Early Life and Education
George Kurtz was born in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey. From an early age, Kurtz demonstrated a strong interest in technology, programming video games and building bulletin board systems in his youth. He pursued his education at Seton Hall University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in accounting. This laid the foundation for his future career in technology and cybersecurity.
Rise to Success
Kurtz's career began in accounting at Price Waterhouse. He then transitioned into the security field, becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and joining Price Waterhouse's new security group in 1993. In 1999, he co-authored the foundational book "Hacking Exposed." Kurtz founded Foundstone in 1999, a cybersecurity company specializing in incident response. Foundstone was later acquired by McAfee in 2004, where Kurtz served as Worldwide Chief Technology Officer and EVP of Enterprise. Frustrated by the slow response to evolving cyber threats at McAfee, Kurtz left to co-found CrowdStrike in 2011. CrowdStrike quickly became a leader in cloud-based cybersecurity, protecting organizations globally. He took CrowdStrike public in 2019.
Key Business Strategies
CrowdStrike's success is rooted in its innovative, cloud-native approach to cybersecurity, and its ability to stop breaches. Under Kurtz's leadership, CrowdStrike has focused on identifying and responding to sophisticated cyber threats. Kurtz has emphasized a proactive approach to security, using AI and threat intelligence to stay ahead of cybercriminals. Kurtz has also invested in emerging-technology and cybersecurity startups, showing a commitment to innovation in the field.
Philanthropy
While specific philanthropic details are not widely publicized, Kurtz and his wife, Anna, support charities focused on adolescent mental health.
