Karl Triebes

Technology and cybersecurity executive with more than 30 years of experience building enterprise infrastructure, scaling global engineering organizations, and driving innovation across networking, cloud, application security, and SaaS platforms.

About Me

I am a technology executive, engineer, and product leader with more than three decades of experience building enterprise, telecom, and wireless infrastructure, security applications and platforms, networking platforms, and cloud services. Throughout my career, I have helped companies navigate major technology shifts—from wireless networking and broadband infrastructure to cloud computing, cybersecurity, and SaaS. I enjoy solving complex technical and business challenges, building high-performing organizations, and helping companies create clear technology strategies that support long-term growth.

Career Highlights

Over the course of my career, I have held executive leadership roles across some of the industry's most influential technology companies. I helped build one of the first wireless broadband businesses at Stanford Telecom before leading its acquisition by Newbridge Networks. As CTO at Foundry Networks, I helped reposition the company following the dot-com collapse, quadrupling revenue while delivering industry-leading networking platforms. I spent nearly 13 years at F5, growing the business from approximately $170 million to more than $2 billion in revenue while leading Product and Engineering through multiple acquisitions and the company's expansion into application security. Later, I served as General Manager at AWS, leading the Elastic Block Store business and improving profitability through large-scale operational innovation. Most recently, I led product and engineering organizations at Imperva, Forcepoint, and Ivanti, helping modernize security platforms, drive cloud transformation, and build long-term product strategies for enterprise customers.

Techquity Solutions

I help organizations align technology strategy with business outcomes while building scalable products, engineering organizations, and security platforms. My experience spans enterprise infrastructure, cloud services, cybersecurity, SaaS operations, product strategy, M&A integration, and organizational scaling. Having worked with both global technology leaders and growth-stage companies, I understand how to balance innovation with operational execution and help leadership teams make practical technology decisions that accelerate growth while managing risk.

Innovation & Impact

• Over 35 years leading technology, engineering, product, and cybersecurity organizations.
• Helped build one of the first wireless broadband platforms, leading to a $360M acquisition by Newbridge Networks.
• Led Foundry Networks' technology transformation following the dot-com collapse, helping quadruple company revenue.
• Grew F5 from approximately $170M to more than $2B in annual revenue while expanding the product and engineering from under 200 to over 1,300 professionals worldwide.
• Led eight major technology acquisitions and numerous strategic technology integrations.
• Helped pioneer the application security market through early web application firewall, identity, and access security innovations.
• Led AWS Elastic Block Store, increasing margins by approximately 10 percentage points while improving infrastructure utilization and reducing capital expenditures by hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Built and scaled cloud-based SaaS security platforms at Imperva, Forcepoint, and Ivanti.
• Extensive experience across enterprise networking, cloud infrastructure, application security, SaaS operations, and product strategy.
• Holder of multiple technology patents spanning networking, wireless communications, and security innovation.

Why Techquity?

I joined Techquity because it allows me to focus on the part of my career I enjoy most—helping companies solve difficult technology and business challenges without being tied to the day-to-day responsibilities of running large organizations. I enjoy working alongside experienced operators who have built and scaled technology businesses and using that collective experience to help leadership teams develop strategies, roadmaps, and practical solutions. At this stage of my career, I'm most energized by mentoring executives, advising leadership teams, and helping organizations navigate growth, security, cloud transformation, and product strategy.

Thought Leadership

• The Best Product Teams Share 3 Characteristics (Inc.)
• Why Data Silos Are Threatening Your Security (and Maybe Your Entire Business) (LinkedIn)
• Techstrong IT Feature
• Why Digital Sprawl Makes Basic Security Nearly Impossible — and What to Do (LinkedIn)
• F5's Karl Triebes Honored by Seattle Business Magazine as CTO of the Year (F5)
• 2015 Executive Excellence Awards: Karl Triebes (Seattle Business Magazine)