Does your tech startup have – in you – what it takes to survive and thrive?

Great tech simply isn’t enough, and many first-time technical founders don’t know what they don’t know. Books on business strategy are abundant, but candid, practical advice is hard to find from technical founders who have “walked the path” and received an MBA from the “School of Hard Knocks." To the first-time technical startup founder, most business books focused on startup strategies might seem inaccessible, outdated, and off-topic.

To that end, Eldon Sprickerhoff, cofounder of cybersecurity firm eSentire, has assembled a list of everything he didn’t know as a first-time technical startup founder before his firm rocketed to a valuation of over $1 billion, including: finding product-market fit, raising early- stage capital, competing against bigger and better-funded competitors, building resilience, pushing through failure—and dealing with success.

In Committed, Sprickerhoff offers readers “survival strategies” that encourage technical founders to embrace their new title, the one that matters most: Chief Survival Officer.

ELDON SPRICKERHOFF is an active entrepreneur, investor, mentor, adviory, and board member at

the intersections of information security, computer science, machine learning, SaaS, and

finance. He is best known for co-founding eSentire, a leading global cybersecurity Managed

Detection and Response company. He has a Bachelor of Mathematics (Major: Computer Science, Minor: Economics) from the University of Waterloo. In 2019, he was awarded the J.W. Graham Medal in Computing and Innovation for his innovative and entrepreneurial achievements in cybersecurity. He currently works as a Strategic Advisor with Caledon Ventures and as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at

the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst accelerator. He is writing a book of advice and survival tactics

for first-time technical founders as they make their way through their startup-to-scaleup journeys.

Eldon Sprickerhoff's profile page

“Sprickerhoff's Committed is THE guidebook for aspiring entrepreneurs - being coachable, doing the work, eschewing groupthink, making connections, building a strong team, a compelling offering, good numbers, realizing the importance of sales over investor money, and understanding that money can only solve certain problems. Being prepared for things to fall apart, and being willing to do any job, no matter how small. Seriously loved it!”

—Chris Albinson, 5X founder in 3 countries, Cofounder of C100, True North, & CEO of Communitech

“Eldon Sprickerhoff is a legend in the Canadian tech sector—for his pioneering success in founding eSentire, and also for being one of the best mentors around. Anyone who has ever wanted to start a business will benefit from Eldon's hard-won wisdom, delivered with his usual candor, wit and humility. This is a terrific guide to building great businesses, but also, and maybe even more importantly, it is a book about how to stay sane and hopeful when the going gets tough.”

—Charles Finlay, Founding Executive Director of Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Toronto Metropolitan University

“Eldon Sprickerhoff's Committed is a candid, no-nonsense guide for startup founders, filled with invaluable insights drawn from his own entrepreneurial journey. This book is a goldmine for anyone looking to navigate the often-turbulent waters of building a startup, offering a balanced mix of practical advice and real-life anecdotes that cover the full spectrum of the startup experience—the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

—Amber French, CEO Catalyst Ventures

“Every successful founder had some kind of competitive advantage. For Eldon, it was his deep experience in cyber defense and a passion for helping companies to protect their data. For first-time entrepreneurs looking to start a high-impact company today, it’s Committed. Any aspiring or early-stage founder should read this book.”

—Ross Haleliuk, best-selling author of Cyber for Builders

“This is a startup manual written by someone who built a 'unicorn' the old-fashioned way, a lot of hard work and commitment over a long period. The advice is practical and full of information that will help you also understand why things work (or don’t work) in a certain way.”

—Jesse Rodgers, Growth Coach at Communitech and Founder of The Barn

“Refreshingly honest, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone embarking on their entrepreneurial path. Sprickerhoff empowers readers with techniques to not only navigate the challenges, but to embrace them as signs of success. For me, that was liberating and put the wind back in my sails.”

—Nick Scozzaro, Founder & CEO of ShadowHQ

“In Committed, Eldon Sprickerhoff takes us on his personal journey to build a 'unicorn' in the managed detection and response space. Along the way he finds teaching moments, those derived from mistakes, and those that could be termed the basics of startup life. Eldon writes as he lives, compassionately and honestly. Every founder will find value in these pages.”

—Richard Stiennon, Chief Research Analyst, IT-Harvest, and author of Security Yearbook 2024: A History and Directory of the IT Security Industry (Wiley, 2024)

“Eldon Sprickerhoff's Committed nails the raging battle between euphoria and despair along a founder's journey to success. Eldon's road from zero to $1B puts him in a rare and advantageous position to offer practical insights and strategies that are both profound and accessible. After 20 years of supporting founders and bearing witness to their challenges, Committed is one of the most real guides available for anyone truly serious about success as a start-up entrepreneur.”

—Dave Unsworth, Cofounder and General Partner of Information Venture Partners