Mike Arpaia
I'm a computer scientist with a professional focus on machine learning, natural language processing, and data infrastructure.
I'm particularly passionate about real-time data processing, modern data infrastructure architectures, and the design and implementation of database systems.
At Moonfire, I lead data and technology efforts, leveraging software and machine learning to optimize the venture capital investment process.
Technical Interests
Machine Learning
Working with deep learning approaches to natural language processing, particularly focused on transformer architectures.
Distributed Systems
Building distributed systems with a focus on consensus protocols and scalable infrastructure.
Information Security
Contributing to system telemetry and security analytics through projects like osquery.
Venture Capital
Contributing to data and technology initiatives at Moonfire Ventures.
Professional Journey
"You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive."
— Maya Angelou
Work Experience
From security research to venture capital, I've had the privilege of working with exceptional teams across various domains in technology.
Managing Partner & CTO
Moonfire Ventures
Leading AI-focused technology strategy, engineering software solutions, and developing ML systems for investment optimization. Helped raise over $175M across three venture funds.
Machine Learning Architect
Workday
Led architecture and strategy for data science initiatives, focusing on embedding-based search and recommendation systems.
Machine Learning Research Engineer
Mila - Québec AI Institute
Developed AI solutions for climate change awareness using cutting-edge techniques in artificial intelligence and climate modeling.
Co-Founder & CTO
Kolide
Built and led a remote engineering team, architected backend infrastructure, and developed operating system software for this venture-backed startup.
Engineering Manager & Software Engineer
Created osquery, the most starred security project on GitHub. Led the Intrusion Detection Infrastructure team, building realtime analytics systems.
Senior Software Engineer
Etsy
Led infrastructure and application security initiatives, worked on distributed data analytics and MySQL infrastructure.
Security Engineer
iSEC Partners
Worked as a penetration tester and security researcher, specializing in cryptography, secure protocols, and operating system security. Conducted research on mobile device exploitation, programming language security, and mobile application security.
Security Engineer
Gotham Digital Science
Conducted security assessments while attending University. Participated in infrastructure and application assessments for various large financial and technology companies.
Open Source
I've been passionately working on open source software for my entire career
osquery
While working at Facebook, I created and open sourced the osquery project in 2014.
Kubernetes
I spent several years on the Kubernetes contributor team where I contributed to release, multi-tenancy, and architecture.
Teaching
Sharing knowledge and experiences in venture capital, machine learning, and artificial intelligence with the next generation of innovators.
ETH Zürich
· Sep 2023Two lectures about venture capital fund formation, portfolio construction, and portfolio management for PhD and Masters students attending Technology Investing (263-5053-00L) at the ETH AI Center.
London Business School
· Mar 2023Lecture about the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence within venture capital for Masters and MBA students attending LBS E518 (Digital Investing).
UCL
· May 2022Lecture about the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence within venture capital for PhD and Masters students attending UCL CEGE0115 (Portfolio Management and Asset Allocation).