Why Choose High Tide Advisors

High Tide Advisors isn't a typical consulting firm. We're former CEOs, COOs, and senior executives who've personally led cybersecurity companies through the exact challenges you're facing. We've filed S-1s, navigated M&A processes, built go-to-market engines from scratch, and delivered successful exits. Now we help cybersecurity founders and investors achieve the same results.

Dan Schoenbaum is a seasoned executive with deep expertise in cybersecurity go-to-market strategy. Over a 25-year career, he's held CEO and COO roles at high-growth security companies where he led transformational shifts in strategy that resulted in hypergrowth, successful IPOs, and substantial exits.

RiskIQ (President & COO) - Dan served as President and COO at RiskIQ, a leading digital threat intelligence company, where he led go-to-market transformation that positioned the company for acquisition by Microsoft in 2021 for $800 million. His work scaling RiskIQ's enterprise sales motion and strategic partnerships was instrumental in the company's growth trajectory.

Tripwire (Executive Leadership) - As COO at Tripwire, Dan led a fundamental business transformation, shifting the company from a $30M technical tool into a $100M compliance and security configuration management platform. This repositioning led to the company filing an S-1 for NASDAQ listing and a subsequent $710M acquisition. Dan's leadership spanned Marketing, Product Management, and Business Development during this transformational period.

Other Operating Roles - Dan has held senior executive positions at VMware (where he created new product lines that saw tremendous market demand), Team Cymru (establishing strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Google, and Splunk), and other cybersecurity and enterprise software companies.

Over the past five years, Dan has led three cybersecurity companies to successful exits, helping founders navigate the complex path from early-stage growth to acquisition. These engagements have ranged from seed-stage startups finding product-market fit to growth-stage companies preparing for strategic sales.

As Managing Partner of High Tide Advisors since founding the firm four years ago, Dan has worked with dozens of cybersecurity companies and private equity firms, focusing on:

• Sales and marketing strategy that drives predictable pipeline and revenue growth
• Product-led growth implementation and optimization
• Executive coaching for technical founders navigating go-to-market challenges
• M&A readiness and strategic positioning for exit
• Due diligence and value creation for PE portfolio companies

Dan is an accomplished author and widely-followed voice in the cybersecurity startup community. His writing focuses on practical strategies for accelerating growth, avoiding common founder pitfalls, and building sustainable go-to-market engines. His content has helped hundreds of security founders improve their positioning, sales effectiveness, and strategic decision-making.

View Dan's latest articles and thought leadership →

High Tide Advisors brings together a team of former executives with complementary expertise across the cybersecurity value chain. Our partners have held leadership roles at:

• Public Cybersecurity Companies: Tripwire, RiskIQ, VMware, Splunk
• High-Growth Security Startups: Panther Labs, Team Cymru, Amplicy, and others
• Technology Giants: Microsoft, Google, IBM, Dell
• Analyst and Research Firms: Gartner (top-rated cybersecurity analyst)

This breadth of experience means we understand cybersecurity markets from every angle: vendor, buyer, analyst, and acquirer. We know what works because we've done it ourselves—multiple times, across different market conditions and company stages.

Unlike traditional consultants who deliver recommendations and move on, High Tide Advisors operates as your fractional go-to-market team. We don't just tell you what to do—we help you implement it.

We Work Alongside Your Team:

• Join customer calls and sales meetings
• Build and refine your messaging and positioning
• Recruit and coach sales teams
• Negotiate partnership agreements
• Prepare materials for fundraising and M&A processes
• Implement systems and processes that scale

We Bring Our Network:

• Connections to strategic partners and potential acquirers
• Relationships with sales talent and go-to-market leaders
• Investor and private equity networks
• Industry analysts and influencers

We Drive Measurable Outcomes:

• Improved win rates and sales conversion metrics
• Reduced sales cycles and customer acquisition costs
• Stronger competitive positioning and messaging
• Successful partnership launches
• Funding rounds and successful exits

Technical founders building innovative security solutions who need experienced go-to-market leadership to accelerate growth, improve sales effectiveness, and position for successful exits.

PE investors seeking deep cybersecurity market expertise for evaluating acquisition targets, conducting operational due diligence, and driving value creation in portfolio companies.

Series A through Series C cybersecurity companies that need to professionalize their go-to-market function, scale their sales organization, or prepare for strategic transactions.

We focus exclusively on cybersecurity because this market requires specialized expertise. Security buyers have unique concerns, procurement processes involve complex committees, and competitive dynamics differ significantly from other enterprise software categories.

Generic go-to-market consultants don't understand how to:

• Position solutions within crowded security categories
• Navigate CISO buying processes and security procurement
• Structure partnerships within the security ecosystem
• Value security companies for M&A transactions
• Address the unique objections and concerns of security buyers

Our deep cybersecurity expertise means we can accelerate results because we've already seen what works—and what doesn't—across hundreds of security companies.

1. Operators, Not Advisors We've sat in your seat. We've faced payroll pressures, missed quarters, difficult board meetings, and tough strategic decisions. We bring empathy along with expertise because we've lived the founder journey ourselves.

2. Implementation, Not Just Strategy Strategy without execution is worthless. We work alongside your team to implement the strategies we devise, ensuring real results rather than PowerPoint recommendations.

3. Results-Driven, Always We measure success by your outcomes: revenue growth, improved conversion rates, successful partnerships, funding rounds closed, and exits achieved. We're invested in your success, not just billable hours.

4. Long-Term Partnerships Our best client relationships span years. We become trusted advisors who founders turn to for every major strategic decision—from early positioning through eventual exit.

Whether you're struggling with messaging and positioning, need to build a scalable sales engine, or want to prepare your company for M&A, High Tide Advisors brings the operational expertise and hands-on approach you need.