Field Effect reveals new board of directors boasting industry giants

Including WordPress founder, Edison heavyweights, and serial entrepreneur 

We’re thrilled to announce the new Field Effect Board of Directors!  

2023 is gearing up to be another year of growth, in no small part thanks to the recent conclusion of our Series A funding round and the establishment of our new board of directors. 

"It’s a privilege to have a group of genuinely great people who are devoted to Field Effect’s success,” said Matt Holland, our CEO and co-founder. “The wealth of expertise, experience, and knowledge our board members bring to the table is extraordinary. With their support and guidance, Field Effect is full steam ahead on its mission to make strong cybersecurity a reality for organizations of all sizes worldwide.”  

Get to know our board members 

Lenard Marcus, Edison Partners 

Lenard Marcus is a General Partner with Edison Partners, a premier growth equity firm and the lead investor for Field Effect’s Series A funding round. Marcus co-leads healthcare IT investments and leads Edison Partners’ security practice. 

Previously, Marcus worked at IBM focusing on operational finance and cost accounting. He transitioned to Princeton Consultants, helping drive strategic initiatives with customers in financial services and logistics. Lenard then led B2C product development at Princeton eCom, a provider of online bill payment technology and services. 

Notable exits include eSentire and Bricata, as well as Zelis and Kemp Technologies. He also currently serves as a board member for a number of organizations, including network security solutions provider, SPHERE, and healthcare disruptor Capital RX.  

Mariann McDonagh, Edison Partners 

Mariann McDonagh is an Edison Operating Partner and a seasoned C-suite executive with proven expertise in creating rapid and sustainable growth for startups to mid-size enterprises. 

As a serial Chief Marketing Officer and President of McDonagh Growth Associates for seven years and counting, McDonagh is a true growth expert who is highly skilled in building sustainable businesses, revitalizing brands, and retooling functional areas to maximize performance. 

McDonagh previously served on the board of SparkPost, the world’s top email infrastructure provider, and took them through their acquisition by MailGun. McDonagh is also a strategic advisor for DQLabs, an AI-augmented data quality platform. 

Matt Mullenweg, Automattic 

Matt Mullenweg is the founding developer of WordPress, the open-source software used by over 40% of the web. He also founded the company Automattic, the force behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, Jetpack, WooCommerce, Simplenote, Longreads, The Atavist, and many other products. 

Through his angel investment and research company, Audrey Capital, Mullenweg has advised and invested in multiple tech startups, such as the internet privacy company, Nord Security, and the online payments platform, Stripe. The company’s notable exits include billion-dollar companies, Ring and Gitlab. 

Mullenweg serves on the boards of various charities and organizations, including EcoAmerica, Illuminate the Arts, and New Museum.  

Chris Sparling, Tiny Capital 

Chris Sparling is a seasoned entrepreneur and business leader. He has served as Chief Financial Officer for MetaLab and has also co-founded a variety of tech startups, including SaaS, digital goods, and digital service businesses. 

In 2013, Sparling joined forces with business partner, Andrew Wilkinson, to start Tiny Capital—a successful firm that specializes in acquiring software businesses. In 2019, Sparling took one of Tiny’s businesses, WeCommerce, public on the TSX:V. And in early 2023, Tiny and WeCommerce entered a definitive agreement to merge—Sparling now acts as Chairman of the company. 

Today, Tiny owns over 40 companies, including social networking platform, Dribbble, and the largest remote work community in the world, We Work Remotely.  

Matt Holland, Field Effect, completes the board as the fifth member. 

Thank you to our board

“We are so thankful to have such a strong, diverse board of directors—this is a major milestone for Field Effect. Having the board’s guidance and support will be a game-changer,” continued Holland. “And thank you to each of our board members for their commitment to protecting small and mid-sized businesses from cybercriminals—together we will make a difference.”