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Austin Ogilvie
Executive Chairman at Thoropass and Co-Founder
Austin Ogilvie is an entrepreneur and executive with extensive experience in the tech industry, particularly in the areas of data science, fintech, and compliance software. Here are some key details about his career and background:
Professional Experience
Thoropass (formerly Laika):
- Co-Founder and Co-CEO from June 2019 to June 2023
- Currently serves as Executive Chairman since May 2023
Thoropass is a compliance-as-a-service platform that helps companies manage digital compliance and information assurance across various frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HITRUST.13
Previous Ventures:
- CEO of Yhat, a data science platform he founded, which was acquired by Alteryx (NYSE
) in 20172 - Worked at OnDeck Capital, a fintech startup, where he built products combining software and data4
Education
- University of Virginia: Bachelor's degree in Foreign Affairs
- Participated in Y Combinator's W15 batch in 20152
Entrepreneurial Activities
- Angel Investor: Active in investing in various tech sectors including deep tech, urban mobility, fintech, digital health, and dev tools2
- Mentor at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator2
Founding Thoropass (Laika)
Austin co-founded Thoropass (originally named Laika) in 2019 after experiencing frustrations with the compliance process during his time at Yhat. The company aims to simplify digital compliance and infosec assurance through:
- Automated IT audits for standards like SOC 2, HITRUST, and ISO 27001
- Continuous compliance monitoring
- Vendor management tools
- Streamlined security questionnaire processes3
Leadership Philosophy
As a leader, Austin values:
- Embracing calculated risks
- Fostering curiosity and continuous learning
- Promoting teamwork and collaboration
- Focusing on impactful work
- Encouraging feedback for continuous improvement4
Austin's journey from a foreign affairs graduate to a successful tech entrepreneur showcases his adaptability and innovative approach to solving complex business challenges in the digital age.
Highlights
YC is running a fall batch which i believe is a first! There are many reasons to consider working with YC (see comments for some of my thoughts on the pros/cons).
If you're going to apply and want a second set of eyes on your app before you submit, dm or email me! I'll review as many as I can and reply with tips/comments/feedback 👍
Working thru the YC application questions thoughtfully is one of the most valuable exercises you can do when building a new product and/or company. the questions are so straightforward that it's easy to skip passed thinking about things that may be hugely important.
Even if you don't actually intend to do YC, it will not be a waste of your time to download the application and work thru each question carefully.
Make sure you really know what you think you know about your product and/or business. For your own sake. It'll either be harder than you thought it would be or it'll take you no more than 10-20 mins. Either way, you'll learn something about what you do or do not know.
In my experience, it's the sharpest and most creative people that tend to:
- Get to results the quickest
- Create the most enterprise value
- Lift morale & shape positive culture
- Enrich the day-to-day
- Build the strongest teams with the most effective dynamics
- Build teams of people who go on to founder/start their own companies later on
- Share wisdom & teach (me and others) the most (skills, leadership, about life and myself/oneself)
Perhaps a bit cliché..but hire the best people–really try to surround yourself w/ people far wiser and far more experienced than yourself. Folks who make you a little uncomfortable they're that good.
It really does make a huge difference in outcomes/results but perhaps most importantly in the dramatic difference in the journey itself.
#startups #founders #teams #culture #learn #grow
