SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NightDragon today announced the launch of its inaugural Advisory Council, a group of leading industry executives to accelerate the growth of its portfolio companies and advance its investment strategy. With its inaugural members, NightDragon hopes to grow a community of insightful industry leaders committed to the mission of working together to help close the gap between offense and defense in cybersecurity, safety, security and privacy.

The founding Advisory Council includes more than 25 renowned industry leaders and advisors with expertise in product, go-to-market, government, executive management and marketing. It also includes highly regarded Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) who are at the cutting edge of their fields and can provide a buyer's perspective on the market.

"When it comes to growing a successful startup, you cannot stand alone. The power of your network and its insights is key," said Dave DeWalt, Founder and Managing Director, NightDragon. "At NightDragon, we are proud to offer our portfolio companies access to some of the most influential individuals in the industry to guide them and help accelerate their businesses through the power of the NightDragon network effect."

The Advisory Council will work closely with NightDragon portfolio companies to share perspectives and guidance on key strategic initiatives and support go-to-market efforts. They will also participate in evaluating prospective NightDragon investments during due diligence and in focus groups to test investment theories and discuss market trends. The Council will in turn receive unique community opportunities to build their own networks, a first-hand view into the emerging technology pipeline and exposure to potential board advisor and director roles.

A partial list of founding advisors includes:

• Andrew Howard, CEO, Kudelski Security
• Sir Chris Deverell, Former Commander of U.K. Joint Forces Command
• Nadav Zafrir, Managing Partner, Team8; Former Commander of the IDF's Unit 8200
• Mike Rogers, former Director, NSA and Commander, U.S. Cyber Command
• Jason Martin, co-CEO, Permiso Security; former Executive Vice President of Global Engineering and Security Products, FireEye
• Vijaya Kaza, Chief Security Officer and Head of Engineering and Data Science for Trust and Safety, Airbnb
• Demetrius Comes, Chief Cloud and Security Officer, GoDaddy
• Michael Montoya, Chief Information Security Officer, Equinix
• Jen Vasquez, Vice President, and Chief Information Security Officer for Kaiser Permanente
• Shamim Mohammad, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Technology Officer, Carmax
• Raja Patel, Senior Vice President of Products, Sophos
• Michael Elmore, Chief Information Security Officer, GlaxoSmithKline
• Marshall Heilman, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Mandiant

The full list of advisors can be viewed at https://www.nightdragon.com/network.

"I am thankful to each of the founding members of our Advisory Council for recognizing and supporting the critical mission of growing the next generation of cybersecurity, safety, security and privacy startups to meet the challenge of today's threat environment," DeWalt said.

The Advisory Council is the latest cornerstone piece of a larger NightDragon platform framework the firm has developed over the past year to enhance the unique offerings and support it brings to its portfolio companies. In addition to the members of the Council, the platform pillars include unique programs, partnerships and playbooks to support portfolio company growth, including talent recruitment, business development, events and go-to-market support.

These more than 25 founding advisors will serve as the foundation of a broader Advisory Council that NightDragon will continue to add to as market needs evolve.

Supplemental Quotes:

"We are proud to bring together a community of some of the most influential and experienced leaders in the industry to our Advisory Council," said Amy De Salvatore, Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Alliances at NightDragon. "Now that we have announced our founding council, I look forward to seeing what impact we can drive, both to our portfolio companies and in enhancing the networks of the advisors themselves. At NightDragon, we know this is just the beginning."

"The need for emerging technologies to combat today's threat landscape is immense," said Vijaya Kaza, Chief Security Officer and Head of Engineering and Data Science for Trust and Safety, Airbnb. "I am proud to help found this Advisory Council and share my insights to support the next generation of companies and cybersecurity leaders."

"Having been a part of the NightDragon advisory committee since its inception, it's encouraging to see the brand attract other top advisors and launch a formal Advisory Council. It's rewarding for me to play a role in helping the NightDragon portfolio companies grow, and I look forward to continuing advancing our shared mission to bring innovative commercial solutions to market to defend against offensive threats," said Mike Rogers, former Director, NSA and Commander, U.S. Cyber Command.

About NightDragon

NightDragon is an investment and advisory firm focused on growth and late-stage investments within the cybersecurity, safety, security and privacy industries. Its platform and vast industry network provide unparalleled threat insights, deal flow, market leverage and operating expertise to drive portfolio company growth and increase shareholder value. The NightDragon team has more than 25 years of operational and market expertise and was founded by Dave DeWalt and Ken Gonzalez, who served as senior executives leading technology companies such as Documentum, EMC, Siebel Systems (Oracle), McAfee, Mandiant, Avast and FireEye.

Media Contact:
Sarah Kuranda
NightDragon
sarah@nightdragon.com

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SOURCE NightDragon