Steve Tran
Founder of Silicon Scholars
Irvine, California
Overview
Work Experience
Lecturer
2025 - Current
Created course and teaching Nation-State Cyber Warfare and Policy This course examines state-sponsored cyber operations through technical and policy lenses. Drawing from intelligence community partnerships, students analyze advanced persistent threats, attribution challenges, and geopolitical implications of digital warfare. Through case studies and practical exercises, students develop skills to assess sophisticated cyber threats at the intersection of technology and international relations.
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Advisor
2025
Working with fast-growth startups, SMBs, and non-profits as a hands-on executive advisor, helping organizations scale effectively while embedding security. Oversee engineering and development efforts across clients to help them build products that are secure by design and by default. Writing articles on a wide range of topics including emerging trends, founder advice, leadership and management, hiring, application security, vulnerability management, AI, and more. Subscribe today --> https://insider.eliandrett.com/subscribe
Limited Partner
2022
As an Investor and Security Expert Committee Member, I help validate startup solutions, advise founders on product-market fit, and provide due diligence work as needed. Drawing on extensive industry experience, I help teams refine their offerings, align with key decision-maker priorities, and stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity demands.
GTM Capital is a venture capital investment firm
Villager
2025
Member of a community designed to bring together Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and other senior security leaders from various industries to collaborate, share knowledge, and address the evolving challenges in cybersecurity.
Team8 Capital is a new venture capital vehicle leading investments in early stage enterprise technology and fintech startups.
Advisor
2022
Providing guidance to cybersecurity startups and founders, focusing on product-market fit, understanding CISO buying behavior and anticipating shifts in the threat and regulatory landscape. Drawing on extensive industry experience, I help teams refine their offerings, align with key decision-maker priorities, and stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity demands.
YL Ventures funds and supports seed-stage entrepreneurs in the cybersecurity sector.
Chief Security Officer (CSO)
2022 - 2025
Leading the organization's information technology (IT), physical security, and cybersecurity strategy while supporting state parties and the progressive ecosystem across the United States and multiple territories. Since 1848, the Democratic National Committee has been the home of the Democratic Party, the oldest continuing party in the United States. Today, we are millions of supporters strong, leading with our values, fighting for progress, and helping elect Democrats in every state, city, and ZIP code — from local office to the Oval Office.
Adjunct Instructor & Strategy Advisor
2017 - 2025
Taught the inaugural cybersecurity class at Magnolia High School, home to Orange County’s first high school Cybersecurity Pathway, while mentoring AUHSD technology initiatives to prepare future-ready students. As a dual enrollment instructor for Cypress College and AUHSD, I contributed to developing requirements for Cypress College's CAE-Cyber Defense accreditation, aligning with the NICE framework, and actively teach NICE Challenge courses meeting the NSA standard. I am trained in Perkins V Advisory, FERPA compliance, and both synchronous and asynchronous course design, meeting Title V and ACCJC accreditation standards for distance education via Canvas.
CISO Advisory Council
2020 - 2023
Providing guidance to cybersecurity startups and founders, focusing on product-market fit, understanding CISO buying behavior and anticipating shifts in the threat and regulatory landscape. Drawing on extensive industry experience, I help teams refine their offerings, align with key decision-maker priorities, and stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity demands.
Lightspeed Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that engages in consumer, enterprise, technology, and cleantech markets.
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
2017 - 2022
Led security and risk activities for three pre- and post-M&A processes with Evolution Media, Big Fish Entertainment, and Amazon's $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM Studios, as well as a post-M&A integration with EPIX. Established MGM Studio's inaugural Media Network Team, building secure, cutting-edge infrastructure to meet creative and business demands, and developed a diverse security team covering architecture, engineering, and operations. Launched a blockchain R&D initiative that became MGM ROAR, powered by Eluvio, and co-developed watermarking technology to enhance content protection and reduce transcoding costs. Additionally, we supported NFT opportunities leveraging MGM Studio's IP and managed global security across MGM Studios and its subsidiaries, including United Artist Releasing.
MGM Studios is a media company that produces and distributes feature films and television shows.
Various
2002 - 2017
Keeping this section brief. Police officer with an eye for fraud, identity theft, and computer crimes. Navigated diverse security roles across multiple organizations: secured assets at a major retailer, deployed with the American Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina, and protected an iconic film/TV studio and consumer brands. Also worked for Deloitte in Risk Advisory.
Various
1995 - 2002
Started out as a '90s "proggie," freelancing in web development for various companies and academic institutions. Kicked things off with AOLPress, then leveled up through Macromedia ColdFusion, ASP, and eventually landed in PHP. Along the way, I became a MySQL database admin and engineer, growing my skill set as the web evolved.