Dan Light

Sharpshooter
DISC Type : DC

Lead Mentor at MACH37 Cyber Accelerator

Washington DC-Baltimore Area, United States

Overview

Dan Light is a seasoned executive advisor with over 40 years of experience at firms like Northrop Grumman and Apple. He holds an MBA and specializes in board governance and strategic advisory for early-stage businesses. Colleagues describe him as professional, knowledgeable, and helpful, with a sincere desire to see others succeed.

Dan is a service-disabled Vietnam Era veteran dedicated to mentorship and community service. He actively contributes to faith-based entrepreneurship as a board member for Capacity to Serve, a nonprofit focused on holistic community development. He is passionate about helping small businesses and startups achieve their goals.

He was the first-ever recipient of the Dave Ihrie Memorial Mentorship award from the MACH37 Cyber Accelerator in 2025 for his outstanding dedication.

Personality Overview

ROI Driven

Thorough Evaluator

Rigorous & Demanding

They like to stay in control of the negotiation or defining of the terms.  They are less concerned about the product and more about its potential impact. They put a lot of effort into ensuring personal success.

Topics They Care About

Startup Mentorship
As a Lead Mentor for MACH37 and a SCORE business counselor, he is deeply involved in coaching early-stage companies and was recently awarded for his efforts.
Board Governance
A core focus of his career, he provides executive leadership and advisory on governance, risk management, and compliance for multiple organizations.
Cybersecurity Startups
His role as Lead Mentor at the MACH37 Cyber Accelerator indicates a strong focus on guiding and developing emerging companies within the cybersecurity industry.

Media Appearances

MACH37 Cohort F25 – Mentor Profile: Dan Light (Lead Mentor). Featured in MACH37 Cyber Accelerator

See Now

Work History

3-2024
Lead Mentor at MACH37 Cyber Accelerator
1-2022 - 11-2023
CONNECTpreneur Ambassador at The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Community
2020 - 7-2024
Board Member at CAPACITY TO SERVE INC
2017 - 2018
Business Counselor, Service Corps of Retired Executive (SCORE) at U.S. Small Business Administration
2-1990 - 2-2022
Early Stage Business Advocate | Business Consultant at Dan Light Consulting

Education

MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University
BS from West Virginia State University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 34 Location : Washington DC-Baltimore Area, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : Lead Mentor at MACH37 Cyber Accelerator
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Insights For Selling To Dan

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending time doing small talk
  • Speak about competitive differentiation that your product offers
  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing objective proof points without becoming too analytical

DONT's

  • Avoid being a storyteller and don’t try to oversell
  • Don’t focus on process and rules, give the impression of being a ‘gets it done’ person
  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Dan is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Dan

  • If they are not convinced, they will have no hesitation in telling you the same.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Dan move?

  • If convinced, they can reach decisions quite fast.
  • Can Dan take some risk or not?

  • They do not shy away from taking risks, but can be quite binary about them.

You And Dan

Personality Compatibility


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