Cybersecurity leader focused on building & advising startups on product, GTM, & leadership
About Me
Jon Schipp
The Ric Flair of Cybersecurity
Portfolio and reflections of a tech leader, husband, and waterman.
Hi, my name is Jon, and I love cybersecurity, building SaaS products, and exploring the ocean. I believe that mission, culture and leadership are everything. I lead authentically, and with urgency, candor, and a strong sense of purpose. I am both inquisitive and driven by nature.
My path into cybersecurity started early. I was running Slackware Linux in the 8th grade, which opened the door to one of my first technology roles as a Unix system administrator. Before that, I toured the Midwest playing guitar in a metal band, where I learned resourcefulness, storytelling, sales, and how to energize an audience.
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Over the past 15+ years, I’ve built on-premise and SaaS products, founded and operated a boutique consulting company, participated in acquisitions on both sides of the table, owned P&L for business units at a publicly traded company, and led teams across product management, engineering, UX, operations, marketing, and sales. I’ve also developed security tools and research that I’ve presented at conferences throughout my career.
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Today, I focus on helping cybersecurity companies build better products, scale stronger teams, and create lasting value. I’m especially interested in advising founders, boards, and venture capital firms on product strategy, go-to-market execution, leadership, and company-building.
My Value
I would attribute most of my professional value from my personal qualities. I am not here for mediocrity, I am an agent of change, and we are never done.
Let's build something great together!
Product Formulation & Strategy Creates a deep understanding of customer needs, business drivers & market dynamics to test, develop and deliver new products & strategies aligned to them.
Planning & Execution Leadership Experienced in direct leadership of teams with 100+ employees as well as cross-functional teams across multiple business units & stakeholders that did not report into me to develop & execute upon business plans.
Talent Acquisition & Management Have scaled global teams efficiently in high-growth environments while simultaneously raising the talent bar and aligning with organizational culture. Experienced in hiring and leading contractors in environments where long-term cost is critical, or there is a need to dynamically scale labor.
Inorganic Growth (M&A, Partnerships) I work with founders regularly on the buy & partner spectrum. I've been on both sides of the table for acquisitions, being a key stakeholder of the deal team, leader of the due diligence process, lead negotiator on many deals, and member of the M&A Committee at a public company. Experience in the following transaction types: M&A, Resell, OEM, and Referrals.
Board Advisory & Startup Mentorship I am actively involved in mentoring diverse talent, startup founders, and also serve on advisory boards.
IT & Cybersecurity, Music, and Fitness Expertise Schooling and domain expertise in IT & cybersecurity. Have held practitioner and leadership roles in both technology segments but with an increased focus in cybersecurity in the last 7 years. Also, I have coaching and competitive experience in resistance training, as well as have played guitar in a touring band.
