CTO · Builder · Athlete · Pilot
I build systems that cannot fail.
From silicon to cloud, across the world's most critical infrastructure — the same obsession with performance under constraint that drives me across an Ironman finish line and through a cockpit checklist is what I bring to every engineering organisation I lead. From Texas Instruments to Azure, from rebuilding Zenprise into a Citrix acquisition, to engineering Zero Trust security architecture at Pulse Secure, to building the world's first autonomous port operating system at Navis — I build systems that cannot be compromised and cannot go down. I go the full distance.
Read my story
3×
Venture-Backed Exits
Delivered at Zenprise, Pulse Secure, and Navis
$2.5B+
Enterprise Value Created
Across critical infrastructure and security platforms
25+
Years Silicon to Cloud
Every layer of the stack, in production
The Builder
Patented inventor. 0→1 CTO. From DSP hardware at Texas Instruments to autonomous port OS — I build at every layer of the stack, and I own the outcome end to end.
The Ironman
140.6 miles of swimming, cycling, and running. Endurance racing taught me that the finish line is a system design problem — and that how you prepare before the gun fires determines everything.
The Pilot
Licensed across most aircraft categories. The cockpit demands precision and pre-flight discipline — the same checklist rigour I apply to every mission-critical engineering initiative.
yaftab@gmail.com · San Francisco Bay Area · linkedin.com/in/yaftab
About
Builder. Athlete. Obsessive finisher.
I've spent 25 years building technology that operates at the edge of what's acceptable — systems where failure has immediate, real-world consequences, and where security is not a feature, it's a foundation. That same standard is what I hold myself to everywhere else.
The Professional
I started at the silicon level at Texas Instruments — writing the software that tells hardware how to behave. That instinct for how systems actually work, not just how they're supposed to work, has never left me.
At Microsoft I authored foundational patents in distributed systems, networking, and GPUs and built the server frameworks that became Azure. At Zenprise I rebuilt a struggling startup into a Gartner Magic Quadrant category leader in enterprise mobile management — and delivered the acquisition by Citrix.
At Pulse Secure I led the transformation of a critical cybersecurity platform, architecting Zero Trust security frameworks and compliance infrastructure for enterprises, governments, and critical infrastructure operators. At Navis I brought that full-stack depth — hardware integration, distributed systems, and security-first design — to the hardest critical infrastructure problem in global logistics, building the world's first autonomous OS for container port operations from scratch.
Three venture-backed exits. $2.5B+ in enterprise value. Currently building TrustMe.ai — AI governance and compliance infrastructure for regulated, security-sensitive environments.
Beyond the Work
I'm an Ironman triathlete. 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling, and running — in one go. The training taught me that the difference between finishing and not finishing is almost never physical. It's about how well you designed your system before the race started.
I'm also a licensed pilot across most aircraft categories. The cockpit demands the same pre-flight discipline and situational awareness that mission-critical software requires. You don't improvise at altitude.
This site is where I document the journey across all three — the builds, the races, the flights, and the lessons that bleed between them.
Silicon-Level Roots
DSP SDK engineering at TI — I understand how hardware behaves under constraint before software ever touches it.
Security as Foundation
Zero Trust architecture, compliance infrastructure, and hardened systems for the world's most security-sensitive organisations.
Autonomous at Scale
Built the world's first autonomous port OS at Navis — now operating at ~70% of global container port market share.
0→1 Execution
From blank whiteboard to Gartner MQ category leader. From struggling startup to strategic acquisition. Repeatedly.
Work & Patents
Silicon to cloud. Every layer, in production.
A 25-year track record building hardware-integrated, distributed systems for environments where downtime isn't a number in an SLA — it's a real-world consequence.
1
2022 – Present · Founder & CTO/CEO — TrustMe.ai
Building enterprise AI governance infrastructure from zero. Full-stack ownership across architecture, engineering, and commercialisation. Targeting regulated, security-sensitive environments.
2
2018 – 2022 · Chief Product & Technology Officer — Navis
Built the world's first autonomous OS for critical global infrastructure. Achieved ~70% global container port market share. Delivered a strategic exit.
3
2014 – 2018 ·VP Product, Eng & Solutions — Pulse Secure
Led Zero Trust cybersecurity platform transformation for critical enterprise and government-adjacent infrastructure. Compliance frameworks deployed for some of the most security-sensitive organisations on earth.
4
2009 – 2014 · Head of Engineering — Zenprise → Citrix
0→1 CTO execution. Rebuilt a struggling startup into a Gartner MQ category leader in enterprise mobile management. Delivered the acquisition by Citrix.
5
2000 – 2009 · Engineer → Senior Leadership — TI & Microsoft
Silicon-level SDK engineering at Texas Instruments. Foundational patents in distributed systems, networking, and GPUs at Microsoft. Built Azure server foundations and Windows networking infrastructure.
Patents
Foundational intellectual property authored across cloud infrastructure, networking, graphics, and enterprise mobile — spanning the full depth of the stack.
Experiences
The journey, on camera.
Race days, cockpit walkthroughs, build logs, and unfiltered thoughts on technology and leadership — all in one place. Subscribe to the Xperience channel on YouTube to follow the journey as it unfolds across Ironman courses, runways, and engineering whiteboards.

Videos coming soon.
Race Days
On-course footage, pre-race prep, and honest post-race debriefs. What went to plan, what didn't, and what it taught me about system design under pressure.
Cockpit Walkthroughs
Pre-flight checklists, instrument checks, and lessons from the air. The discipline of aviation translated into engineering leadership principles.
Build Logs
Inside the architecture decisions, the hard pivots, and the moments where the product roadmap met real-world constraint. No post-hoc polish.
yaftab@gmail.com · San Francisco Bay Area · linkedin.com/in/yaftab