Adam Ely
About Adam Ely
Adam Ely is General Manager of AI Agent Security at Check Point, where he leads the AI Security team. He is based in San Francisco. His own site describes him as a founder, venture investor and executive in technology and cybersecurity.
Ely co-founded Bluebox Security, a mobile data security startup, with Caleb Sima. Bluebox was acquired in 2016. Before Bluebox he was CISO of the Heroku business unit at Salesforce, led security and compliance at TiVo, and held security leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company. At Disney his work covered security operations and application security for web properties such as ABC.com, ESPN.com and Disney.com.
He later joined Walmart, where he was CISO of eCommerce and then Vice President and Deputy CISO. SecurityWeek reported in May 2021 that he became CISO of Fidelity Investments. He then led Fidelity's Digital group, including the AI product and center of excellence groups. Crunchbase lists his title there as Head of Product & Technology from October 2023 and lists his Check Point role as starting in April 2026.
Ely served on the Board of Directors of fintech Akoya. He has taught enterprise risk management at Columbia University. He also founded the CISO Fund, a non-profit supporting cybersecurity education and careers.
Crunchbase lists 3 investments by Ely, 3 portfolio companies and 0 lead investments. It credits him with 1 exit (not by IPO) and 1 company founded. Crunchbase's three investments are Hush Security (seed), Adaptive Security (Series A) and Promptfoo (seed). Crunchbase shows Hush Security's seed round announced on September 10, 2025.
His personal site lists a wider recent portfolio than Crunchbase does. It names Hush Security, Adaptive Security, Promptfoo, Outtake, AKA Security, Surf AI, AllTrue.AI and Axonius. It marks Promptfoo as acquired by OpenAI and AllTrue.AI as acquired by Varonis. The site also names ForgePoint Capital, Ballistic Ventures and Glynn Capital. A Columbia University bio says he invests in startups and in venture capital funds.
On X he describes himself as someone who is "sometimes investing in companies." In a June 2025 post he mentioned meeting a founder whose company he had invested in. Founders should treat him as an operator who invests selectively, not as a high-volume angel.
Several of his listed investments are in AI security. Promptfoo is a tool for testing and securing AI applications, and his site says it was acquired by OpenAI. AllTrue.AI, which his site says was acquired by Varonis, also sits in the AI security area.
His operating roles give context for these bets. At Fidelity he ran AI product work as well as security. At Check Point he leads a business unit that helps companies use AI securely. In October 2024 he spoke on a Battery Ventures panel about how enterprise buyers think about and buy AI tools.
The public record points to cybersecurity and AI security, with identity and security tooling for enterprises also visible in the portfolio names. Crunchbase shows seed and Series A rounds. Ely is based in San Francisco, and his operating career spans the United States.
He has not published a check size, a target ownership stake or a formal thesis, and Crunchbase shows him as lead investor in none of his deals. He has no public fund. A founder who wants to pitch him should expect to explain how the product fits enterprise security or AI adoption. His experience as a buyer and security leader at large companies is the clearest signal of what he can help with, such as enterprise go-to-market and security credibility.
- Promptfoo: AI application testing and security tool; seed investment per Crunchbase, acquired by OpenAI per his site.
- Hush Security: security startup; seed round announced September 10, 2025 per Crunchbase, with Ely listed as an investor.
- Adaptive Security: security startup; Series A investment per Crunchbase.
- AllTrue.AI: AI security company; listed on his site as acquired by Varonis.
- Outtake, AKA Security, Surf AI and Axonius: listed on his personal site as recent portfolio, with no round or year published.
- ForgePoint Capital, Ballistic Ventures and Glynn Capital: venture firms named alongside his portfolio on his site.
Investing activity
Adam Ely has made 3 investments according to Crunchbase across 3 portfolio companies, and has seen 1 exit and founded 1 company.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Adam Ely
Who is Adam Ely?
Adam Ely is General Manager of AI Agent Security at Check Point and a former CISO and head of digital products at Fidelity Investments. He co-founded Bluebox Security, which was acquired in 2016.
Does Adam Ely invest in AI startups?
Yes. His listed investments include Promptfoo, Hush Security, Adaptive Security and AllTrue.AI, which are mostly in AI and security. He also leads AI Security at Check Point.
What stage does Adam Ely invest in?
Crunchbase shows seed investments in Hush Security and Promptfoo and a Series A in Adaptive Security. He has led none of the rounds.
What is Adam Ely's check size?
He has not published a check size, and none appears in the sources reviewed. Crunchbase shows no lead investments.
How can founders contact Adam Ely?
His public channels are LinkedIn, X (@adamely) and his personal site, adamely.com. A warm introduction from a shared security or AI contact is likely the most useful route.
Which companies has Adam Ely built or run?
He co-founded Bluebox Security and has been CISO at Fidelity, Walmart eCommerce and Salesforce Heroku. He also ran Fidelity's Digital group and now leads Check Point's AI Security unit.
Is Adam Ely an angel investor?
Yes. Adam Ely invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 3 investments and 1 exit.
Where is Adam Ely based?
Adam Ely is based in San Francisco, California, United States.
How can founders reach Adam Ely?
Founders on Lounge can see Adam Ely's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Adam Ely to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.