The Cybersecurity Recruiter talks to Thomas Donnelly, CTO & President, Co-Founder, Amplifier Security
About this episode
Thomas Richard interviews Thomas Donnelly about the challenges and strategies of startup life in cybersecurity.
From Security Executive to Startup Founder: Sales, Focus, and Raising a Pre-Seed Round On the Cybersecurity Recruiter podcast, Tom chats with Tommy Donnelly, CTO, President, and co-founder of Amplifier Security. Tommy describes founder life as high-ambiguity work requiring constant energy, disciplined routines, and learning new skills - especially sales - framing it as “finding” the right customers with urgency and budget rather than persuading everyone. He explains the value of narrowing product scope, defining an ICP, and iterating cheaply to reach product-market fit before scaling. Donnelly shares hiring traits he prioritizes (ambiguity tolerance, vision alignment, data-driven iteration), discusses leadership progression from technical roles to cross-functional and external influence, outlines how Amplifer raised a $3.3M pre-seed using design partners, networked VC outreach, and standardized SAFE notes (e.g., via Clerky), recommends TK Kader founder training, and cites Patrick Lencioni’s book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” 00:00 Welcome and Banter 01:06 Entrepreneurship Reality Check 01:56 Energy and Founder Routines 03:20 Tommy’s Career Intro 04:02 Founder Life and…
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