AcceleTrex Corporation, a technology referral exchange, and IT-Harvest, a cybersecurity research and advisory firm, have announced a strategic partnership to establish a global referral economy aimed at enhancing cybersecurity sales through trusted industry connections.
The collaboration seeks to activate a system where industry leaders and startups can engage in verified conversations, driving deals more efficiently. This initiative enables IT-Harvest’s global audience of analysts, architects, and CISOs to access real-time market intelligence and act on it by referring vetted startups. Participants can earn Personal Recurring Revenue (PRR) when referred deals conclude.
AcceleTrex’s platform, which integrates AI capabilities, is designed to transform personal networks into go-to-market engines without relying on traditional methods such as cold outreach or large sales teams. Allan Thompson, Co-Founder and CEO of AcceleTrex, stated, “This is about trust, not transactions. We’re uniting our referral economy with IT-Harvest.com to turn insight into income. This partnership empowers professionals to monetize their expertise—ethically, efficiently, and at scale.”
Richard Stiennon, Founder of IT-Harvest, commented on the venture, stating, “I have thought long and hard about how to build a community based market place. AcceleTrex is the right way to do it.” He added, “Only experienced industry veterans who have lived the whole sales cycle from multiple perspectives could succeed at a venture like this.” Stiennon further emphasized the effectiveness of referrals, noting, “Referrals are the strongest way to make enterprise sales. AcceleTrex rewards market experts for referring prospects to participating vendors. IT-Harvest is one such vendor on the platform. We sell subscriptions to a SaaS tool that allows security teams to research the entire cybersecurity industry including 11,340 products. Half of our new subscribers come from referral already.”
Tom Masucci, Co-Founder and EVP of Member Services at AcceleTrex, highlighted the benefits for startups, stating, “Startups that leverage trusted networks outperform those that rely on cold outreach. With IT-Harvest, Richard is a leading entrepreneur and has built the most powerful research firm in cybersecurity. Now, we’re giving users a way to act on that intelligence—and get rewarded for it.”
Key benefits of this partnership include reduced customer acquisition costs (CAC), shortened sales cycles, and faster scaling for startups through warm introductions. Market experts can monetize their networks and insights without engaging in cold calling or direct sales management. For the industry, the initiative aims to replace traditional outreach with a system based on trust and warm referrals.
To encourage early adoption, startups referred by Richard Stiennon or through the IT-Harvest network will receive a 50% discount on their first-year AcceleTrex membership. This limited-time offer is intended to foster initial engagement within the ecosystem.
AcceleTrex integrates AI-driven matching with human judgment to ensure relevance, compliance, and quality in its referrals. The platform is designed for scalability and resilience, with an aim to create a self-reinforcing ecosystem of value within the over $300 billion cybersecurity market. IT-Harvest, founded by Richard Stiennon, is recognized for its research and advisory services in cybersecurity trends, vendor performance, and startup innovation, drawing on over 30 years of industry experience.
