Martin Casado is an American software engineer, entrepreneur, and investor. He is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a pioneer of software-defined networking, and a co-founder and former chief technology officer of Nicira Networks. His work on the OpenFlow protocol helped shape modern network virtualization and cloud infrastructure.
Early life and education
Casado was born around 1976 in Cartagena, Spain. He earned a bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University in 2000, and in 2017 he received an honorary doctorate from the same institution. From 1998 to 2003, he worked as a researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, running large-scale computer simulations for the United States Department of Defense.
Casado attended Stanford University, where he earned both a master's degree and a PhD in computer science in 2007. During his time at Stanford, he began developing OpenFlow, an open-source protocol that enabled software-defined networking. His PhD thesis, "Architectural Support for Security Management in Enterprise Networks," was advised by Nick McKeown, Scott Shenker, and Dan Boneh and published in 2008.
Career at Nicira Networks
In 2007, Casado co-founded Nicira Networks with McKeown and Shenker. The Palo Alto-based company focused on network virtualization. Casado served as its chief technology officer. The team's work helped popularize the term "software-defined networking," and OpenFlow became a foundational technology in this area. In 2011, McKeown and Shenker co-founded the Open Networking Foundation to transfer control of OpenFlow to a not-for-profit organization.
In July 2012, VMware acquired Nicira for $1.26 billion. At VMware, Casado became a fellow and held roles including CTO for networking and security, and general manager of the Networking and Security Business Unit. He remained at VMware until 2016.
Venture capital career
Casado left VMware and joined Andreessen Horowitz in February 2016 as its ninth general partner. Andreessen Horowitz had been an early investor in Nicira, contributing $17.7 million to the startup. As a general partner, Casado has focused on enterprise technology, networking, and Artificial intelligence investments. He has been involved in numerous early-stage technology companies, contributing his engineering background and industry experience.
Awards and recognition
In 2012, Casado received the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Grace Murray Hopper Award, which recognizes outstanding young computer professionals. His pioneering contributions to network virtualization and software-defined networking have been widely acknowledged across the technology industry.
Legacy and impact
Casado's work at Stanford and Nicira has influenced how modern data centers manage and secure their network resources. His contributions to OpenFlow and SDN have been adopted by enterprises and cloud providers, shaping the foundation of many next-generation cloud computing platforms. As a venture capitalist, he has helped fund startups in areas such as Intuitive Surgical, BigBear.ai, and other emerging fields, extending his influence beyond technical research.