Alumni Spotlight: Ori Eisen

Ori Eisen ’96, who has dedicated his life to fighting online crime, says six words written by a professor on a whiteboard at Montclair State, where he earned a degree in business administration, have guided his path: “Find a need and fill it.”

Back on campus for the first time since graduating, Eisen was a guest of the University’s Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. He toured the business school and MIX Lab, a campus hub for innovation and digitally mediated making.

Eisen shared with students on October 2 his inspiring life story, from coming to the United States from Israel at the age of 21 with just $1,000 in his pocket, to earning his degree, to his path as a successful entrepreneur.

“The hardest period of my life was not when I had four jobs [while a college student], that was a happy struggle, the hardest is when you have all the means in the world to do whatever you want to do,” Eisen says. “Choose to do what you believe in.”

Eisen has earned two dozen cybersecurity patents and is founder and CEO of the identity authentication company, Trusona. His career has included establishing the online financial institution and e-commerce fraud prevention and detection solution company, 41st Parameter (since acquired by Experian), and serving as the worldwide fraud director for American Express.

“It was such a delight having Ori return to his alma mater,” says Richard Peterson, professor of Information and Business Analytics and past director of the Management Information Systems curriculum that Eisen studied. “Like our other alums he is an inspiration to our current students as he has walked the very path they now are on.”

In his free time, Eisen volunteers with Thorn, a nonprofit that develops technology to combat online sexual child abuse. He also founded Ball to All, a charity that donates free soccer balls to children around the world.

“Ori is a tremendous inspiration,” says Feliciano School of Business Dean Greg Cant. “He continues to be an exceptional entrepreneur and his work to combat the scourge of human trafficking really does save lives.”