Grit

#185 CEO & Founder Netskope, Sanjay Beri: The Trenches


Listen Later

Guest: Sanjay Beri, CEO and Founder of Netskope

“You can be waiting your whole life to do something, and then your life’s over,” says Sanjay Beri. After nine years at Juniper Networks, he left his comfortable job, moved his family to a house with a pricier mortgage, and launched the cloud security firm Netskope. His entrepreneurial story would make anyone stressed, he acknowledges, but “at some level, you have to be wired to enjoy it… that's why I tell everybody who joins, ‘It's not for the faint of heart.’”

In this episode, Sanjay and Joubin discuss Reddit, banker friends, professional legacies, the wrong way to raise capital, authenticity, Ponzi schemes, “fool’s gold,” high-risk hiring, hitting pause, your “other family,” and changing roles.

Chapters:

  • (00:54) - 2024 IPOs
  • (05:43) - Long on cybersecurity
  • (07:59) - Netskope’s mission
  • (10:22) - Sanjay’s first company, Ingrian
  • (12:07) - The writing on the wall
  • (15:02) - Mamoon Hamid
  • (20:21) - Stress and perspective
  • (24:53) - Sanjay’s mother
  • (28:41) - The trenches vs. the clouds
  • (30:53) - Guts, Resolve, Integrity, Tenacity
  • (32:10) - Hiring for grit
  • (38:06) - The lowest point
  • (41:18) - “Always on”
  • (43:49) - The hot desk office
  • (46:13) - Scaling people
  • (49:30) - Politics and integrity
  • (53:03) - Who Netskope is hiring

  • Links:
    • Connect with Sanjay
      • LinkedIn
    • Connect with Joubin
    • Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
    • This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm
    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    GritBy Kleiner Perkins

    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9

    4.9

    188 ratings


    More shows like Grit

    View all
    This Week in Startups by Jason Calacanis

    This Week in Startups

    1,290 Listeners

    The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

    The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

    531 Listeners

    The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors by SaaStr

    The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors

    172 Listeners

    a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

    a16z Podcast

    1,082 Listeners

    Founders by David Senra

    Founders

    2,099 Listeners

    Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

    Y Combinator Startup Podcast

    234 Listeners

    All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

    All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

    9,822 Listeners

    Business Breakdowns by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

    Business Breakdowns

    351 Listeners

    No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups by Conviction

    No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

    133 Listeners

    BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

    BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

    499 Listeners

    AI + a16z by a16z

    AI + a16z

    33 Listeners

    Revenue Builders by Force Management

    Revenue Builders

    155 Listeners

    Training Data by Sequoia Capital

    Training Data

    41 Listeners

    Uncapped with Jack Altman by Alt Capital

    Uncapped with Jack Altman

    40 Listeners

    Cheeky Pint by Stripe

    Cheeky Pint

    42 Listeners