great Housecall Pro team which every day works to deliver on our mission of Championing the Pro to Success."
4. Bryan Leach
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ibotta
Bryan Leach is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ibotta, a leading performance marketing platform that allows CPG brands to deliver digital promotions to over 200 million consumers through a network of publishers called the Ibotta Performance Network. Under his leadership, Ibotta pioneered a pay-per-sale model that allows brand marketers to gain market share cost effectively, only paying when their campaigns lead directly to sales.
After founding Ibotta in 2012, Bryan took the company public in 2024 in what was the largest tech IPO in Colorado history. Bryan is a frequent commentator on loyalty and rewards, digital media, and the role of AI in pricing and promotions.
Prior to Ibotta, Bryan was a Partner at Bartlit Beck and served as a law clerk to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Bryan is a graduate of Harvard, Oxford, and Yale Law School.
5. Mark Frank
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, SonderMind
Mark Frank is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SonderMind, a comprehensive mental health provider that offers therapy, medication management, and digital health solutions. SonderMind’s provider group includes thousands of clinicians nationwide who use digital tools and research to enhance care delivery and support the growth of their practices. The company’s services are accessible through standard insurance benefits, covering most commercial and Medicare plans.
Previously, Mark was CEO and Co-Founder through the sale of the radiation therapy business Next Oncology and the software imaging SaaS platform SafeImageMD. He also co-founded Termscout, a sales intelligence and lead-gen software offering. Prior to his career as an entrepreneur, Mark worked in healthcare investment banking at Morgan Stanley, and served as an officer in the U.S. Army.
Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a master’s degree in computer information systems from the University of Phoenix, a master’s degree in engineering management from Northwestern University, and an MBA in finance and operations from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
6. Drew Naukam
Chief Executive Officer, Gorilla Logic
Drew Naukam is the Chief Executive Officer of Gorilla Logic. For more than 20 years, Gorilla Logic has partnered with leading enterprises across industries to help define, architect, and deliver key digital products and platforms.
Naukam has over 25 years of experience working in consulting and go-to-market execution for organizations including Accenture, Hitachi Consulting, GlobalLogic and Ness Digital Engineering. He is dedicated to the business of software product development and focused on helping customers improve their product development lifecycles.
Previously, Naukam was a Chief Growth Officer at Ness Digital Engineering and before that an SVP and General Manager of Commerce and Technology at GlobalLogic. Earlier in his career he worked with AzTech Solutions as President.
Naukam earned an MBA in organizational behavior from the University of Oklahoma Price College of Business and an undergraduate degree in international business and marketing from the American University Kogod School of Business.
7. Ajoy Krishnamoorthy
Chief Executive Officer, Cin7
Ajoy Krishnamoorthy is the Chief Executive Officer of Cin7, a cloud-based inventory and order management platform that helps businesses streamline their operations across sales channels. Ajoy, who first joined Cin7 in 2022 as Chief Product Officer, has over two decades of software leadership.
Previously, Ajoy served as Chief Strategy Officer and EVP of Product at Acumatica and has held leadership roles in product and strategy at Microsoft. Ajoy holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, a master’s degree from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, and an MBA from Ohio State University.
8. Darryl Kelly
Chief Executive Officer, Aspect Software
Darryl Kelly the Chief Executive Officer of Aspect Software. Aspect Software provides enterprise-level software solutions designed to improve customer engagement, workforce optimization, and business processes. Specializing in contact center solutions, Aspect offers tools for omnichannel communication, workforce management, self-service automation, and analytics.
Kelly brings 16 years of experience to his current role and first got his start in 2008 as an enterprise management consultant at Accenture. From there, he went on to 24-7 Intouch, before eventually rising to founder and CEO at Hectic, his most recent position prior to joining Aspect Software.
Kelly graduated from the Florida State University College of Business with an MBA in industrial and organizational psychology, from Full Sail University with an MFA in journalism and emergent digital practices, and from Florida State University with an undergraduate degree in marketing and organizational behavior studies.
9. Claude Pumilia
Chief Executive Officer, Accuris
Claude Pumilia is the Chief Executive Officer and director of Accuris. He provides leadership for all aspects of the Accuris business with an emphasis on strategy and achieving the company vision to unleash engineering capability using AI and cognitive search. Accuris is an engineering-focused technology company that drives $500 million in annual recurring revenue through AI-powered data and workflow solutions.
Accuris works with over 6,000 global customers and 650,000 engineering end users in over 100 countries and various industries, including aerospace and defense, energy, sustainability, construction, architecture and more. KKR purchased Accuris for approximately $1 billion in May 2023.
Prior to Accuris, Pumilia was CEO and President of DAT Freight & Analytics. Before joining DAT, Pumilia served as Group Executive for Roper Technologies. Previous roles include COO at Broe Group Private Equity, Chief Financial Officer at Ciber Global, and other senior executive roles with CA Technologies, Hewlett Packard, Compaq Computer and McKinsey & Company.
Pumilia also serves as director of TD SYNNEX, a technology distributor in the Fortune 100. Pumilia holds a JD from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree in economics and managerial studies from Rice University.
10. Melanie Fellay
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Spekit
Melanie Fellay is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Spekit, a platform focused on improving sales enablement by bridging the gap between knowledge and action. Spekit centralizes and surfaces the answers, content, and training that sales representatives need to perform effectively.
Spekit unites playbooks, training, resources, and sales content in a central hub, making them easily accessible and trackable within the tools and workflows where sales reps work. The platform features AI-powered content creation and contextual delivery, helping sales teams access the information they need to work more efficiently.
Spekit has helped companies like Uber Freight, ZoomInfo, Southwest Airlines, and Ibotta onboard reps faster, increase quota attainment, and drive pipeline growth. The company has raised $60 million from notable investors and has established itself as a key platform for sales content management, enablement, and tool adoption.
11. Preeta Chandran
Chief Executive Officer, Ewandzdigital
Preeta Chandran is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of eWandzDigital, a global professional services company that uses technology to help customers meet critical business and knowledge needs. eWandzDigital offers an integrated portfolio of content and elearning services, from consulting to design and delivery, as well as cybersecurity solutions.
Preeta brings 24 years of industry experience to her current role. Previously, she held various positions at General Electric and Genpact, including Operations Leader at Genpact. With an extensive background in operations and consulting, Preeta has played a vital role in building deep customer partnerships at eWandzDigital.
Preeta is deeply passionate about fostering innovation and supporting the startup ecosystem. She serves as a mentor for startups in India and also mentors entrepreneurs in Canada and the United States. Preeta holds an MBA, is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt, a LUMA-certified Design Thinking practitioner, and also holds a certification in data science and machine learning.
12. Tim Weiss
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Optera
Tim Weiss is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Optera, an ESG software platform that helps companies address complex carbon accounting challenges. Optera combines a comprehensive emissions platform covering scope 1, 2, and 3 with a team of in-house experts to support corporate sustainability efforts. Weiss is responsible for Optera’s long-term strategy and vision and has spearheaded thought-leading work with the World Economic Forum and Fortune 500 companies across many industries.
Prior to Optera, Weiss worked for AES Distributed Energy and Uncharted. Weiss earned an MBA in finance and energy from the University of Colorado Boulder and an undergraduate degree in environmental policy from Colorado College.
Tim Weiss's Insight
"As a CEO, I have prioritized cultivating a learning organization at Optera. The more we can quickly learn, grow, and adapt as an organization, the more successfully we can pursue our mission. One of the more gratifying aspects of leading a company is the limitless potential for personal growth. It's even more rewarding when I can harness what I learn and use it to foster the development of others."
13. Anil Jain
Chief Executive Officer, Nomiso
Anil Jain is the Chief Executive Officer of Nomiso, a boutique technology engineering company focused on improving service delivery and driving innovation. With over 30 years of experience in the technology industry, Anil has helped Nomiso advance engineering practices and accelerate innovation.
Anil has a proven track record of building high-performing global organizations, delivering exceptional business growth, and driving successful integrations and turnarounds. Prior to his role at Nomiso, he served as the COO of Apexon and Group President at DMI. Earlier, Anil spent over 25 years at Wipro, where he successfully led a $600 million global telecom service provider business unit.
Anil Jain's Insight
“Co-engineering empowers organizations to embrace modern engineering practices, accelerate innovation velocity, and achieve transformative growth while driving unmatched engineering excellence."
14. Dan Siroker
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Limitless
Dan Siroker is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Limitless, a technology company focused on developing advanced artificial intelligence solutions to improve productivity, streamline processes, and deliver insights for businesses. Limitless serves a broad range of industries, from retail and finance to healthcare and logistics, providing AI solutions tailored to the unique needs of each sector.
Siroker brings 18 years of experience to his current role and first got his start in 2006 as a product manager at Google. From there, he went on to Obama for America, before eventually rising to Co-Founder and Chairman at Optimizely, his most recent position prior to joining Limitless. Siroker graduated from Stanford University with an undergraduate degree in computer science.
Dan Siroker's Insight
"I'm a big believer in the saying, ‘the main thing is that the main thing should stay the main thing.’ One of my primary responsibilities as CEO is to say ‘no’ to a thousand good ideas so we can truly focus on the main thing."
15. Skylar Elisberg
Chief Executive Officer, Wishlist
Skylar Elisberg is the CEO of Wishlist, a Denver-based company specializing in employee engagement solutions. Wishlist provides a platform that enables organizations to recognize and reward employees through a curated marketplace of gifts and experiences. Skylar focuses on the strategic direction of the organization, and creating value for clients and their employees.
Skylar started his career as the first employee of fellow HR-tech company, ThrivePass, and has spent the majority of his career building and scaling products that elevate the employee experience. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.
16. Michael Vaughan
Chief Executive Officer, The Regis Company
Michael Vaughan is the Chief Executive Officer of The Regis Company. Since co-founding the company in 2003, Vaughan has led it in developing simulation design technology used by Fortune 500 companies globally. The Regis Company provides solutions that help organizations of all sizes create, implement, and manage simulations. As CEO, Vaughan drives the vision and growth of the company.
Vaughan holds a master’s degree in cognitive neuroscience from Middlesex University, London, and bachelor’s degrees in neuroscience, cognitive science, and computer science.
17. Janet Choynowski
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Immobel
Janet Choynowski is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Immobel.com, a provider of enterprise SaaS platforms for the real estate industry that supports global, fair housing and diversity initiatives. Choynowski is a frequent industry speaker and consultant on topics around international and global visibility and referrals.
Choynowski began her career in global real estate as a pioneering broker in Poland, where she facilitated the country’s first international transaction after the fall of communism and contributed to the development of its first real estate legislation. She later served as CEO of Prime Property in Poland and was a founding President of Prime Property/CB Richard Ellis.
18. Ryan Steelberg
CEO, President & Chairman of the Board, Veritone
Ryan Steelberg is the Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chairman of the Board of Veritone. With nearly 25 years of experience in executive management, technology, marketing, business development, and sales, Steelberg has helped raise hundreds of millions in equity financing and led the creation of several billion dollars in shareholder value. In 2014, he co-founded Veritone, an industry leader in artificial intelligence and cognitive services.
Previously, Steelberg co-founded dMarc Broadcasting, which was later acquired by Google. Before dMarc, he co-founded AdForce, which controlled over 50% of the online ad-management market in the U.S., with clients including Netscape, GeoCities, Lycos, AOL, and Goto.com. Steelberg graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in biology.
19. Cassidy Smirnow
Chief Executive Officer, Apryse
Cassidy Smirnow is the Chief Executive Officer of Apryse. Formerly known as PDFTron, Apryse is a provider of document processing technology, providing developers, enterprise customers, and small businesses with tools to streamline document workflows and achieve their goals more efficiently.
Smirnow brings 25 years of experience to her current role. Before joining Apryse, she served as Chief Revenue Officer at Vertafore and before that Chief Customer Officer at Four Winds Interactive. Earlier in her career she worked with Applied Theory as a project manager. Smirnow graduated from James Madison University with an undergraduate degree in geology.
20. Nagesh Anupindi
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Apoorva Corporation
Nagesh Anupindi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apoorva Corporation, a technology investment company specializing in transforming and rebuilding SaaS platforms for clients, driving revenue growth through a revenue-sharing model. By enhancing API integrations, embedding machine learning, and developing responsive, cross-platform applications, Apoorva aims to reshape client business models for the digital age.
Anupindi is a technology entrepreneur with extensive experience guiding companies in developing and monetizing technology platforms. He has architected and overseen the development of over 500 systems, helping early-stage growth companies modernize their technology platforms to drive revenue growth.
Anupindi holds a master's degree in digital signal processing from the Indian Institute of Technology, an MBA from Columbia University, and a doctoral degree in computer engineering from the University of Rhode Island.
21. Kylee McVaney
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Nextworld
Kylee McVaney is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nextworld. The Nextworld Enterprise Applications Platform provides a composable business architecture that adapts to how businesses operate. Its packaged applications cover finance, order management, procurement, inventory control, and manufacturing, enabling data to flow across applications, departments, and existing systems.
McVaney holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California and is a Certified Public Accountant. She spent time in public accounting before returning to J.D. Edwards, where she held various technical and management roles.
In addition to her work in technology, McVaney helped found Valor Christian High School in 2005 and served as chairman of the board until 2017. She is also the founder of TyL Dressage in Wellington, Florida.
22. Dave Ternan
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, OrthoFi
Dave Ternan is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of OrthoFi. With a background in startup leadership and strategic consulting for Fortune 100 companies, Ternan has helped shape OrthoFi into a tech-enabled solution that supports orthodontists in accelerating practice growth. The platform simplifies patient onboarding, allowing providers to focus more on delivering quality care.
Previously, Ternan was a program director at Live Smart Solutions and before that a VP of Technology and Operations at New York Video School. Earlier in his career he worked with Accenture as a manager. Ternan earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.
23. Carmine Visconti
Chief Executive Officer, Quantive
Carmine Visconti is the Chief Executive Officer of Quantive, a leading strategy execution platform based on the OKR management methodology. By embedding strategic context, priorities, and progress into the day-to-day, Quantive creates organizations that excel at execution.
Quantive serves over 2,000 global customers across enterprises, not-for-profits, startups, and governments, helping businesses accelerate growth and transformational change by creating better visibility and organizational alignment.
With 16 years of experience in investment banking, Visconti serves as a trusted advisor for start-ups and growth companies. He has led multiple transactions in the technology, media, and telecom sectors, including IPOs, M&As, debt restructuring, private placements, and fixed income.
Previously, Visconti was a CFO at INFARM and before that a Managing Director at UBS. Earlier in his career he worked with KPMG as an analyst. Visconti graduated from the Università Bocconi.
24. Lance Hill
Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Within3
Lance Hill is the Chief Executive Officer of Within3. He joined the company in 2007 and has led the development of the Within3 Insights Management Platform, which helps life sciences organizations gather, integrate, and analyze insights more efficiently. The platform has been adopted by top pharmaceutical and medical device companies to streamline insight reporting and improve decision-making processes.
Prior to joining Within3, Hill served as Vice President and General Manager of webMethods’ worldwide Service Oriented Architecture software business. Previous roles include enterprise engineering and e-business architecture for IBM Global Services and National City Bank.
25. Katherine Wells
Chief Executive Officer, Serenity
Katherine Wells is the Chief Executive Officer of Serenity. The company’s platform connects senior care providers, older adults, and their families, enabling streamlined workflows and real-time, HIPAA-compliant communication. Serenity’s AI-powered web, mobile, and voice-enabled assistant software enhances care recipient engagement.
Before joining Serenity, Wells was a VP of Sales and Marketing at Botanic Technologies and before that a VP of Marketing at TurnKey Solutions. Earlier in her career she worked with Hewlett-Packard as a senior information technology specialist.
Wells graduated from Regis University with an MBA in international business and a master’s degree in psychology and communications, and from Fort Lewis College with an undergraduate degree in business, marketing and French language.