Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews) The Real Drivers of Cyber Spend: Risk, Compliance, and AI Disruption
Dec 19, 2025
Rakesh Loonkar, a seasoned entrepreneur and venture investor in the cybersecurity space, discusses the unexpected drivers of cybersecurity investment. He reveals that compliance often leads spending more than actual threats. Rakesh highlights the importance of evaluating risks and founder mindsets while preparing for platform shifts, such as AI and cloud technologies. He emphasizes the need for operator skills on boards over financial expertise to boost decision-making, and shares insights into what makes a strong venture investor in the tech landscape.
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Why Picture Capital Was Started
- Rakesh and partners founded Picture Capital to offer operator experience missing from many VCs.
- They saw entrepreneurs choose investors for skills, not just capital, so they packaged their operational value into a fund.
Choose Investors For Operational Skills
- Assemble investors for a startup based on complementary operational skills, not duplicate financial expertise.
- Seek operator investors who can give direct product, go-to-market, and scaling guidance rather than only financial advice.
Three Drivers Of Cyber Spend
- Cyber spending is driven primarily by compliance, productivity, and reactive breach spend rather than pure threat fear.
- Vendors and CIOs should map product categories to these buying motivations to predict demand.