909Exec

Join host Den Jones as he sits down with Carl Herberger, CEO of Corero, for a fascinating conversation that spans from military aviation to cybersecurity leadership.

Carl shares his unique journey from flying B-52 bombers to becoming a Pentagon cyber warfare pioneer, then transitioning to corporate security roles at Campbell Soup Company before founding multiple security companies.

This episode explores the critical importance of DDoS protection and cyber resiliency in today's threat landscape.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- Early Life and Military Background

• Carl discusses his German-American upbringing and path to military service
• Key quote: "I was born in the US, but because my father was an electrician for, at the time, Transworld Airlines, he got laid off in the mid '60s, late '60s when I was born" 

- B-52 Aviation Career

• Details about his eight years as a B-52 aviator and the demanding nature of military flying
• Key quote: "Being a military flight crew member, it is fundamentally rewires your brain. You learn things that maybe many other professions don't learn. You must fundamentally know everything about the machine" 

- Military Aviation Mindset

• How military aviation shaped his approach to risk and decision-making
• Key quote: "It's what you don't know or you didn't research, that's what will kill you. It's as simple as that" 

- Pentagon Cyber Warfare Role

• Transition from aviation to becoming part of the initial cadre of cyber warriors in the mid-90s
• Key quote: "They were putting together a cadre of people and they put together disciplines that they believed would have sensibilities about this idea" 

- Life Philosophy and Career Approach

• Discussion about being open to unexpected opportunities and following your heart
• Key quote: "Your brain will never make you happy, never. There's no place in the world and no scenario in the world with thinking will make you happy. Only your heart will make you happy" 

- Personal Story Philosophy

• Carl's perspective on life as an ongoing story you author daily
• Key quote: "Every person is a story and you are the author. And the coolest thing about that journey is like any movie that you watch" 

- Campbell Soup Company Experience

• His role as CISO covering diverse brands and business models
• Key quote: "Campbell's what people didn't realize, and they still own many of these businesses, they own a lot of product. I mean, Pepperidge Farm, you're probably familiar with" 

- Transition to Entrepreneurship

• Moving from cost center to revenue-generating business roles
• Key quote: "No matter what I did as a CISO, I would still always be a cost to the business... I was never going to be really fundamentally revenue relevant to Campbell's" 

- The DDoS Problem

• Why most CISOs don't prioritize DDoS protection despite its critical importance
• Key quote: "Most CISOs don't care about it, truly... They prefer to deal with what I would consider to be more what people consider to be table stakes, security problems" 

- Availability as Critical Security

• The fundamental importance of availability in the CIA triad
• Key quote: "If you can't keep your internet up, if you can't keep your application up, if you can't keep your system up, if you can't keep your service up, you're done" 

- Regulatory Changes in Cyber Resiliency

• New regulations driving demand for DDoS protection and cyber resiliency
• Key quote: "There's something called the Digital Organizational Resiliency Act. And if you're a critical infrastructure provider, you have to prove that you're not just checking the box in this space" 

- DDoS as Major Threat

• The prevalence of DDoS attacks in the current threat landscape
• Key quote: "The number two is cyber attack in the world. It's ransomware and DDoS" 

Join Den Jones as he sits down with Sam Kabert, an emotional fitness trainer who built a seven-figure business by age 31 but discovered that financial success didn't equal life fulfillment.

Sam shares his transformation from chasing work-life balance to embracing soul-life balance, and introduces the neuroscience-backed concept of emotional fitness that's helping executives break free from burnout and negative thought loops.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- From Success to Depression

• Sam discusses achieving seven-figure success while working minimal hours but experiencing numbing depression
• Key quote: "I was running on the programming of when I achieve A, B, C, I will feel X, Y, Z. So that always kept me in the future state" 

- The Be-Do-Have Model

• Introduction to shifting from doing-having-being to being-doing-having for sustainable success 
• Key quote: "For myself and a lot of entrepreneurs and a lot of high performers, they're just stuck in the doing mode" 

- Soul-Life Balance vs Work-Life Balance

• Sam explains his concept of soul-life balance that includes tending to inner world and spirituality 
• Key quote: "Soul life balance is recategorizing work life balance to fit work underneath life because that is all the doing energy" 

- The 90-Second Rule of Emotions

• Discussion of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's neuroscience research on emotional processing 
• Key quote: "We are feeling creatures who think, not thinking creatures who feel" 

- What is Emotional Fitness?

• Sam defines emotional fitness as breathe first, feel second, lead with strength 
• Key quote: "If people learn how to regulate their nervous system just long enough to feel that emotion for two minutes, a minute and a half or so, then all of a sudden they can get clear thinking" 

- Three Ways of Working

• Sam outlines his service offerings: keynotes/workshops, one-on-one coaching, and certification training 

- The Future of Emotional Health

• Discussion on the shift from mental health focus to emotional fitness prioritization 
• Key quote: "I see the future of humanity and our wellness prioritizing emotional health"

Join Den Jones as he sits down with Kavia Venkatesh, Director of Product Security at Cigna Group, to explore her remarkable 10-year journey from biotechnology intern to cybersecurity leader. This episode dives deep into the power of mentorship, the unique challenges of M&A security, and how diverse backgrounds can accelerate careers in cybersecurity.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- From Beer to Cybersecurity: An Unexpected Beginning

• Kavia shares how her biotechnology background led to an internship at Coors Brewing Company during their merger with Miller 
• Key quote: "My journey in the cyberspace has been the people. I have been fortunate to have found great partners, mentors, bosses through the last couple of years that have helped pave the path for me." 

- The Power of Mentorship and Sponsorship

• Discussion of how Christine Vanderpole at Coors became a pivotal mentor who opened doors to cybersecurity 
• Key quote: "Having someone trust you, knowing that you don't have a background in cyber and say you can do it. And this is something that I practice today." 

- Sponsorship vs. Mentorship for Women in Cyber

• Analysis of how women need more sponsors who advocate for opportunities, not just mentors 
• Key quote: "Women, and I don't want to make this about women in cybersecurity, but if you look at the numbers, they have more mentors than sponsors." 

- M&A Security: Hidden Risks and Day-One Challenges

• Deep dive into merger and acquisition security challenges, including pre-existing breaches and lateral movement risks 
• Key quote: "The company you're acquiring might already be breached. Just they might not know, you might not know, and there might be a threat actor sitting in their environment." 

- Career Strategy: Choosing Learning Over Comfort

• Kavia's approach to career moves focused on continuous learning across different domains 
• Key quote: "For me, it's always been taking on an opportunity that I don't understand or don't know and is an opportunity for me to learn." 

- Breaking Into Cybersecurity: Practical Advice

• Networking, bug bounty programs, and community participation as pathways into cyber 
• Key quote: "You don't have to be someone who only did cyber to be successful in cyber. I have met so many leaders in this space who've come from different walks of life." 

- AI's Impact on Cybersecurity Careers

• How AI will create new domains and lower technical barriers for entry into cybersecurity 
• Key quote: "I think AI will help elevate some of that and people will be able to take on more opportunities and bring fresh perspectives." 

Join Den Jones as he sits down with Parvez Alam Kazi, co-founder of Fortyx Security, who's tackling the notorious failure of traditional data loss prevention with AI-powered email security.

From the UK startup scene to breaking into US markets, Parvez shares candid insights about first-time founder challenges, the reality of fundraising, and why the DLP industry desperately needs a revolution.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- From Operator to Founder

• Parvez shares his journey from Morgan Stanley to machine learning to leading security at startups
• Key quote: "The human layer is always the one that is the most exposed"

- UK Startup Scene Reality

• Discussion of UK tech hubs beyond London, including Bristol's aerospace and defense legacy
• Key quote: "Most of the money is around London... but there's a big bubbling tech scene in other parts of the UK"

- The DLP Problem That Won't Die

• Fortix's pivot to email data loss protection and why traditional DLP has failed
• Key quote: "Email security is all about phishing, social engineering, business email compromise, but data loss protection... there's not much"

- The Million Dollar DLP Failure

• Den's critique of the DLP market and its operational costs
• Key quote: "You can spend millions, multimillion... and then at the end of it, the ability for a bad actor or an employee to make a mistake... we still aren't solving the basics"

- AI Agents as Human Email Reviewers

• How Fortix uses AI to emulate human decision-making in email review
• Key quote: "Imagine if you're a large bank and you're sending out millions of emails every day, we can spin up five million AI agents, behave like humans"

- Fundraising: Relationship Over Pitch

• Lessons learned about building investor relationships vs. pitching
• Key quote: "It's not that you pitch today and money in the bank tomorrow. It's all about building that relationship, trust"

- Why This, Why You, Why Now

• The three critical questions every founder must answer
• Key quote: "At early stage pre-seed seed, it's all on the founders. That is what people are betting on"

- 2026 Vision and Scaling Strategy

• Fortix's roadmap from founder-led sales to scalable partnerships
• Key quote: "Security is all about polish trust and brand, something that people can trust to secure their organizations"

Join Den Jones as he explores the intersection of performance arts and executive leadership with Kevin Simmons, founder of Speak Deeply.

This conversation reveals how theatrical techniques, emotional regulation, and authentic communication can transform workplace culture and build stronger, more trusting teams.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- From Opera House to Boardroom

• Kevin's transition from 30-40 years as an actor, director, and opera singer to executive coaching 
• Key quote: "This is what made us human. This is how we won against the Neanderthals" 

- Reframing Fear as Excitement

• How to transform pre-presentation anxiety into positive energy 
• Key quote: "Excitement and fear are felt indistinguishably and interchangeably, and they're felt in exactly the same spot in the body. So why not just call it excitement?" 

- Three Critical Communication Scenarios for Leaders

• VCs, team leadership, and customer acquisition require different communication approaches 
• Key quote: "Those are all three distinctly different communications" 

- Defining Company Culture

• Simple framework for establishing organizational values 
• Key quote: "What is sacred here and what is taboo here? What is the stuff we always do and what is the stuff we never do?" 

- The Gift-Giving Approach to Presentations

• Transforming presentations from survival mode to service 
• Key quote: "It's not about survival, it's about gift giving" 

- The Power of Play in Professional Settings

• Why adult play is crucial for team building and innovation 
• Key quote: "We are the only mammal species that doesn't play as it ages" 

- Leadership as Teaching

• The fundamental principle connecting great leaders and educators 
• Key quote: "The best leaders are teachers. Leaders are teachers, period" 

- Building Trust Through Two Elements

• The simple formula for earning team trust 
• Key quote: "Passionate devotion to whatever the hell... and the other is demonstrating care about people" 

- The Four-Part Apology Framework

• How to repair trust when leadership mistakes happen 
• Key quote: "If you lose it with one person, you've lost it with everybody who saw it"

- Effective Praise Formula

• Moving beyond "great job" to meaningful recognition 
• Key quote: "When you say to somebody, great job... the person doesn't get any usable information out of it" 

Join Den Jones as he sits down with Jaz Lin, founder and CEO of Skyrelis, to explore the journey from network security engineer to AI infrastructure entrepreneur.

This episode dives deep into the challenges of AI agent security, the philosophy of building for security teams rather than developers, and the mindset shifts required for startup leadership in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- From Network Engineer to Security AdvocateJaz shares how being assigned to VPN projects changed his perspective on security from "preventing people from doing anything" to understanding security as "the brake on the car" that allows you to go fast safely

Key quote: "Security, like the brake on the car. So allow you to go safe, allow you to go fast safely, and it with competence"

- The Problem That Sparked Skyrelis

Discussion of why current AI security solutions are built for developers rather than security operations teams

Key quote: "Today's most of the solution solutions is actually built for developers, not built for security operations"

- Fundraising Philosophy: Finding Partners, Not Just Money

Jaz explains her approach to fundraising as finding aligned partners rather than just selling ideas

Key quote: "A lot of people kind of remind me that this is finding a partner in marriage because this you have to be in English together"

- Leading Through Shared Experience

How the team uses their own product to understand customer pain points

Key quote: "We deploy this agenda solution in our network. I have them using it. I have them feel the pain without the right tool to manage it"

- Security Mindset and MindfulnessThe mental challenges of security work and the importance of meditation and mindfulness practices

Key quote: "Every day I tell my teams what really kills us is what we don't know. We don't know"

- AI Security Market ConcernsDiscussion of how current AI security approaches burden developers rather than empowering security teams

Key quote: "Developers are developer, they don't sign up for to handle security compliance"

- The AI Prototype vs. Production RealityWarning about the gap between AI prototypes and production-ready solutions

Key quote: "Using AI to be a prototype is very easy. Production level is completely different"

- The IP Dilemma in AI-Driven BusinessesDiscussion of business sustainability versus traditional IP protection in the AI era

Key quote: "Every time that GBT have a new version come out, but now 500, the AI native app company have closed"

Den Jones and cybersecurity recruiting expert Launa Rich dive deep into the broken hiring landscape plaguing the cybersecurity industry. They explore how trust issues, unrealistic job requirements, and fraudulent profiles have created barriers for both employers and talented professionals, while unveiling their solution: 909Select, a vetted marketplace designed specifically for cybersecurity freelancers.

GUEST INFORMATION:

• Name: Launa Rich
• Title/Credentials: Cybersecurity Recruiter Extraordinaire
• Background: Almost 20 years of experience in staffing with 8 years specifically dedicated to cybersecurity [1:20]
• Connect with guest: No social media handles mentioned in transcript

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Persistent Cybersecurity Hiring Problem

• Launa explains that despite 8 years of trying to solve cybersecurity hiring challenges, the landscape remains largely unchanged [1:20]

• Key quote: "Eight years of trying to solve cybersecurity hiring still looks the same. So that's why Den and I are really passionate about putting cybersecurity recruiters in a different universe."

• Trust as the Core Barrier

• Discussion of how lack of trust creates the primary obstacle in cybersecurity hiring [3:08]

• Key quote: "I think that the real barrier to entry to the market is trust. So that's what the excuse has been. We don't know who these people are. We're giving them the keys to the castle, and there's been this inherent mistrust."

• The Unicorn Job Description Problem

• Launa identifies how budget constraints lead to unrealistic job requirements combining multiple specialized roles [5:06]

• Key quote: "I see that we have created unicorn job descriptions, not out of pure menace, but out of a couple of different reasons. One is we had budget constraints."

• AI Making Trust Issues Worse

• Discussion of how artificial intelligence will exacerbate existing trust problems in hiring [8:50]

• Key quote: "AI is just going to make this problem worse. So you have to kind of put your foot down and stop it before it runs away completely."

• Introducing 909Select's Trust-Building Features

• Den outlines the platform's verification process including identity proofing, background checks, and recruiter interviews [12:55]

• Key quote: "So let's do identity proofing at the start. Let's enable background checks. Let's do the interview with our trusted recruiter, that's me. And then interview with CISOs and our team."

• The Upwork Problem

• Launa describes the overwhelming and untrustworthy nature of existing freelance platforms [17:17]

• Key quote: "I mean, that's the one thing that I'm on Upwork every day. It is savage out. There are every cybersecurity job I keep an eye on, they get 70 responses and they ping none of them."

• Community-Focused Solution

• Launa's closing message about simplifying the hiring process for the cybersecurity community [20:58]

• Key quote: "It's not supposed to be this hard. We are a community, we are a powerful community. We don't need to compete with the other voices in the room."

Join host Den Jones as he sits down with Shawn Flynn, Managing Director of SVH Capital and host of the Silicon Valley Podcast, for an eye-opening discussion about the investment landscape. They explore common founder mistakes in fundraising, the evolution of VC trends, and why networking and asking the right questions can make or break your startup journey.

GUEST INFORMATION:

• Name: Shawn Flynn
• Title/Credentials: Managing Director of SVH Capital, Host of Silicon Valley Podcast
• Background: Investment banker focusing on mergers, acquisitions, growth capital and secondary transactions in lower middle market. Nearly 6 years podcasting experience with 280+ episodes featuring unicorn founders and industry leaders [1:53]
• Connect with guest: Silicon Valley Podcast

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Investment Banking vs. Venture Capital Explained

• Clear breakdown of the differences between investment bankers, VCs, and angel investors

• Key quote: "Investment bankers, we don't have our own capital, we don't have other peoples that it's designated for us to invest. We go out and we run the transactions, we run the processes" [5:26]

• The Funding Landscape Evolution

• Discussion of how valuations and funding cycles have changed over the past five years

• Key quote: "There was times where you'll hear this valuations five years ago were just inflated. And what happened then was it was very challenging for companies to raise their next round" [6:42]

• The Rise of Bootstrap Exits

• Trend toward founders selling companies earlier rather than pursuing VC funding

• Key quote: "Say you sell a company, you own 10% of a hundred million dollar company, or you own 100% of a $10 million company, you're walking around with a $10 million exit" [9:43]

• Common Fundraising Mistakes

• The biggest error founders make when seeking investment

• Key quote: "The biggest one I want to say is they don't know who they should talk to and they waste a lot of time talking to the wrong people" [14:54]

• Research and Due Diligence Strategy

• How founders should identify the right investors for their companies

• Key quote: "You got to spend time and go, okay, let me go to this VC's website. Okay, who are their portfolio companies?" [19:38]

• Founder-VC Relationship Dynamics

• Why entrepreneurs need to vet investors as much as they're being vetted

• Key quote: "You have to be vetting and screening them as they're vetting and screening you. That's how it has to be" [24:58]

• Wisdom from Unicorn Founders

• Insights from interviewing successful entrepreneurs

• Key quote: "It doesn't matter how many times you pivot if you're pivoting away from what your customer wants" [31:28]

• The Secret Sauce of Successful Founders

• The most common trait among top performers

• Key quote: "The number one trait is that they're able to build rapport with you instantly" [32:56]

DESCRIPTION:
Join Den Jones as he sits down with fellow Brit Alastair Paterson, CEO and co-founder of Harmonic Security, to explore the challenges of AI adoption in enterprise environments. From bootstrapping a cybersecurity startup in London to scaling in Silicon Valley, Alastair shares insights on securing AI workflows, the cultural differences between UK and US startup ecosystems, and why traditional DLP solutions fall short in the AI era.

GUEST INFORMATION:

• Name: Alastair Paterson
• Title/Credentials: CEO and Co-founder of Harmonic Security
• Background: Former CEO and co-founder of Digital Shadows (acquired in 2022), cybersecurity entrepreneur who moved from London to San Francisco to scale his companies [3:03]
• Connect with guest: Based in San Francisco, actively hiring across 20 open positions [31:25]

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Introduction to Harmonic Security

• Harmonic enables secure AI adoption for enterprises, sitting between business teams wanting to leverage AI and security teams managing risk [1:43]

• Key quote: "Huge amount of tension between the business that's wanting to push forward and lean into this wave in a big way. And then the security legal and compliance teams are trying to hold the tie back a little bit" [1:59]

• The Evolution of Harmonic's Mission

• Originally focused on data protection using language models, evolved to address broader AI governance challenges [5:32]

• Key quote: "We can start to use language models for data protection too... with the context and understanding around what users are doing and the intent behind the data" [5:17]

• Why Traditional DLP Fails

• Traditional DLP solutions are inadequate for modern data protection needs [7:00]

• Key quote: "DLP has always sucked. It's been really just a money pit of uselessness" [7:00]

• Harmonic's Deployment Approach

• Browser-agnostic extension that provides visibility into 6,000+ AI applications without disrupting user experience [10:52]

• Key quote: "The end users experience no change at all on day one at all. But the security team gets visibility now at prompt level and at intent level" [11:07]

• Lessons from UK to US Expansion

• UK founders take too long to enter the US market, hampered by medium-sized domestic market [16:19]

• Key quote: "If you're losing in the US because you got here too late, you're going to lose the category. You've got to win the US, you've got to get here fast" [16:39]

• Cultural Differences in Startup Ambition

• UK culture less supportive of startup ambition compared to Bay Area's grand planning mentality [18:05] [20:39]

• Key quote: "In the UK, if you've got a grand plan, people will tell you to pipe down a bit and know your place a bit more" [20:39]

• Talent Market Dynamics

• Bay Area offers world-class go-to-market talent but at double the cost of London for technical roles [26:59]

• Key quote: "It's just half the cost in London that it is in the Bay Area for top tier engineers" [27:42]

• The Four Pillars of AI Security

• Threats from AI (deepfakes, phishing), AI for security (SOC automation), protecting AI applications, and workforce AI adoption [33:27] [34:12]

• Key quote: "I think there's only really four problems and one of them we want to own with Harmonic" [33:27]

Introduction Summary

The podcast episode begins with a welcome message to "909 Exec," a source for insights in cybersecurity and beyond, hosted by Den Jones.

This special edition marks the 50th episode, featuring guest Aaron Wurthmann, an advisory CISO and close associate of Den.

Guest Highlights

Aaron Wurthmann is an advisory CISO and key leadership figure in 909Cyber. Over the past year, the company has grown from having one or two clients to nearly a dozen, expanding its services from compliance and assessment work to include VCSO, security engineering, and placement work.

Aaron highlights the importance of client renewals as a measure of success and the challenges faced by early-stage companies in managing security and compliance.

Main Topics Covered

Company Growth and Client Work:

The episode discusses the company's growth over the past year, including the expansion of services and the importance of client renewals.

AI and Security:

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the impact of AI on security, including the challenges of integrating AI into products and the potential risks associated with it.

Reseller and Product Launches:

The company has entered into reseller agreements and launched "99 Protect," a security product offering a comprehensive suite of protections.

Industry Events and Mental Health:

The episode highlights participation in industry events like the FBI session and DevCon, and discusses the importance of mental health in cybersecurity.

Future Predictions and Challenges:

The conversation touches on future predictions for AI in security, the potential for AI to be used as a defense mechanism, and the challenges of maintaining visibility over AI usage within companies.

Holiday Plans and Personal Anecdotes:

The hosts share personal plans for the holidays, including volunteering and family gatherings, adding a personal touch to the episode.

New Initiatives:

The launch of a new platform, RCS, aimed at connecting freelancers with companies, is discussed as an evolution of their previous student-focused initiative.