Fund/Build/Scale 2025 Cybersecurity Trends, Insights and Storytelling Advice from YL Ventures' Andy Ellis
In this episode of Fund/Build/Scale, I talked with YL Ventures Partner Andy Ellis (a former CISO) about his approach to storytelling, tactics for founder-led sales and marketing, and why he thinks the cybersecurity hiring challenge isn’t a talent shortage, but a market misunderstanding.
We also discussed refining product-market fit, customer discovery methods and pitfalls like believing in one's own narrative too strongly. The conversation also touched on hiring strategies, managing design partnerships, and maintaining humility as a founder. “The basic entry level skill of reading the room is knowing when somebody already agrees with you,” said Andy.
RUNTIME 44:15 EPISODE BREAKDOWN(1:44) Andy describes his day-to-day work at YL Ventures with founders.
(4:08) "It's like you now have an infant, and your only job as a parent is to create a competent adult.”
(6:33) How he prefers to be pitched.
(7:52) ”The art of storytelling is taking a message and putting it in a narrative vehicle.”
(14:38) The biggest storytelling mistakes early-stage founders make.
(17:08) “ The basic entry level skill of reading the room is knowing when somebody already agrees with you.”
(18:50) “ Fear is a hard, hard sale… It's so transparent and CISOs do this every day.”
(19:36) Common cybersecurity GTM missteps.
(21:40) ”The moment that you can sell the same product to two different companies, you should have a sales rep.”
(23:45) How Andy helps founders read the room when they’re trying to make a sale.
(27:20) “ You're hiring really out of a very different pool when you're in the cybersecurity space.”
(29:08) “ Stealth is sort of a misnomer, but we're still sort of stuck in it.”
(30:54) What to say if you want someone to quit their cushy job and join your risky startup.
(32:46) Rock-star hires are “fantastic if they stumble into your lap, but you can't go look for them.”
(35:08) “ That first marketer you hire needs to be able to do a lot of things.”
(39:05) “People with massive egos have a lot of humility.”
(41:20) Trends in cybersecurity and AI he’s excited about in 2025.
LINKS- Andy Ellis
- 1% Leadership: Master the Small, Daily Improvements that Set Great Leaders Apart
- csoandy.com
- YL Ventures
- YL Ventures’ The State of the Cyber Nation 2024 (PDF)
Thanks for listening!
– Walter.