Okta vs Rapid7: Founders, CEOs and History
Okta was founded in 2009 by Todd McKinnon, Frederic Kerrest and is led by Todd McKinnon. Rapid7 was founded in 2000 by Alan Matthews, Tas Giakouminakis, Chad Loder and is led by Corey Thomas.
Company facts
Founders
Okta
Todd McKinnon
Todd McKinnon co-founded Okta in 2009 and has been its CEO since the start. At Salesforce he ran engineering during its early growth, which shaped his view that SaaS adoption would make identity, not the network perimeter, the core of enterprise security.
Frederic Kerrest
Frederic Kerrest co-founded Okta with Todd McKinnon in 2009 and led its early sales, partnerships and operations as chief operating officer, later serving as executive vice chairman.
Rapid7
Alan Matthews
Alan Matthews co-founded Rapid7 in July 2000 and served as its initial Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Tas Giakouminakis
Tas Giakouminakis co-founded Rapid7 in July 2000 and served as its long-time Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Prior to Rapid7, Giakouminakis led software engineering and product architecture teams at multiple technology firms.
Chad Loder
Chad Loder co-founded Rapid7 in July 2000, serving as an early engineering leader and technical architect. A graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in computer science, Loder previously worked at software startups building network security tools.
CEOs and their tenures
Okta
- Todd McKinnon2009–present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Okta since founding, through its 2017 IPO, the 2021 Auth0 deal and its turn to GAAP profitability in fiscal 2025.
Source - Frederic Kerrest2009–2023
Co-Founder; former COO and Executive Vice Chairman
As Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, he provided the absolutely essential business and sales acumen required to scale the company, perfectly complementing Todd McKinnon's technical expertise.
Source - Brett Tighe2022–present
Chief Financial Officer
Oversaw margin expansion to a 30% free cash flow margin in fiscal 2026, the cash settlement of the 2026 convertible notes and the share buyback.
Source
Rapid7
- Corey Thomas
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
- Tim Adams
Former Chief Financial Officer
- Rafe Brown
Chief Financial Officer
- Tas Giakouminakis
Co-Founder and Former Chief Technology Officer
- Alan Matthews
Co-Founder, Former CEO and Chairman
Timeline: Okta and Rapid7 side by side
2000Rapid7
Rapid7 Founded in Boston
Alan Matthews, Tas Giakouminakis, and Chad Loder found Rapid7 to build advanced network vulnerability scanning.
2003Rapid7
Release of NeXpose Vulnerability Scanner
Launches NeXpose, introducing vulnerability assessment software for enterprise IT infrastructures.
2009Okta
Founded as Saasure in San Francisco
Todd McKinnon and Frederic Kerrest start the company; it is soon renamed Okta.
2009Rapid7
Landmark Acquisition of Metasploit
Acquires the world's most famous open-source penetration testing framework, Metasploit, and creator H.D. Moore.
2012Rapid7
Corey Thomas Appointed Chief Executive Officer
Corey Thomas assumes the role of CEO, leading the transformation into a multi-product cloud analytics leader.
2015Okta
$1.2 Billion Valuation
Okta raised $75 million in September 2015 at a valuation of about $1.2 billion.
2015Rapid7
Initial Public Offering on NASDAQ (RPD)
Completes successful IPO on NASDAQ, raising $103 million to accelerate cloud software development.
2015Rapid7
Launch of Insight Platform and InsightIDR
Unveils the cloud-native Insight platform, introducing InsightIDR for user behavior analytics and cloud SIEM.
2017Okta
Nasdaq IPO (OKTA)
Okta lists in April 2017 at $17 per share, raising about $187 million.
2017Rapid7
Acquisition of Komand for Security Automation (SOAR)
Acquires orchestration startup Komand, launching InsightConnect to automate SOC response workflows.
2019Okta
Azuqua Acquired
Okta bought the workflow-automation company Azuqua in 2019 for about $52.5 million.
2019Rapid7
Rapid Expansion of Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
Establishes 24/7 global SOC centers, scaling turnkey MDR services for mid-market and enterprise clients.
2020Rapid7
Acquisition of DivvyCloud for Cloud Security
Acquires DivvyCloud for $145M, establishing InsightCloudSec for multi-cloud posture management (CSPM).
2021Okta
Auth0 acquisition closes
Okta completes its roughly $6.5 billion all-stock purchase of Auth0 in May 2021, adding customer identity.
2021Rapid7
Acquisition of IntSights for Threat Intelligence
Acquires IntSights for $335M to embed contextual external threat intelligence into the Insight platform.
2022Okta
Lapsus$ Breach
Okta disclosed in March 2022 that the Lapsus$ group had accessed a support engineer's laptop at a contractor.
2023Okta
Support system breach
An October 2023 compromise of Okta's customer support system exposed customer data and hurt trust.
2023Okta
Acquired Spera Security
Okta acquired Spera Security.
2023Rapid7
Launch of AI-Driven SecOps and Threat Detection
Integrates machine learning across InsightIDR to automate alert correlation and cut false positive alerts.
2024Rapid7
Annual Revenue Surpasses $777M with Record Free Cash Flow
Delivers $777M in revenue, scales ARR past $796M, and expands global MDR operations.
2025Okta
First full year of GAAP profit
Fiscal 2025 revenue reaches $2.610 billion with $28 million of GAAP net income.
2025Okta
Acquired Axiom Security
Okta acquired Axiom Security.
2026Okta
Fiscal 2026: $2.919B revenue, $235M net income
Revenue grows 12% and free cash flow reaches $863 million.
2026Okta
Permiso deal and Okta for AI Agents
Okta agrees to buy Permiso Security in July 2026 and launches AI agent identity products at Oktane in September 2026.
2026Rapid7
Scales Next-Gen Autonomous Cloud Threat Defense
Deploys real-time offensive-defensive threat correlation across 11,000+ enterprise environments.
Acquisitions
Okta
- Permiso Security2026Undisclosed
- Axiom Security2025Undisclosed
- Spera Security2023Undisclosed
- Auth02021$6.5B
Rapid7
- Minerva Labs2023$38M
- Alcide2021$50M
- IntSights2021$335M
- DivvyCloud2020$145M
- Komand2017Undisclosed
- Logentries2015$68M
Questions about Okta vs Rapid7
Who is the CEO of Okta, Inc. and Rapid7?
Okta, Inc. is led by Todd McKinnon and Rapid7 is led by Corey Thomas. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Okta, Inc. founded vs Rapid7?
Rapid7 was founded in 2000 — 9 years before Okta, Inc., which was founded in 2009. Rapid7's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Okta, Inc..
How many employees does Okta, Inc. have compared to Rapid7?
Okta, Inc. employs approximately 6,366 people, while Rapid7 employs approximately 2,300. Okta, Inc. has the larger workforce at 6,366 employees, compared to Rapid7's 2,300. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Okta, Inc. and Rapid7 headquartered?
Both Okta, Inc. and Rapid7 are headquartered in United States. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded Okta, Inc. and Rapid7?
Okta, Inc. was founded by Todd McKinnon, Frederic Kerrest. Rapid7 was founded by Alan Matthews, Tas Giakouminakis, Chad Loder.
Which company has a longer operating history — Okta, Inc. or Rapid7?
Rapid7 has been operating for approximately 26 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Okta, Inc. has been in operation for around 17 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Okta vs Rapid7 overview