Alex: 17 year tenure at Microsoft including Bill Gates' Technology Advisor Has started 5 companies Angel investor Board member on several companies CEO at Polyverse Archis: Previously a software developer at both Microsoft and Amazon Won a computing competition in India Board member at the Center on Contemporary Art CTO at Polyverse Polyverse: Provide continuous protection to Linux systems from memory-based attacks through operating system controls.

Ike: Almost 50 years of experience in tech Tenures at Apple, MIT, SAP, Cisco and more 20 patents Way more knowledgeable than me about computing (and most things...) TidalScale: Rethinking the problem of big data computing by scaling up rather than out through a powerful supercomputer

Michael is the CEO of Virta Labs, a healthcare security company building a platform for medical device management. He also founded his own consultancy to help start-ups acquire funding through traditional and non-dilutive mechanisms like government grants. He’s especially well-versed in the financial and legal aspects of startups which are tricky for so many founders.

Eric Cole, cybersecurity expert, shares his journey from CIA to authorship. He discusses the importance of effective communication in cybersecurity roles and customer-centric approaches. He also talks about gauging book success, evolving cybersecurity focus, and strategic content development. Plus, he gives insights on book marketing and tips for aspiring authors.

The average professional's experience with cybersecurity generally involves phishing training, and that is a brutally dry introduction. Oz Alashe at Cybsafe is working to revolutionize the world of security training, and he won't stop until he has influenced training across the globe. Listen to this episode for his embarrassing icon that influenced his joining the UK paratrooper regimen and his outlook for the future after raising $8 million earlier this year.

Pete is a guru in the entrepreneurship space. He is currently acting as VP of Business Development for two different companies and CEO of his own consultancy, all while acting as an advisor and board member for several others. Pete is a clear "people person", and his stories of innocent connection followed by subsequent business opportunities are incredulous. Tune in to hear about his recipes for success for start-ups that sometimes go against commonly accepted ideas.

As Wayne put it, security companies are often boring. To his credit, ThreatQuotient is far from it. The company has grown to over 100 employees since Wayne founded it with his coworker, Ryan Trost, back in 2013. The team has raised over $50 million in funding, and some portion of that has gone toward adopting three rhinoceroses, the company's logo and official mascot. On this episode, Wayne discusses his burning desire to become a founder before he succeeded with ThreatQuotient, the time commitment in a new venture, and the decision to step down from CEO in order to let the company continue its incredible growth trajectory. Enjoy!

While episodes so far focused on the stories of founders, in this episode I interview the hosts of the Extreme Uncertainty podcast, Mike Ravenscroft and Mike Leffer, who are prominent venture capitalists in the security space. The episode includes a glimpse into the untraditional routes into VC as well as several tips for founders looking for funding and idiosyncrasies of the security market when looking at potential investments. This is one of my favorite episodes so far, as it provides additional background as to the struggles of every founder I have interviewed on the show. Their podcast can be found by searching "Extreme Uncertainty" wherever you listen to Secure Ventures, or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/extreme-uncertainty/.

Explore Vladi Sandler's cybersecurity journey from military to LightSpin, emphasizing cloud defense, team culture, and balancing work, education, and transitioning. Discover the challenges of entrepreneurship, building a diverse team, and the importance of transparency in the cybersecurity industry.

Sam is the youngest guest to join the show so far, having started his company Kasada while he was still a teenager. After experience working in the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) in high school, basically the NSA of Australia, Sam decided to forgo college ("university" for the Australians) in favor of going directly into the security world. Shortly after, he founded Kasada, which is built around a bot deterrence platform that presents complex quantitative challenges that cost attackers thousands in compute resources. Kasada has seen explosive growth, as it received funding from the CIA's venture group in its 2019 Series A, received a Series B in 2020, and now has over 50 employees.