Over the last two decades, I’ve helped make hundreds of organizations more secure.

My mission is to leave the Internet a more secure place than I found it.

I’m helping organizations handle billions of users' information securely and increasing brand’s trust among their customers.

I run a cybersecurity media brand called Vulnerable U. We run a popular cybersecurity newsletter along with daily social media video content across platforms.

We've also built a team @ Vulnerable U to help YOUR company with its tech marketing needs. The team is staffed with experts who can create content for you without the marketing cringe factor. You don't need to teach us to spell Kubernetes. (I'm hiring content creators here if you're looking)

My portfolio:

→ I was the head of Software Security at Reddit where I help design security into all facets of the business for the 4th largest social network in the US and a top 20 most visited website globally
→ I teach company’s how to protect against cyber attacks and save tens of millions of dollars in losses.
→ I coach entrepreneurs and CISOs that need help with infrastructure, application, cloud, and security policies.
→ I advise early-stage companies in cyber security best practices and help pass technical due diligence from investors and potential acquirers.
→ I invest in early-stage private technology companies focusing on cybersecurity, software infrastructure, employee productivity, and B2B/SaaS.
→ I volunteer for a selection of non-profits who’s missions I connect with who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford technical and specifically security consulting services..

If you want to work with me, get in touch

Matt Johansen

Security Recruiter - Founder of Hampton North

Founder of Hampton North.

Hampton North are a Cyber Security specialist search firm that are built solely with the cyber security industry in mind.

We provide multiple solutions for a multitude of clients including retained/exec search, large headcount hiring sprints, contact and contract-to-hire services and SOW engagements for firms looking for a strategic execution specialist.

Stuart Mitchell

One of the most important things I had to say at our Sales Kick Off in Florida last month was this:

“Other recruiting companies will hire far more people than we do this year with the industry booming at the minute and we're totally ok with that."

We know exactly who we are.

Hampton North is intentionally built as a high-performance, boutique recruiting firm. Not a volume shop. Not a growth-at-all-costs business. And not a place that measures success by headcount alone.

Because of that, we get to make different decisions. We can pay our team incredibly well. We can invest heavily in their development. We can spend real money on marketing, technology, and infrastructure that actually makes their jobs easier. And we can walk away from work and clients that don't meet our bar  because we don’t need to be everything to everyone. (Oh, and every now and then we can let the credit card get away from us and have a damn good time!)

It’s also why we continue to say no to outside capital. We’re optimizing for quality, durability, and reputation; not a logo slide or an exit timeline.

We 100 per cent will hire this year. But likely only two, three, maybe four people. And every single one of those hires should stop the industry in its tracks. These are people who elevate the room we're in and make an already exceptional team even better.

This isn’t about being small. It’s about being elite. And we’re very comfortable with that trade-off.

The biggest superpower in hiring; self-awareness.

It's really fun to say 'we only want to hire the top 1% of folks'. That 1% means different things different people; might mean education, company brand, social brand, quota attainment etc but the theme remains the same

People flippantly say; "We'd love to get one of the OpenAI security team", "can you connect us a top federal sales leader from Crowdstrike" or "can you get us a CISO from a big bank".

And yes - we can connect you to these folks, you literally pay us for access, but what are you offering that's really going to pull them away from an incredible situation.?

To be clear maybe a small % of businesses narrative really can stack up, they can pay the money/have the story to pull away, but a huge percentage really can't, and that's where the self awareness thing comes in to play. 

The companies that hire the best aren't always the ones with the biggest brand or the deepest pockets. They're the ones that understand exactly who they are, what they can offer, and who that's going to resonate with. They know the difference between "who do we want" and "who can we actually get".

When you're honest about where you sit in the market, you stop chasing people you were never going to land, and you start closing the ones who are genuinely excited to be there.

Self-awareness isn't settling, it's a good strategy and it becomes your competitive advantage.

Hampton North are hiring for a Fractional CMO.... for Hampton North.

Over the last few years Hampton North has built strong momentum through reputation, relationships, and deep market knowledge. We’re now investing in a senior marketing leader to help structure and scale that presence intentionally ensuring our voice, content, and strategy reflect the level we operate.

We want someone who will come in and build our strategy, then help manage a full time, more junior resource execute on said strategy, providing help and guidance along the way.

We would love someone who has;

- Worked in the cybersecurity ecoysstem
- Ran marketing/strategy with businesses at $5-10m ARR so they know we can't buy the biggest both at RSA and rock up with a formula one car
- Can deal with me (and tell me what me to do, I'm not a marketer)
- Is comfortable working on a fractional basis


https://lnkd.in/echsRbYT

Excited to share another event that Hampton North is participating in at RSA, alongside the team at Sysdig.

We built this one for security leaders who are deep in the trenches. If you're running a program with tight budget, lean headcount, and long weeks,  you already know the reality. And when everyone's telling you to "go learn AI," finding the time and energy to figure out where to start is a challenge in itself.

That's what this session is about. Practical guidance on where to get started with AI, where the real risks are, how it can actually help your teams, and what it means for your career.

Conor Sherman, myself and the legend that is Rock Lambros are looking forward to hosting this one. Sign up below; spots are limited

"Only 2.6% of the funding that went in last year went directly to an AI Security company".

This week on the Zero Signal Podcast we dug in to 💰 Mike Privette's Return on Security 2025 State of the Market to look a little deeper.

We talked about:

- Where did the money go, and why?
- Who acquired whom, and what does it signal?
- What actually happened with AI and Security (not the hype)?
- How did geopolitics and economic shifts reshape where startups got funded?
- What worked, what didn't, and what patterns are emerging for 2026?

This is a heck of an episode. Tune in.

taplio

The Battle

Matt Johansen

Stuart Mitchell

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taplio

The Battle

Matt Johansen

Stuart Mitchell

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Stuart Mitchell's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreStuart Mitchell's LinkedIn Performance