Protect AI CTO Named Best Product Leader in Product 50 Awards
Badar Ahmed honored as elite global product innovator for pioneering security solutions that safeguard enterprise AI systems
SEATTLE, WA – April 9, 2025 – Protect AI, the leading artificial intelligence (AI) security company, today announced that Badar Ahmed, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, has been named a winner of the prestigious Product 50 Awards, that celebrate the world's top product and growth leaders. Badar was recognized as a winner in the Best Product Leader (Midsize Company) category. The awards, presented by Amplitude in partnership with VentureBeat, highlight individuals who have demonstrated exceptional product leadership, innovation, and business impact.
Protect AI addresses unique enterprise AI security concerns with a comprehensive suite of products for advanced AI scanning, robust LLM security, and GenAI red teaming that operate on one enterprise-ready platform.
“We are incredibly proud that Badar has been recognized for his exceptional leadership and vision among this elite group of global product leaders,” said Ian Swanson, CEO of Protect AI. “His ability to innovate groundbreaking AI security solutions has been instrumental in our success, and this award validates the forward-thinking approach he brings to our product development.”
Badar Ahmed has spearheaded the development of Protect AI’s market-first products that address critical security gaps in enterprise AI ecosystems. The Protect AI platform he architected makes AI safe and secure, and has been adopted by Fortune 500 companies across finance, healthcare, and government sectors. His strategic vision and technical expertise have guided Protect AI’s rapid growth and significantly broadened its product portfolio to address emerging risks in AI artifact security, AI runtime security, and Agentic AI security.
“It’s an honor to receive this recognition from Amplitude and VentureBeat, which highlights the importance of securing the AI attack surface that is not protected by traditional security tools,” said Badar Ahmed, CTO and Co-founder at Protect AI. “Our goal is to enable companies to confidently deploy AI by providing a comprehensive platform that addresses security risks across the complete lifecycle of their applications. This award reinforces our commitment to innovation and excellence in product and AI security.”
The Product 50 Awards honor product and growth leaders who have demonstrated excellence across key areas including product strategy, execution, innovation, and business impact. Winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process led by five industry judges including Francois Ajenstat (Chief Product Officer, Amplitude), Sara Rossio (Senior Vice President of Product, The Aspen Group), Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia (CEO, Product School), Adrienne Tan (Co-Founder and CEO, Brainmates), and Timo Dechau (Founder, deepskydata).
“Out of nearly 600 nominations this year, Badar stands out as someone who is actively shaping the future of product innovation,” said Francois Ajenstat, Chief Product Officer at Amplitude. “The product industry is filled with talented and innovative individuals, but Badar's work at Protect AI demonstrates the kind of bold thinking and results that define exceptional product leadership. I'm genuinely excited to see how he and the other Product 50 winners continue to transform our industry.”
For more information about the Product 50 Awards and to see the complete list of honorees, visit amplitude.com/product50.
About Protect AI
Protect AI addresses unique enterprise AI security concerns with a comprehensive suite of products for advanced AI scanning, robust LLM security, and GenAI red teaming that operate on one enterprise ready platform. By integrating with existing AI and security operations, Protect AI enables organizations to safeguard AI investments, enhance operational efficiency, adopt MLSecOps and adhere to global and US data security and privacy standards. Founded by AI leaders from Amazon and Oracle, Protect AI is backed by top investors, including Acrew Capital, boldstart ventures, Evolution Equity Partners, Knollwood Capital, Pelion Ventures, 01 Advisors, Samsung, StepStone Group, and Salesforce Ventures. The company is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Berlin and Bangalore. For more information, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
Media Contact
Marc Gendron
Marc Gendron PR for Protect AI
+1-617-877-7480
marc@mgpr.net