About Venture in Security: humble beginnings and ambitious plans for the future
I came to cybersecurity after having led product in several other fields including retail, wholesale, e-commerce, and financial technology. Over the years as I was learning about the new for me industry, I ended up talking to hundreds of people - security practitioners, founders, angel investors, VCs, industry analysts, community leaders, and many others. I quickly fell in love with the people and security community as everyone was exhibiting so much passion and a sense of mission - something I haven’t quite seen before. The energy was contagious and I got hooked.
There was also a lot of BS, unnecessary complexity, and buzzwords that took me too long to unravel (still working on it). But, I saw that most people had their hearts in the right place, and that to me is what matters.
I realized that while there are many great sources about the technical side of the industry, there is little about how it works on a higher level. I started Venture in Security with a simple goal - to help cybersecurity practitioners, founders, and investors shape the future of the industry. At first, it was just a blog talking about the business side of cybersecurity, trends defining the direction of the industry, and how different components and actors fit together. Almost every week, I would share my thoughts and learnings covering everything from open source, security services, channel partners, venture capital, product-led growth, and much more.
From writing to building & investing
I always saw writing as a tool to make an impact, and I always knew it is not the only tool. Over time, I got the opportunity to work with investors, help startups with their go-to-market strategy, became an advisor to several great teams, and started angel investing. At the end of 2022, I was humbled when over 220 people - startup founders, advisors, and investors - joined Building Cyber Collective - to shape the next generation of cybersecurity.
Over time, I have developed a conviction that security practitioners - security engineers, SOC architects, detection engineers, penetration testers, threat researchers and other hands-on security professionals are best positioned to shape the future of cybersecurity and decide what tools and products should exist on the market. This belief has led me to launch the Venture in Security Angel Syndicate - the world's first & only angel syndicate for security practitioners. I saw that as cybersecurity is becoming more technical, traditional investors are struggling to evaluate ideas and solutions of the future, often funding tools that make big promises but don’t solve real problems. On the other hand, while security practitioners spend incredible amount of time staying on top of new innovations, they still have little impact on what gets funded. We are changing this.
Help shape the future of cybersecurity
What started as a blog is growing into something bigger. At the epicenter of it is no longer my writing about the industry - it’s a community of people who share a passion for cybersecurity. A community of people who care. Many of us see the industry from different lenses - product, incident response, security engineering, strategy, investing, leadership, and so on. Sometimes, we disagree about the future outlook and who will dominate the space. But regardless of all that, we want to learn and grow together.
I do not have a clear view of what is next for Venture in Security and what it will evolve into, but I would like it to be something of value to the community and the security industry overall.
Join the crew
Join the community of people who share your interests and shape the future of cybersecurity. Note that I don’t send any spam - only weekly or bi-weekly posts about the industry. Also - if you feel so inclined, I’d love to connect on LinkedIn.
Let’s do something great together.