Overview
Dave Merkel, also known as Merk, is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Expel per the company about page. Expel provides practitioner-led, AI-augmented security operations founded in May 2016.
Merkel brings approximately thirty years of information security experience including service as a federal agent, Mandiant CTO and VP of products, and global CTO of FireEye after Mandiant’s acquisition.
Enterprise cybersecurity buyers in 2026 increasingly evaluate whether vendors can integrate AI detection with existing SOC workflows, reduce mean time to respond, and demonstrate measurable outcomes across email, cloud, endpoint, and identity attack surfaces without multiplying analyst alert fatigue.
Role
As Co-founder and CEO, Merkel leads Expel’s mission delivering managed security operations with AI augmentation. Co-founders Justin Bajko (CSO) and Yanek Korff (COO) appear on about materials alongside Merkel.
Expel claims thirteen-minute mean time to respond (MTTR) on about page — an operating metric tied to Merkel’s practitioner-led SOC philosophy.
CEO title on expel.com about page is authoritative for this profile.
The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.
Background
Merkel’s background includes special agent service in Air Force OSI, head of AOL technical security, and creation of the first incident response capability for AOL and Time Warner per about page.
At Mandiant he served as CTO and VP of products; after acquisition he was global CTO of FireEye.
Washingtonian Tech Titans recognition six times since 2015, most recently 2023, appears on about materials.
The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.
Career
Career arc: federal agent Air Force OSI; AOL technical security leadership and first IR capability for AOL and Time Warner; Mandiant CTO/VP products; FireEye global CTO post-acquisition; co-founding Expel May 2016 as CEO.
Co-founder partners Justin Bajko and Yanek Korff bring CSO and COO operating specialization.
Practitioner pedigree from Mandiant/FireEye era informs Expel’s MDR positioning against pure-play SOC outsourcing vendors.
The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.
Company Journey
Expel founded May 2016 per about page. June 2017 brought Workbench and first customer. October 2020 added managed phishing capabilities. November 2021 reached one billion dollar plus valuation unicorn status. October 2022 expanded EMEA operations.
Mission stated as practitioner-led AI-augmented security operations with thirteen-minute MTTR claim.
Merkel’s CEO tenure spans founding through unicorn milestone and geographic expansion.
The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.
Leadership
Merkel’s leadership combines co-founder CEO authority with three decades of security operations and incident response experience.
Washingtonian Tech Titans repeated recognition underscores regional industry visibility.
Practitioner-led philosophy differentiates Expel culturally from founders without frontline SOC or IR backgrounds.
The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.
Public Milestones
Documented: founded May 2016; June 2017 Workbench and first customer; Oct 2020 managed phishing; Nov 2021 $1B+ unicorn valuation; Oct 2022 EMEA; 13-minute MTTR; co-founders Bajko CSO and Korff COO; Washingtonian Tech Titans six times since 2015, most recently 2023.
About and blog materials are primary sources.
Customer counts beyond cited claims excluded.
The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.
Why This Founder Matters
Dave Merkel matters because Expel tests whether Mandiant/FireEye-era IR leaders can productize managed SOC outcomes with AI augmentation at unicorn scale.
His federal and ISP security background predates modern cloud MDR — giving credibility with CISOs skeptical of vendor-born SOC founders.
For Brel readers, Merkel represents practitioner-founder leadership in managed detection markets.
The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.
Sources
Primary sourcing for this profile of Dave Merkel at Expel is limited to the official company pages cited below, reviewed July 11, 2026.
- Expel — official page: https://expel.com/about/
- Expel — supporting page: https://expel.com/blog/
No education, employer, funding, or personal claims beyond those stated in the verified facts and cited pages are included. Sector analysis in narrative sections is interpretive context about the cybersecurity market, not additional biography.
Last Reviewed
This profile was last reviewed on July 11, 2026.
Correction Request
If you believe any fact in this founder profile is inaccurate or outdated, please submit a correction through Brel Digital’s Corrections Policy. We review documented corrections against official company sources and update profiles accordingly.