John N. Stewart

John is the Founder and President of Talons Ventures. In this role, he works with disruptive startup companies, venture funds, consults to midsize to large businesses on government relations and cyber, and gives back in philanthropic efforts on education, equality, and anti-poaching. Prior to founding Talons Ventures, Stewart served as SVP, Chief Security & Trust Officer at Cisco Systems. During his 15+ years at Cisco, he helped Cisco establish its leadership in national security matters, the enterprise security market, privacy, and trust – leadership the company carries on to this day.

Throughout his 30-year career, Stewart has led or participated in widely ranging security initiatives from IT design for elementary schools to national security programs. He is a Board Director for BlackPoint Cyber, ReFirm Labs, SpyCloud, 360 Privacy, Chairman for CyVolve, special advisor to the Board of Directors for Focal Point, Obsidian, RedSeal, and is on Syracuse University’s College of Engineering Dean’s Leadership Council.