Dave Cole

Dave Cole is a 26+ year products and technology veteran. His fingerprints are visible across the cybersecurity industry from working as a leader in consulting (Deloitte, ISS), enterprise products (Foundstone, CrowdStrike (CRWD), Tenable (TENB)), and consumer products (Norton). Currently, he is Chief Technology Officer at Formstack, a leading form, document, and eSignature software provider. Previously, Dave served as Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Data Security Company Open Raven– who counted brands such as Toyota, Open Table, Freshworks, and Electronic Arts as customers. Formstack acquired Open Raven in June of 2024.

Prior to Open Raven, he served as the Chief Product Officer at Tenable, steering the team through an aggressive growth phase, culminating in a successful initial public offering (IPO) in the summer of 2018. As Chief Product Officer at CrowdStrike, Dave took a nascent product line with a handful of small customers in 2013 and established it as a disruptive force in the industry
that currently dominates endpoint security.

In early 2019, Dave and Jack Daniel, co-founder of Security BSides, started the Security Voices podcast as a sponsorless show focused on highlighting the diverse people and perspectives in cybersecurity. The podcast released 60+ episodes before wrapping up in early 2024, attracting a strong base of listeners that included the most influential people in the industry.

Dave is also an experienced speaker, having made televised appearances on NBC and CNN, while also presenting at industry events such as RSA, Black Hat, and BSides Las Vegas. He has been a contributing author to a number of information security publications and books, including Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses. Dave also authored a number of U.S. patents during his time at Foundstone and Symantec.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. He’s currently a member of the board of University of Michigan School of Information and is on the Board of Directors at Inspectiv.

Personal: Dave is an investor focused on helping to grow businesses in his hometown of Los Angeles where he lives with his wife and son.