Josh Schaefer, born in June 1975, grew up as the youngest of six children in Indiana. Josh attended High School there, where he excelled in computers and athletics. His passion for running led him to become a six-time varsity letter winner in Cross Country and Track and Field.

He continued his education at Purdue University, where he focused on the Computer Technology industry. In 1996, Josh began his professional journey as a Systems Engineer at Cisco Systems. His entrepreneurial spirit soon led him to join several startups as an early employee. His most notable achievement in this period was co-founding NearbyNow, the first local product search engine, which revolutionized how consumers found products in their vicinity. Following this success, Josh shifted his focus to cybersecurity, where he continues to make significant contributions to the field.