Meet the team behind your device's cybersecurity

Christian Espinosa is the Founder and CEO of Blue Goat Cyber, where he helps medical device manufacturers make MedTech cybersecurity and FDA premarket cybersecurity requirements clear, fast, and effective - without slowing innovation. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and veteran with decades of cybersecurity experience across defense, critical infrastructure, and MedTech, Christian is known for a practical, risk-based approach that turns complex expectations into execution-ready plans for engineering, QA, and regulatory teams.

Before launching Blue Goat Cyber, Christian built Alpine Security (founded in 2014) and sold the company in 2020. Not long after that exit, a serious health scare involving life-threatening blood clots made the mission intensely personal - reinforcing how much patients depend on medical technology working safely, reliably, and securely. In 2022, he founded Blue Goat Cyber to help manufacturers build security in from the start and move through FDA review with confidence. Blue Goat track record: 275+ FDA submissions supported, zero cybersecurity rejections.

Christian and the Blue Goat team support the full lifecycle of device cybersecurity - from secure product development and architecture reviews to threat modeling, cybersecurity risk management, and submission-ready evidence packages that hold up in FDA review. Their work commonly supports 510(k), PMA, and De Novo pathways, helping teams align technical controls to intended use, document security risk controls, and respond efficiently to cybersecurity questions during review.

Outside of work, Christian is an endurance athlete who has completed 24 Ironmans and climbed 2 of the 7 Summits. He's also working toward competing in Formula 4 racing and has traveled to 80+ countries - pursuits that mirror his belief in preparation, discipline, and calm under pressure.

Melissa Espinosa is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Blue Goat Cyber, where she leads the development and growth of the company's channel and partner networks across MedTech consulting, regulatory, and technology firms. Her clinical background as a cardiac stepdown nurse is not a footnote - it is the lens through which she evaluates every partnership: does this relationship help manufacturers ship devices that are safer at the bedside, or does it just move paperwork?

That clinical perspective is a direct buyer benefit for medical device manufacturers. Melissa understands how a paused infusion pump, a delayed alarm, or a compromised telemetry stream translates into real patient harm, so she pushes Blue Goat's partner ecosystem - regulatory consultants, QMS providers, distributors, and technology vendors - toward joint offerings that shorten time to FDA clearance without pushing risk onto the care team. For clients, that means a partner network that speaks both languages: FDA Section 524B and the clinical workflow it is meant to protect.

Outside of work, Melissa is a long-distance runner and traveler - pursuits that mirror the endurance, curiosity, and cross-cultural relationship-building she brings to Blue Goat's partner strategy.

Michelle Hughes is the Director of Operations at Blue Goat Cyber, where she drives complex MedTech cybersecurity engagements from kickoff through FDA clearance. She coordinates technical, QA, and regulatory workstreams so threat models, SBOMs, penetration tests, and submission packages move in lockstep with the manufacturer's product and regulatory calendar.

Michelle's focus is a predictable delivery rhythm: senior practitioners on every meeting, submission-grade artifacts formatted to eSTAR structure, and clear checkpoints that keep engineering, quality, and regulatory teams aligned without surprises.