Lance Cottrell

He is a distinguished technology entrepreneur, exited founder, angel investor, board member, and strategic advisor with more than three decades of experience in cybersecurity, privacy, cryptography, venture investing, product strategy, and startup growth. Widely recognized as a pioneer in online privacy and anonymity technologies, Lance has built an exceptional career helping high-growth companies transform innovative ideas into scalable, market-leading businesses.

As the founder of Anonymizer, Inc., established in 1995, Lance led the company from inception through rapid growth and ultimately to a highly successful exit in 2008. During his tenure as Founder, President, Chief Scientist, and later Chief Technology Officer, he was responsible for the company's technical direction, market vision, systems architecture, product innovation, and public leadership. Anonymizer became one of the most recognized names in online privacy and anonymity services, helping shape the early commercial internet security landscape.

Following the successful exit of Anonymizer, Lance became an active angel investor and startup advisor, focusing on early-stage technology companies with significant growth potential. He has invested in and advised numerous startups across cybersecurity, enterprise software, consumer technology, blockchain, communications, and emerging technology sectors. His expertise spans startup fundraising, investor messaging, product strategy, go-to-market execution, security architecture, and executive leadership development.

Lance is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of FeelTheBoot, a global advisory platform dedicated to helping entrepreneurs move from overwhelmed founders to successful CEOs. Through individual advising, mentorship, and educational programs, he has helped founders worldwide improve their fundraising strategies, refine their market positioning, strengthen product direction, and accelerate business growth.

His leadership within the investment community is equally notable. Lance serves as President and Board Chair of North Bay Angels, the oldest and largest angel investment group north of the Golden Gate, where he helps guide investment decisions in early-stage equity and venture debt opportunities. He previously served for nearly a decade as a member of the organization's Board of Directors, contributing to the evaluation and support of high-potential startup investments.

Lance also serves as a Venture Partner at The Veteran Fund, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in high-growth technology startups led by exceptional founders from the military community. In this role, he provides strategic guidance on investment evaluation, product strategy, and founder development.

Throughout his career, Lance has held numerous senior advisory and board positions, including:

Strategic Advisor, Ntrepid LLC

Chief Scientist, Ntrepid LLC

Board Member, Scollar, Inc.

Global Entrepreneur in Residence, Founder Institute Strategic Advisor, Next Decentrum

Strategic Advisor, Safemails.Net

Business Advisory Board Member, Phyllom BioProducts Corporation

As Principal of Obscura Security, Lance has spent more than 30 years consulting on security, privacy, anonymity, and cryptography for organizations requiring advanced expertise in protecting digital assets, communications, and sensitive information.

His technical leadership is complemented by deep commercial and strategic experience. At Ntrepid LLC., he served as Chief Scientist and later Strategic Advisor, providing guidance on product strategy, security strategy, research and development, and enterprise cybersecurity innovation. He was instrumental in the development of secure virtualized browsing technologies designed to isolate users from targeted attacks and advanced cyber threats.

Lance is widely respected for his ability to bridge the gap between complex technology and successful business execution. His rare combination of founder experience, deep technical expertise, investment knowledge, and strategic advisory capability enables him to help companies navigate critical growth challenges, raise capital effectively, build compelling products, and execute scalable go-to-market strategies.

Over the course of his career, he has advised hundreds of entrepreneurs and executives, mentored startup founders through accelerator programs, served on multiple boards and advisory committees, and helped shape the strategic direction of emerging technology companies across a wide range of industries. Read less