The Cyber Security Recruiter talks to Thomas Donnelly, CTO & President, Co-Founder, Amplifier Security

From Security Executive to Startup Founder: Sales, Focus, and Raising a Pre-Seed RoundOn 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 Banter01:06 Entrepreneurship Reality Check01:56 Energy and Founder Routines03:20 Tommy’s Career Intro04:02 Founder Life and Learning Sales05:18 Listening and Networking Wins09:21 Executive Communication Shift12:33 Finding the Right Customers17:46 Hiring for Ambiguity21:44 From Startup to Scale Lessons24:04 Structure vs Chaos24:23 Climbing to VP Reality25:54 Leaving Bullhorn for BetterCloud27:14 Going All In as Founder28:30 Staying Focused and Niche30:50 How the Pre Seed Happened36:28 Money Is a Commodity40:44 Founder Sales Qualification44:28 Best Founder Training Resource45:49 Teamwork and Hard Conversations48:16 Wrap Up and Thanks