Hamilton-founded cybersecurity company Capture The Bug has strengthened its Executive Advisory Board with senior technology leaders based in the United States, as demand grows for modern security testing models that can keep pace with rapid software development.

The new advisors are based across San Francisco, Silicon Valley (Palo Alto), and Greater Philadelphia, and bring experience from global organisations including Reddit, Microsoft, GitHub, Azure, Copilot, and Visa. The appointments signal Capture The Bug’s intent to accelerate growth in North America while continuing to build its platform from New Zealand.

Founded by Ankita Dhakar, Capture The Bug provides Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) - replacing traditional point-in-time penetration testing with continuous, expert-led security testing integrated into development workflows. The company commercially launched its platform in 2024 after years of operating as a cybersecurity consultancy and validating the model with CTOs and CISOs across ANZ.

Dhakar said the advisory board expansion reflects both customer demand and the company’s next phase of growth.

"Our customers are shipping software globally and releasing new code regularly," Dhakar said. "Annual or one-off penetration tests no longer reflect how risk actually changes. These advisors have built platforms at global scale, and their experience helps us grow into the US market while staying focused on outcomes that matter to engineering and security teams."

Advisory board brings global scale and operational experience

The new advisors will play active roles across platform scale, enterprise readiness, governance, and US market entry:

Ninad Narkhede - Strategic Board Partner at Capture The Bug; former Global Head of Cloud Engineering at Visa and current CTO at Apoddo. He supports CTB’s enterprise readiness, governance maturity, and security expectations for large, regulated organisations.

Ellen K. Pao - Former CEO of Reddit, technology investor, and author of Reset. Pao advises on leadership, governance, and organisational resilience, supporting Capture The Bug as it scales internationally.

James Tramel - Former Microsoft product leader across GitHub, Azure, and Copilot. Tramel has joined as Strategic Advisor and US Commercial Lead, supporting enterprise adoption, partnerships, and commercial growth in North America.

They join existing advisors Dr Vimal Kumar, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Cyber Security Lab at the University of Waikato, and Sarah (Forbes) Webb, former Amazon leader and COO of legal technology company LawVu.

Trusted by ANZ technology and enterprise customers

Since launching, Capture The Bug has worked with a growing list of fast-growing SaaS companies and listed organisations across New Zealand and Australia, including LawVu, Paysauce, EROAD, Parkable, Yabble, Whip Around, Cotiss, Blackpearl Group and many more. The platform has supported more than 200 security engagements across New Zealand and overseas, helping organisations transition away from annual penetration testing toward continuous security coverage aligned with modern CI/CD pipelines.

Customers using Capture The Bug report vulnerabilities being resolved around 40 percent faster, driven by real-time collaboration between engineers and security experts rather than delayed, post-audit reports. The company says this approach also reduces repeat findings during audits and lowers long-term security costs.

Scaling a global security platform from New Zealand

Capture The Bug’s expansion into the US comes less than two years after its commercial launch and builds on Dhakar’s earlier recognition as a finalist for the NZ Hi-Tech Young Achiever Award. The company is headquartered in New Zealand and continues to develop its platform locally while supporting customers across Australia, the United States, and India.

"There’s a perception that global cybersecurity platforms need to be built in Silicon Valley with large teams and deep pools of capital," Dhakar said. "We’re proving that you can build a world-class security company from New Zealand with a small, focused team - by earning trust, staying relentlessly close to customer problems, and solving them well enough to compete globally."

With US-based advisors now supporting product scale, enterprise adoption, and governance, Capture The Bug is positioning itself for its next stage of growth as a globally relevant cybersecurity platform built from New Zealand.

About Capture The Bug

Capture The Bug is a New Zealand-founded cybersecurity company providing Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) for SaaS companies and global enterprises. The platform delivers continuous, expert-led security testing, real-time vulnerability management, and audit-ready reporting aligned with frameworks such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Capture The Bug works with organisations across New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and India.

Source: https://www.capturethebug.xyz/