Michael Doornbos

Founder | Executive | Builder

LinkedIn | Portfolio

About

Twenty years of building security systems for environments that can’t afford to fail — power grids, solar farms, industrial control systems where a reboot isn’t an option.

Started writing code as soon as I could read. That early fluency never stopped — it runs through everything: the security architecture, the products built, the systems debugged at the protocol level.

Most of that work has lived at the intersection of OT and IT security, which is a place most security teams actively avoid. Built an industrial security practice from scratch, scaled it to dozens of facilities, and troubleshot problems nobody else could solve by going back to fundamentals.

The technical background runs deep: industrial protocols, SCADA, enterprise security architecture, embedded software, Linux, full-stack development. But the work worth pointing to isn’t code — it’s the things built with it. A product. A platform. A practice that became a business. Three writing brands with distinct audiences.

Comfortable on stage. Keynote speaker at SXSW, international space conferences, and industry summits. The ability to walk into any room — technical, executive, investor, or public — and make complex ideas land clearly is as useful as the technical depth itself.

The through-line: find the gap before anyone’s named it, build the thing that fills it, and explain it clearly to people who didn’t know they needed it. Those three capabilities tend to travel well.

Currently looking to join an early-stage company as technical co-founder or first CTO — ideally one where the technical problems are genuinely hard, the market is underserved, and the founding team needs someone who can build the product and explain it to the board.

Built

Sunscreen — OT security platform for renewable energy, developed inside ADi. Field-proven across dozens of solar facilities, now being productized for the broader market.

Evadot — Media platform covering commercial spaceflight and the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Built from zero to recognized industry voice: 100+ podcast episodes, 150+ articles, keynotes at SXSW and the International Space Development Conference. Ran for 11 years.

Zenith 750 Cruzer — Kit-built experimental aircraft, constructed by hand from raw components. The kind of project that teaches you what you actually know about systems, tolerances, and finishing what you started.

eAttache — Technology startup building embedded applications for handheld devices. Co-founded as CTO, managed full product lifecycle from prototype to delivery.

SimplyHome Sensor Network — Full IoT platform enabling people with disabilities to control their home environment independently. Designed the hardware (Raspberry Pi, Beacon technology, 3D-printed enclosures), rebuilt the MQTT messaging layer for reliability, and shipped a companion mobile app solo in three weeks.

imapenguin.com / milkcrunch.com / evadot.com — Three independently operated content brands with distinct audiences: retro computing and programming fundamentals, modern software engineering culture, and commercial spaceflight. Actively publishing across all three.

Experience

Director of Security Solutions – Industrial & OT Security

Assurance Data, Inc. | Asheville, NC | Jan 2018 – Present

Returned to ADi in 2018 — different city, different mandate. Identified a gap in OT/IT security for renewable energy and built a practice from the ground up to fill it. Grew to dozens of facility deployments across the Southeast, establishing ADi in a sector it didn’t previously serve.

• Built and led the industrial security team — hiring, directing, and developing engineers and field technicians across the practice
• Architected SCADA security and OT/IT convergence solutions for distributed solar sites
• Designed zero-trust secure access for 24/7 industrial environments where downtime isn’t negotiable
• Deployed enterprise SIEM infrastructure bridging IT monitoring with OT operational requirements
• Resolved a multi-year industrial communication failure through first-principles serial protocol analysis
• Productizing field-proven solutions into Sunscreen — a turnkey OT security offering for the renewable energy market

Technologies: SIEM, zero-trust architecture, SCADA, Modbus, RS-485, DNP3, Linux, Ruby on Rails, Python

Product Designer & Chief Technologist

SimplyHome | Asheville, NC | 2012 – 2018

Led the product and engineering team building an in-home sensor network system for people with special needs — a full IoT platform where the users depending on it had no margin for failure.

• Redesigned MQTT messaging architecture, improving IoT device reliability and response time
• Built a voice assistant on Amazon Echo and AWS that gave disabled veterans back their independence
• Designed and built the in-home sensor network hardware using Raspberry Pi, Beacon technology, and 3D-printed enclosures — enabling residents with disabilities to control their environment independently
• Shipped a mobile app as sole developer in three weeks for a product launch

Founder / Editor / Podcast Host

Evadot.com | Fredericksburg, VA | 2009 – 2020

Built a media startup from nothing in a field — commercial spaceflight — that most people couldn’t follow yet. By the time they could, Evadot was already the voice of record.

• 100+ podcast episodes with CEOs, astronauts, engineers, and founders at the edge of the industry
• 150+ technical articles; data visualizations featured in Wired and Ars Technica
• Recognized expert in the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition
• Keynote speaker at SpaceUp, SXSW, Google Lunar XPRIZE summits, and the International Space Development Conference

Software Engineer & Security Consultant

Independent Contractor | Fredericksburg, VA | 2003 – 2012

Enterprise software and security systems for government and commercial clients in critical infrastructure.

• Security system design for cellular networks (DC Government, Department of Homeland Security, Nextel)
• Built database web applications using Ruby on Rails, Java, and Django under Agile methodologies
• Saved clients $80K+ in licensing fees through custom cluster and database architecture
• Designed and tested RF and AAA systems for citywide wireless communications

Chief Technologist

Assurance Data, Inc. | Alexandria, VA | 2004 – 2011

Technical strategy and sales engineering across an enterprise security portfolio.

• 300% revenue increase in FY2009, 1000% in 2010
• Brokered multi-million dollar deals with Fortune 100 companies
• Designed and deployed hundreds of security systems across 60+ product lines
• Vendor partnerships with Websense, HP/TippingPoint, LogLogic, Microsoft, Compellent, EMC

Co-Founder / CTO

eAttache, Inc. | Fredericksburg, VA | Mar 2002 – Jun 2003

Co-founded a technology startup building embedded software for handheld devices and call center platforms.

• Engineered embedded Linux applications using the QT Toolkit
• Managed full product lifecycle from prototype to delivery
• Applied Extreme Programming to accelerate development and shorten the sales cycle

Director of Network Operations

Groupserve, Inc. | Arlington, VA | Jul 1999 – Jan 2002

Led data center operations for a hosted application platform — then helped the company reinvent itself entirely.

• Reduced data center operating costs by 400% within 12 months without downtime
• Designed and built infrastructure capable of supporting 10 million customers
• Led the company’s pivot from wireless application provider to software platform company

Aviation Electronics Technician & IT Manager

US Navy | Andrews AFB | 1993 – 1999

Maintained advanced avionics and managed IT operations. Learned to fix things under pressure with incomplete information — which turned out to be useful everywhere else.

• Two Navy Achievement Medals for troubleshooting and cost savings
• Saved $175K+ through mobile training program design
• Increased unit readiness 40%
• Led work center to Work Center of the Year

Technical Skills

OT/Industrial Security: SCADA, Modbus, RS-485, DNP3, BACnet, industrial networking, OT/IT convergence

Security Architecture: SIEM deployment, zero-trust, secure remote access, network security, incident response

Development: Ruby on Rails, Python, Java, Linux/Unix, MySQL, PostgreSQL, AWS

Protocols & Communications: Serial communications, TCP/IP, RF systems, network design

Writing & Thought Leadership

Three active publishing brands, each with a distinct audience:

imapenguin.com — Retro computing and programming fundamentals. Assembly language, 6502 architecture, vintage hardware. Audience: engineers who want to understand how things actually work.

milkcrunch.com — Modern software development and engineering culture. The Unix philosophy, Postgres, cloud repatriation, open source, and honest thinking about what AI actually changes for working engineers.

evadot.com — Commercial spaceflight and the new space movement. 150+ articles, 100+ podcast episodes from the Google Lunar X PRIZE era through the current commercial space landscape.

Selected recent: “First Principles: Why You Must Learn Before You Prompt” (2025), “The Unix Philosophy Still Wins” (2025), “Just Use Postgres” (2025), “How I’m going to explain LLMs to my parents” (2026)

Education & Certifications

Certifications: 30+ vendor certifications in security and networking (2018–2023), including HP TippingPoint Expert (2011), Websense Certified Security Engineer (2008), VMware Certified Professional (2008), RHCE (2000), CCNA (1999), MCSE (1998)

Aviation: Multi-Engine and Instrument Ratings (2018), Private Pilot License (2015), Remote Pilot License (2016), Range Safety Officer (2017)

Technical Training: Naval Air Technical Training Center — 1,120 hours, electronics and flight systems (Top of Class); DOD InfoSec (1998); Navy Instructor Certification (1996)

Community

Western North Carolina Pilots Association — President (2020–2021)
EAA Chapter 1016 — President (2016–2020)

Interests

Vintage computing (PDP-8 to Commodore 128), industrial troubleshooting, aerospace, astronomy, robotics, cooking, guitar, music production, outdoors.