CRITICAL START®, a leading AI-accelerated, human-validated MDR provider, today announced the appointment of Francine Geist as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Geist will succeed Scott White, who has led Critical Start for the past two years, as part of a planned leadership transition.
Geist is a veteran software executive with more than 25 years of experience leading high-performing organizations. Most recently, she served as Chief Executive Officer of LiveAction, where she led the company’s transition to a market leader by accelerating ARR growth, improving profitability, and guiding the business through its successful acquisition by BlueCat Networks. LiveAction’s network intelligence platform empowered both NOC & SOC with comprehensive visibility and deep packet forensics to deliver fast, trusted and secure networks to the enterprise.
“I am incredibly excited to join Critical Start,” said Geist. “With its differentiated platform, outstanding team, and unwavering commitment to its customers, Critical Start has established itself as a leader in AI-powered MDR. I look forward to working alongside our employees, customers, and partners to build on that momentum and continue delivering industry-leading cybersecurity products and services.”
That momentum was most recently demonstrated with the release of SOC AI, Critical Start’s newest advancement in AI-led MDR. In June, Critical Start released SOC AI, a multi-agent framework that coordinates ten specialized agents across the full alert investigation and response lifecycle, covering detection, triage, response, threat hunting and continuous improvement. SOC AI’s architecture is built on validated, structured intelligence based on Critical Start’s Trusted Behavior Registry® which is comprised of more than a decade of confirmed real-world investigations where every rule is explicit, reviewable, and auditable. If AI is ever unavailable for any reason, the platform’s deterministic foundation and the SOC continue at full capacity without degradation
“We are thrilled to welcome Francine Geist to Critical Start,” said Stephen Foster, Managing Director at Vista Equity Partners. “Francine is a veteran software CEO with a deep understanding of the evolving needs of enterprise security buyers and experience leading growth-focused, channel-driven businesses. We are grateful for Scott’s leadership over the past two years and the work he’s done to advance Critical Start’s product and customer focus. We look forward to supporting Francine as she leads the company through its next stage of growth.”
ABOUT CRITICALSTART®
Critical Start is a leading provider of Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services, combining AI acceleration with expert human validation to eliminate false positives, reduce alert noise, and deliver fast, reliable threat resolution. With a U.S.-based, 24/7/365 Security Operations Center and a 90% analyst retention rate, Critical Start helps organizations identify and respond to cyber threats with speed and confidence. The company protects many of North America’s leading enterprises through its AI-powered MDR platform, including SOC AI.
To learn more about AI-Led MDR, visit www.criticalstart.com and follow Critical Start on LinkedIn.
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