OEN NewsContribute to the Wyatt Starnes Memorial Fund to Support Early-Stage Entrepreneurs
William Wyatt Starnes, founder and CEO of SignaCert and cofounder of Tripwire Inc., died on May 10 at age 59.
According to Mike Francis of The Oregonian, “The cause of death is listed as natural causes, but he had battled cancer of the tongue, throat and other tissues for which he underwent debilitating treatments before recovering.”
Friends report that he passed away in San Francisco, where he was handling matters for his dying mother.
Holly Files, past OEN Board Chair and SVP of Customer Success at Puppet Labs, says, “Wyatt was a wonderful example of Oregon’s entrepreneurial spirit, driving innovation in cyber-security and bringing significant economic benefit to the region.”
In 2011, Wyatt was nominated for OEN’s Individual Achievement Award. Described as “tenacious,” he was best motivated when told he “could not do something, or that it was too hard. The response could trigger years of stubborn and dedicated efforts to prove others wrong.”
At the request of his family, OEN is establishing a memorial fund in Wyatt’s honor to support early-stage Oregon entrepreneurs. Please join us in honoring Wyatt’s legacy by making a contribution today.
Says John Stewart, Chief Technical Officer for Cisco Systems, “Wyatt was the rare and valuable combination of visionary, intellect, and larger-than-life entrepreneur. He was a true cybersecurity visionary—a thought leader whose work helped make a safer, more trustworthy world. He was a big-brain intellect, delivering results with the ideas he popularized, and wearing the mantle personally for trusted systems within the Federal government and beyond. He was also the consummate entrepreneur, starting and making multiple successful companies. I am so pleased to personally support the Oregon Entrepreneurial Networks’ Wyatt Starnes Memorial Fund, which helps support entrepreneurial efforts in Oregon. Wyatt made a huge impact on our industry during his life, and in his memory continues that legacy.”
