A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders How his AI-first services company grew $0 to $40M ARR in one year. | Eric Foster, Founder of Tenex
Dec 1, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Eric Foster, the founder and CEO of Tenex, shares his impressive journey from building a successful managed security service to launching an AI-native cybersecurity company that soared to $43 million in its first year. He highlights the importance of selling outcomes over products and explains why AI-native models will revolutionize the service industry. Eric also discusses rapid enterprise deal closures, the key to founder-led sales, and strategies for IPO readiness from day one—an invaluable insight for those in the startup world.
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Exit Shaped The Next Mission
- Eric sold his previous company Sideris to private equity and merged with a larger cybersecurity firm.
- That exit and experience shaped his belief in building something different with 10X.
AI As The Next Computing Platform
- Eric Foster argues AI is the next computing platform and will drive a productivity boom across industries.
- He expects AI-native companies to deliver order-of-magnitude improvements in services like cybersecurity.
Built‑Native Beats Bolt‑On
- Legacy service firms face the innovator's dilemma and often only bolt AI on top of old stacks.
- Starting AI-native from first principles lets smaller teams outpace incumbents.