Expel
Expel is a managed detection and response (MDR) security provider that monitors client systems using AI and human analysts. The company has raised $289M, most recently a Series E in 2022, and employs 467 people.
The growth story
Expel grew from 304 to 467 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $289M along the way, most recently a Series E in October 2022.
About
Expel sells security monitoring services that work with clients' existing tools rather than replacing them. It covers cloud, identity, email and other systems, aiming to speed up threat detection and response. The service combines AI analysis with human security experts.
Founded in 2016, Expel reached 467 employees and has maintained steady growth since its last funding round. Its $289M total funding suggests strong investor confidence in the MDR market.
Founders and leadership
Sales is the largest department with 46 employees. Leadership appears focused on scaling the security operations team to handle growing client demand while maintaining service quality.
The Expel org chart
Dave Merkel (Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer) leads 60 mapped leaders with 7 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 112 (-3% YoY), Sales 59 (-12% YoY), Information Technology 56 (0% YoY), Business Development 40 (-13% YoY), Operations 38 (-10% YoY), Marketing 19 (0% YoY).
Talent flow
Expel recruits heavily from security firms like Rapid7 (22 hires) and ReliaQuest (13). Alumni often move to newer security startups, with Fixify, Zafran Security and Doppel being top destinations.
Most common previous employers of Expel staff: Rapid7 (22), ReliaQuest (13), FireEye (8), Carbon Black (8), Duo Security (7), Symantec (7). Former Expel employees most often moved to Fixify (7), Zafran Security (6), Doppel (6), Prophet Security (6), Wiz (5), Palo Alto Networks (4).
Alumni worth knowing
The Expel mafia
Expel alumni have founded at least 9 companies, including Fixify (110 staff), Kilsar (15) and Thoras AI (12). This suggests the company fosters entrepreneurial talent in the security space.
11Peter Silberman, was CTO until 2023Matt Peters, was Chief Product Officer until 2023Mase Issa, was VP of Customer Success until 2023Zach Casey, was Enterprise Sales Development until 2021Nilo Rahmani, was Founding SRE until 2019Bruce Potter, was CISO until 2021
Josh Yavor, was Executive Advisory Board Member until 2024
David Stoicescu, was Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) until 2022
Cody Hackett, was Sr. Account Executive until 2023
Andy Kaplan, was Account Executive, Pacific Northwest until 2019
Brian Concannon, was Manager, Detection Tools Engineeering until 2020Hiring now
Web traffic
Traffic mix: 30% direct, 27% search, 34% social, 0% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Expel: Leadership (160), Microsoft Office (147), Customer Service (134), Microsoft Excel (116), Cybersecurity (114), Management (111), Project Management (107), Python (Programming Language) (101).
Where the team actually sits
Expel people are concentrated in Virginia, United States (22), Massachusetts, United States (17), Florida, United States (15), Texas, United States (15).
Search footprint
Expel attracts about 3,419 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $23K a month if bought through ads. It gained 319 ranking keywords and lost 318 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 4.40 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.90 / 5
- Senior management
- 3.60 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 4.20 / 5
Frequently asked
Expel has 467 employees as of September 2026.
Expel has raised $289M in total, most recently a Series E round in October 2022.
Expel was founded in 2016 by Dave Merkel, Yanek Korff, Justin Bajko.
Dave Merkel (Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer) sits at the top of Expel's reporting structure, with 7 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Expel staff are Rapid7 (22 people), ReliaQuest (13 people), FireEye (8 people).
Former Expel employees most often move to Fixify (7), Zafran Security (6), Doppel (6).
At least 9 companies have a founder who previously worked at Expel, including Fixify, Kilsar, Thoras AI.
Expel attracts about 3,419 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $23K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Expel staff are Leadership, Microsoft Office, Customer Service, Microsoft Excel, Cybersecurity.
Expel staff are concentrated in Virginia, United States (22), Massachusetts, United States (17), Florida, United States (15).
Expel has about 112 people in Engineering, down 3% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Expel has about 59 people in Sales, down 12% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 238 current and 264 former Expel profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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