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.
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.
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.
