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David McCulley

PreSales Leader & Founder

A seasoned professional with 30 plus years building and leading presales organizations in cybersecurity startups. Expert in technical solution selling, GTM strategy, and turning complex security products into closed deals.

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Mentor & Coach
Founder
Advisor
Sales Tech
AI Adopter
Cyber Security
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What I bring

A trusted advisor for your presales organization

I evaluate, build, and execute sales processes in early-stage companies with a focus on technical solution selling. My commitment is to be a trusted advisor who provides solutions offering real value.

PreSales Strategy

Sales methodology, presentations, demonstrations, evaluations, and technical closure across the full presales lifecycle.

GTM Strategy

Advising executive teams on go-to-market strategies, analyzing departmental functions, identifying gaps, and building roadmaps to revenue.

Cybersecurity Expertise

Extensive background in cyber, zero-day malware, endpoint protection, behavioral biometrics, and next-gen advanced persistent threats.

Demo & Content Creation

Marketing messaging, presentation redesign, video production, and transforming 50-minute demos into compelling 5-minute pitches.

Team Building & Leadership

Building and managing SE teams, mentoring sales engineers, optimizing AE-to-SE ratios, and elevating presales organizations.

Sales Process Optimization

Improving product demonstrations, managing evaluation procedures, increasing technical close ratios, and reducing sales cycle length.

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Resume

Professional Summary

Leveraging thirty-plus years as an individual contributor and managing selling teams across half a dozen startups, I advise executive teams on go-to-market strategies, sales operations, and presales methodologies for taking new products to market.

Work History

Jan 2021 – Present

Provarity

Founder & EVP, PreSales

Nov 2018 – Jan 2021

BehavioSec

Director, Sales Engineering & Sales Operations

Acquired by LexisNexis

Apr 2016 – Apr 2018

enSilo

Principal Sales Engineer

Acquired by Fortinet

Apr 2015 – Apr 2016

Cyphort

Principal Sales Engineer

Acquired by Juniper Networks

Aug 2014 – Mar 2015

Click Security

Principal Sales Engineer

Acquired by Alert Logic

May 2013 – Aug 2014

Norse Corporation

Principal Sales Engineer

Apr 2012 – May 2013

Endgame Systems

Principal Sales Engineer, Federal DoD

Acquired by Elastic

Mar 2011 – Mar 2012

Fortinet Corporation

Principal Sales Engineer, Federal DoD

Nov 2003 – Feb 2011

Symantec Corporation

Principal Sales Engineer, Federal DoD

Acquired by Broadcom

Hinge Technologies — Owner Consultant
2001–2003
Veritop Corporation — Marketing Director & Technology Officer
2001
Marbles Corporation — Director of Marketing
1999–2000
On Technology — Marketing & Sales Engineer
1997–1999
PictureTel Corporation — Marketing Engineer
1991–1997

Education & Organizations

Gordon College, Wenham, MA

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration

Community College of Rhode Island

Associates in Science: Computer Science

Community & Organizations

NCAA Certified Volleyball Referee • PreSales Academic Advisor • Pickleballer

LinkedIn Articles

The PreSales Matrix (PSM) • AE to SE Team Ratios • Sales Forecasting - The Game Changer

Documents

Downloadable Resources

Access my resume, CV, references, and skills overview.

Resume

PDF Download

CV

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References

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Skills

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LinkedIn

Professional Profile & Thought Leadership

Active contributor to the presales community — sharing frameworks, insights, and leadership perspectives.

David McCulley

Co-Founder and EVP of Presales @ Provarity

Sales Engineering, Operations • Computer and Network Security

3,000+ Followers
500+ Connections
7 Articles
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Published Articles

The PreSales Matrix (PSM)

Framework for presales organizational decisions

AE to SE Team Ratios

Data-driven approach to staffing ratios

Sales Forecasting - The Game Changer

Presales signals for better forecasting

To POC or not to POC?

Technical validation ecosystem framework

What's in a Name (Presales) - Part II

The presales job title debate

Power of Presales Policing

Against micromanagement of sales engineers

What is 'Presales'? - Part I

Defining the presales function

Top Endorsed Skills

Technology Pre-Sales Cybersecurity Sales Engineering Solution Selling SaaS Sales Operations Leadership Cloud Computing Enterprise Software Cyber Defense Business Development Product Management APT Channel Partners Salesforce.com

Speaking & Community

Tech Sales Advice S3E27

Interview with Dave McCulley

Tech Sales Advice S4E32

Presales Signals & Forecasts

PreSales Collective

The Proof of Concept: Crack the Code

We the Sales Engineers #189

Eliminating POV Encroachment

We the Sales Engineers #242

What AMs and SEs Need from Each Other

PreSales Academy

Academic Advisor
Information

Why hire a PreSales leader from cybersecurity startups?

Startup DNA

I've been through it all — building from zero, navigating pivots, scaling teams, and riding through successful acquisitions. I understand the urgency and resourcefulness that startups demand.

Security Domain Depth

From endpoint protection to behavioral biometrics, threat intelligence to zero-day defense — I speak your customers' language because I've lived in their world for three decades.

Revenue-Driven

A sales engineer must provide solutions that solve problems and help organizations succeed. I optimize evaluation procedures, increase technical close ratios, and shorten sales cycles.

Trusted Advisor

I believe a sales engineer holds a critical role and must be comfortable interacting with sales counterparts, leadership, and every key member of the organization. Collaboration is my cornerstone.

Get in touch

Let's talk about your presales needs

Looking for a presales leader who understands cybersecurity inside and out? I'd love to discuss how I can help your organization grow.

Email
dmcculley@allwaysthere.com
Phone
(978) 905-0353
Location
Wilmington, MA
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/david-mcculley
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