We work with the people putting capital to work in cybersecurity and identity, before they invest and after. Operator judgment most diligence teams do not have, applied to the question that matters to you: will this deal create enterprise value.
Platform and bolt-on diligence, value-creation planning, and integration for control investors building in cybersecurity and identity. We pressure-test the thesis before the LOI and help capture the value after close.
A technical and commercial read on earlier-stage cyber companies, plus go-to-market and scaling support for portfolio founders who need to turn early traction into a repeatable engine.
Sector expertise and operator perspective to support sell-side positioning and buy-side target assessment, so the story holds up under a sophisticated buyer's scrutiny.
Traditional diligence, operating partners, and bankers each answer part of the question. We built SME to answer all three at once.
“Is this company healthy?”
Financials, legal, and compliance. Essential, but it tells you where a company has been, not where it can go.
“Can this company scale?”
Product maturity, go-to-market, leadership, and integration. The questions you can only answer if you have run the playbook yourself.
“Will this create enterprise value?”
Thesis, value-creation levers, and the path to exit, tying the operating reality to the return.
That intersection is the company. Operator judgment most diligence teams do not have, applied to the investor question of whether the deal actually makes money.
We founded SME Cybersecurity to close a critical gap: the need for specialized cybersecurity advisory designed specifically for private equity, venture capital, and investment banking partners.
Drawing on decades of experience as founders and operators of cybersecurity firms, we recognized that investors and their portfolio leaders often face the same challenge: aligning growth strategy, technical execution, and market positioning in a sector defined by constant change.
We chose the name SME, Subject Matter Experts, because that is what we bring: not theory, but experience earned building, scaling, and selling cybersecurity and identity businesses.
Led the sale of ICSynergy International to The Carlyle Group.
The same instinct we now bring to your deals.
Each principal has more than twenty years building and running cybersecurity businesses.
More than 30 years founding, leading, and advising cybersecurity and professional-services organizations across North America and Europe, with leadership roles at SME Cybersecurity, QuantaCyber, Critical Cyber, iC Consult Group, ICSynergy International, Nortel, and Marconi Communications.
M&A track record includes heading global M&A at iC Consult Group, a Carlyle-backed cybersecurity services advisory, and building and selling ICSynergy International to The Carlyle Group in 2021.
He works closely with leading global consulting and expert-network firms to advise private equity, venture capital, and investment-banking clients across Europe and the United States.
A distinguished Ph.D. combining academic excellence in cybersecurity with senior leadership roles at SME Cybersecurity, Critical Cyber, First Citizens Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, AT&T, Cisco, and Nortel Networks.
As CTO and Co-Founder of SME Cybersecurity, he pairs that academic depth with hands-on enterprise security architecture, leading end-state cybersecurity design and Federal Reserve (FFIEC) compliance at Silicon Valley Bank and running managed network security with full P&L at AT&T. He teaches graduate cybersecurity at SMU and founded the Tech Titans Cybersecurity Forum.
25+ years founding and leading professional services and customer success, at Critical Cyber, Tealium, Okta, Diligence Consulting, BMC Software, Nuance Communications, and Lucent.
As Partner, COO, and Co-Founder of SME Cybersecurity, she leads due-diligence and integration planning for PE, VC, and investment-banking partners. She built and scaled the customer success and professional services organization at Tealium and directed regional professional services at Okta, overseeing 500+ projects across IGA, AM, PAM, and Managed Services.
