Today, Derek Harp is happy to have Robin Berthier, the CEO, and Co-founder of Network Perception, joining him as his guest for this episode in the Security Leaders series! 

Robin took a piece of technology out of a university research study and, together with some others, built a company around it. Network Perception is a startup committed to designing and developing highly-usable network audit solutions.

Robin grew up in Brittany, in the North-West region of France. He attended the first French school dedicated to cybersecurity. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Robin is also a researcher, technologist, and problem-solver. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing and movies. He has even tried his hand at producing and directing movies! 

In this episode of the (CS)²AI Podcast, Robin shares his backstory and discusses his career journey. He talks about becoming a research scientist, designing specification-based intrusion detection systems for smart energy delivery systems, and transitioning from a researcher to an entrepreneur. He also talks about mentorship and offers some nuggets of advice for entrepreneurs.

You won’t want to miss this episode if you are interested in finding out about the practical applications of the theoretical work done in academic research. Stay tuned for more!

Show highlights:

• Robin talks about where his passion for breaking and protecting systems began. (1:37)
• The more Robin worked with computers, the more he became fascinated with the notion of feeling the universe. (2:33)
• In the early 2000s, the French government created the resources to train the next-generation workforce in computers and cybersecurity. (3:30)
• Robin discusses his first dedicated open-source project. (7:51)
• In addition to cybersecurity, Robin was also interested in information visualization. (9:41)
• How he moved from doing post-doctoral work to becoming a research scientist. (11:12)
• How Robin got into designing specification-based intrusion detection systems for smart energy delivery systems. (15:07)
• Recognizing an opportunity for university-based research to become a company. (17:46)
• Transitioning from being a researcher to becoming an entrepreneur and the challenges that went along with that. (23:18)
• What Robin would do differently if he had to start his entrepreneurial journey over. (28:58)
• Some advice for entrepreneurs. (31:20)
• Why you should never burn bridges or feel afraid of reaching out to others. (36:55)