David Erickson

Co-Founder, CEO, Forward

David Erickson has been CEO and co-founder of Forward Networks since the company’s inception in 2013. The company’s mission is to bring mathematical certainty and operational rigor to network management and security. David leads company strategy and oversees the continued development of its mathematically accurate network digital twin, which ensures digital resilience while providing a trusted foundation for agentic operations across complex, mission-critical environments. Forward supports Fortune 100 enterprises and government organizations that require resilience, compliance, and provable network behavior. Erickson holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University. His research under Professor Nick McKeown contributed to early advances in OpenFlow and software-defined networking. His technical background continues to inform his leadership, grounded in engineering integrity and reducing operational risk in increasingly complex and adversarial digital environments.