The Decibel Podcast: Founders Helping Founders

Ed Bellis is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Kenna Security, a cybersecurity company that pioneered the risk-based vulnerability management space, and was acquired by Cisco last year. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Ed about his journey from skateboarder to cybersecurity expert, including his advice for first-time founders anxious about always getting it right the first time.Turning Pain Points Into Passion Projects [09:38 - 11:00] - When Ed made the switch from Chief Security Officer to Founder, he was determined to fix the issues he ran into as a practitioner. Without this passion, Ed doesn’t think he would have been successful as a first-time founder. If you're looking to make the jump to founder, listen to hear why you have to be all in.Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable [11:32 - 12:30] - As a first-time founder, the journey will be full of hurdles and questions so Ed advises all founders to come to terms with the fact that you won’t have the answers to everything. Listen to learn how to take advantage of your relationships and not be afraid to ask for help.Partnerships Can Solve Big Pain Points [15:32 - 20:35] - Kenna had two incredible partnerships that changed the trajectory of the company. The first solved their product-market fit challenges, and the second unlocked their go to market. Listen to how quickly a startup's fortune can change through key partnerships.Why Founder Doesn’t Always Equal CEO [26:07 - 28:48] - Ed always knew that he wouldn’t be the CEO of Kenna Security forever as he believed being a founder didn’t mean always being the boss. Prioritize bringing in a professional CEO that understands the needs of the company and fills the holes that the founders and organization may have. Listen to hear how giving up some control could be the best decision for your startup.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Ed Bellis https://twitter.com/ebellisFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Slavik Markovich is the Founder and CEO of Demisto, a security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platform that was acquired by Palo Alto Networks in 2019 for $560 million. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Slavik about how his time in the Israeli army kickstarted his entrepreneurial journey and what mistakes he made as a first-time founder.Basic (Entrepreneurial) Training in the Israeli Army [02:54 - 06:24] - During his time in the Israeli army (IDF), Slavik was introduced into a system with real needs, real customers and a real need for things to go operationally right or bad things could happen. Listen to how this experience prepared Slavik to successfully lead startups by teaching him the importance of listening to customers, making quick decisions, and managing with scarce resources.What to Do, and Not to Do, When Finding Product Market Fit [11:12 - 12:32] - When Slavik co-founded Sentrigo, he thought finding an innovative technical solution to a challenging problem would lead to company success. Looking back, he realized how the lack of customer discovery hurt the company’s go-to market strategy development and created greater challenges. Listen to learn why listening to potential customers from the start can help decode the puzzle early on.Don’t Forget To Train Your Salesforce For Success [24:25 - 28:25] - After Slavik raised his second round of funding, he scaled Demisto’s salesforce and waited for the deals to come in. When those sales did not materialize, Slavik learned tough lessons including why salespeople need training, what ramp time to expect and why not to hire a sales team. Listen to learn why a founder selling versus a salesperson selling leads to different outcomes.Sometimes Money Isn’t Everything [35:03 - 36:49] - When Slavik was approached by Palo Alto Networks about a possible acquisition, he and his founding team had to consider more than just the numbers. Instead of zeroing in on the money, think about what the best decision is for your employees, customers and product. Listen to hear why Slavik thinks a founder’s personal situation can, and should, influence some of their most important decisions.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Slavik Markovich https://twitter.com/slavikmFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Oliver Friedrichs is the Founder and CEO of Phantom Cyber, a four-time successful entrepreneur who has exited companies to McAfee, Symantec, Sourcefire, and Splunk. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Oliver about the lessons he has learned along the way, including how to cultivate partnerships that lead to successful exits and avoiding valuation traps as a first-time founder.  Your Advantage Is Your Speed [17:47 - 18:39] - Many startups think they are smarter than big companies. Oftentimes their greatest advantage is their ability to execute and focus when a large company might be distracted by other priorities. Listen to hear why startups should not act like they are smarter than everyone else, but should act with speed and certainty when building their product.Don’t Overshoot Your Valuation [22:41 - 24:24] - If you have a high valuation, it may take years for your company to grow before your investors believe they can exit a company. Having the flexibility to exit is important and a high valuation can limit and restrict the M&A possibilities for your company. Listen to hear why Oliver believes optionality to exit at the right inflection point is a founder’s best friend.Build The Right Partnerships For A Successful Exit [24:47 - 26:19] - Oliver subscribes to the idea that companies are bought not sold, and has cultivated valuable relationships throughout all of his startup journeys. To create an exit strategy that makes sense, work with companies to integrate your products and increase customer engagement. Listen to learn how to leverage your existing partnerships into successful exits.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Oliver Friedrichs https://twitter.com/autom8securityFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Haroon Meer is the Founder of Thinkst Canary, a fast growing cybersecurity company that enables companies to put “honeypots” on their network to catch attackers in minutes. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Haroon Meer about how growing up during the tail end of Apartheid influenced his leadership style and how he bootstrapped Thinkst Canary to success.You Need to Build a Better Mousetrap [9:09 - 12:27] - After spending 10 years in consulting, Haroon was itching to start a product company. Many cybersecurity consultants need to learn how to incorporate highly opinionated customer feedback into their product design. Listen to his philosophy of shifting away from being the “expert” in the room and his humble approach when listening to customers.Find Ideas In Unexpected Places [13:05 - 16:29] - Haroon decided he wanted to build a product and told his colleagues he was shifting away from consulting. When one colleague kept asking for his services, Haroon realized he found a huge problem to solve and founded Thinkst Canary. Listen to learn how tapping into the need of friendly customers can be the inspiration for your next startup idea.Don’t Forget Who Pays the Bills [26:26 - 31:59] - When founders start raising VC funding, Haroon thinks it is easy to lose sight of the most important priorities. Some founders lose focus on making customers successful when trying to appease future investors. Listen to learn why bootstrapping your startup might be the best route in the beginning of a company’s journey.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Haroon Meer https://twitter.com/haroonmeerFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Amy Chang is the Founder of Accompany, a relationship intelligence platform that uses machine learning and AI to help business professionals enhance and grow their most important relationships. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Amy Chang about her journey to Founder, including the unconventional way she chose between job offers at Google and Yahoo and how her husband finally got her to stop waking him up at 3 AM with new ideas. Why You Should Normalize Imposter Syndrome [8:05-10:05] - Amy knows imposter syndrome can follow you throughout your career and affects more founders than many believe. By vocalizing her doubts and concerns with other coworkers, she felt like she wasn’t alone and gained more confidence in herself. Listen to learn why talking about imposter syndrome can help you channel it into constructive emotion.How To Be In Tune With Your Team [10:46-17:24] -  Being a great leader means pushing your team to their full potential. To do so effectively, Amy tailors each message to the culture of the team and its leader. Listen to learn why having an intimate knowledge of your team members allows you to set goals appropriately.Lean Into The Fear Of The Unknown [22:17-23:49] - As a first-time founder, the unknowns of the journey ahead can be intimidating but Amy believes in utilizing that fear to motivate yourself. Get ahead of the fear by working even harder and always be thinking three steps ahead. Listen to hear how to harness the power of fear.Don’t Dwell On Your Guilt [29:23-33:17] - Founding a startup comes with sacrifices and guilt, especially if you are a parent. As a mom, Amy tries not to tear herself down if she can’t be the perfect founder, spouse, and mom in one week. Listen to learn why you should be more forgiving of yourself and approach every week with a refreshed outlook.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Amy Chang https://twitter.com/_amychangFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Andrew Peterson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Signal Sciences, the fastest growing web application security company in the world. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Andrew Peterson about why he calls Anthony Bourdain his career role model and how he ended up in Tanzania working without running water or power near the beginning of his career.  Hire People Smarter Than You [5:38-6:06] - Andrew was always surrounded by incredibly talented people at every company he worked at. As a founder, Andrew believes you should focus on  hiring people better and smarter than you. Listen to learn why the mark of a good leader is being able to keep up with your employees.Don’t Be Afraid To Challenge Yourself [6:06-11:12] - Before founding Signal Sciences, Andrew took a leap and moved to Tanzania for over a year. During his years at Google, he turned down promotions because he didn’t feel challenged anymore before leaving at the height of its success. Listen to learn why constantly challenging yourself makes you a better founder.Build Your Network Early [27:59-29:23] - As Andrew moved from company to company, he built meaningful relationships with his team members and managers. These relationships eventually led him to founding Signal Sciences with his former coworkers at Etsy. As a founder, he prioritizes building relationships with potential buyers instead of letting them come to him. Listen to learn why the relationships you make now could help you in the future.Instill Confidence In Your Company [36:08-38:04] - As a founder, it can be easy to get caught up in raising as much money as you can but Andrew does the opposite. He often leaves money on the table to protect the ownership of the company and focus on sustainable growth. Listen to learn why having confidence in your company could actually mean raising less money.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Andrew Peterson https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmarshallpeterson/Follow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Ricardo Oliveira is the Co-founder and CTO of ThousandEyes, a Cisco company providing some of the largest brands more visibility into how customers and employees use their networks. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Ricardo Oliveira about meeting his future co-founder in a research group at UCLA and developing a constructive mindset as a first-time founder. How To Turn Rejection Into Motivation [13:40-14:32] - When Ricardo and his co-founder approached a potential advisor, they were told that their idea would never get off the ground. Fast forward a few years and that same person became one of ThousandEyes’ biggest advocates. Listen to hear why Ricardo believes every rejection can be reimagined as an opportunity for improvement.Measure Your Startup In Milestones [15:02-16:38] - As capital becomes more available and growth turns incessant, Ricardo advises today’s founders to focus on sustainable growth. Listen to learn why defining your startup’s milestones by number of customers or amount of revenue could save you from overblown valuations.Exercise Patience For The Best Results [17:27-18:20] - Ricardo and his co-founders spent ten years growing ThousandEyes before being acquired by Cisco for nearly $1 billion. Over the years, they had to exercise extreme patience and persistence to get through all the ups and downs. Listen to learn why playing the long game is the key to success.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Ricardo Oliveira https://twitter.com/rvelosoFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Matthew Prince is the Co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, an internet infrastructure company that is making the internet a faster and safer place. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Matthew Prince on how he went from bartender to founder of one of the most successful startups built in the last decade. Pick Your Co-Founders Wisely [13:10-15:16]- Choosing who to build your startup with is just as important as choosing the problem you want to solve, says Matthew, who’s worked in teams that quickly became counter-productive. If you’re thinking about working with friends, listen to learn why Matthew believes choosing co-founders you can split the work with might be your best bet.Pick The Big, Thorny, Hairy Problem [16:19-18:23] - If you’re going to pitch an idea for a startup, Matthew believes in choosing a problem so ambitious you may not even understand the depth of it. After all, it’s better to scale down than be stuck in a corner with an idea that doesn’t make a positive impact on the world. Listen to hear why you shouldn’t be afraid to choose the intimidating problem as a founder.Why Hiring Is The Only Skill Every Founder Needs [18:23-18:47] - When you choose an ambitious problem to tackle, you need to put together a team that can rise to the challenge. To be successful, Matthew believes you need to hire people that are equally as inspired as you. Listen to hear how to attract team members that will help scale your startup to the next level.The Power of Choosing an Uncharted Path [19:50-22:59] - Matthew and his co-founders weren’t experts in their field when they founded Cloudflare but he credits their success to their willingness to look at the problem from a different perspective. Listen to learn why going down a new path could work in your favor.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Matthew Prince https://twitter.com/eastdakotaFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Michelle Zatlyn is the Co-founder, President, and COO of Cloudflare, an internet infrastructure company that is making the internet a faster and safer place. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Michelle Zatlyn on her path to Co-founder and why you have to love what you do in order to succeed. Don’t Be Afraid To Deviate From The Plan [2:30-14:15] - Michelle grew up thinking she wanted to be a doctor but an unexpected award for a research project made her rethink her future. Years later, she turned down a coveted job at LinkedIn to keep growing Cloudflare. Listen to hear why going down the path unknown could turn into the best decision of your life.How To Build A Team You Can Win With [31:18-33:04]  - Facing roadblocks is inevitable during the startup journey but Michelle believes in cultivating a team that can survive the ebb and flow of a growing company. Her goal was always to work in a team that loves what they do and who they work with. Listen to learn why you need a team that can play together and win together.Know When To Marry Your Tech With Business [33:34-34:41] - As self-proclaimed geeks, Michelle and her co-founders spent years developing the technology behind Cloudflare. Looking back, Michelle talks about why all good tech startups need equally good business counterparts to succeed.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Michelle Zatlyn https://twitter.com/zatlynFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC

Marty Roesch is the founder and CEO of Sourcefire, one of the very first commercial open source companies, that was acquired by Cisco in 2013 for $2.7 billion. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Marty Roesch on his journey to CEO, including how laser tag became his foray into cybersecurity and why he considers himself a “particularly good benevolent dictator”. Have Empathy For Your Users [14:19-15:19] - Marty got the motivation to continue developing Sourcefire alongside his 9-5 from the direct interactions he had with its users. Later on, his business model relied on the understanding he had of the actual problems users deploying Sourcefire had and creating solutions that go above and beyond.Sometimes You Have To Call BS On Yourself [15:39-16:39] - When you become encumbered by success, it’s easy to lose sight of yourself. As Marty scaled Sourcefire, he had to re-examine his beliefs and have moments of introspection. If you’re a founder experiencing rapid growth, remember to tether yourself to your fundamental values.Ask For Help When You Need It [25:59-26:55] - Marty created the success that is Sourcefire with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. When he decided to branch out on his own and build a company, he had to be honest with himself and the people around him. Listen to learn how asking the simple questions got him to where he is today.Don’t Try To Be The Smartest Guy In The Room [26:45-27:15] - When Marty was starting to understand how to turn his idea into a business, someone told him that the sole key to running a successful business is hiring good people. Listen to hear why he believes the strength of your organization is the strength of your people.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Marty Roesch https://twitter.com/mroeschFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC