CyberBytes: The Podcast

In this episode of CyberBytes, Oliver sits down with Bob Blakley, co-founder of Mimic Security and 49-year industry veteran, to unpack everything from the excesses of Black Hat to the realities of building a next-generation ransomware defence company.Bob shares candid stories from his journey at IBM, Citigroup, and Team8, explains why focusing solely on preventing attacks isn’t enough, and reveals how Mimic Security is flipping the script on ransomware by minimizing its impact. They also discuss the challenges of building company culture in a post-COVID world, how AI fits into the current threat landscape, and what decades in the field have taught him about security trends that stick versus those that fizzle.If you’re curious about the future of cybersecurity, want a behind-the-scenes look at startup life, or simply love hearing war stories from the frontlines of tech, this episode is a must-listen.Bob's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-blakley-92512b/Mimic - https://www.linkedin.com/company/mimic-networks/Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/Oliver's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverlegg/

In this special BlackHat 2025 episode, Steffen welcomes back Vivek Ramachandran, renowned cybersecurity expert, Defcon speaker, and founder of SquareX, to explore how the browser has become today’s hottest security battleground.

We cover:

• How browser security has evolved dramatically in just 18 months

• Why attackers are pivoting from endpoints to browsers

• The rise of rogue AI agents and what it means for enterprise security

• SquareX’s innovative approach to browser detection & response + DLP

• Vivek’s personal journey as a solo founder and how he stays motivated

• The comic book he created to teach kids about ethical hacking

If you’re a CISO, IT leader, or just curious about the future of cyber defence, this episode will open your eyes to the threats (and opportunities) hiding inside your browser.

Vivek's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekramachandran/

SquareX - https://www.linkedin.com/company/getsquarex/

Steffen's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffenfoley/

Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

Live from BlackHat 2025, we sit down with Halyna Vasylevska, Sector Lead of Cybersecurity Portfolio Development at Munich Re Ventures, to pull back the curtain on how one of the world’s biggest reinsurers is fuelling the next generation of cybersecurity startups.

In this episode, Halyna shares how her team partners with founders from day zero, helping them navigate go-to-market strategy, talent, partnerships, and global expansion. We dive into the unique role of portfolio development, why it’s the secret weapon most people overlook in venture capital, and how Munich Re Ventures is building one of the most influential CISO communities in the industry.

We also explore the growing issue of CISO liability and executive risk, the challenges of balancing technical backgrounds with commercial demands, and the hidden ways VCs can supercharge startup success long before an exit.If you’ve ever wondered how cyber startups really scale, what VCs look for beyond the pitch deck, or why CISOs are becoming the most important voice in venture, this episode is packed with insider insights you won’t hear anywhere else.

Halyna's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/halynavasylevska/

Munich Re Ventures - https://www.linkedin.com/company/munich-re-ventures/

Oliver's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverlegg/

Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

In this episode, we sit down with Clarence Chio, CEO of Coverbase, to unpack his incredible journey through the world of cybersecurity and AI. From his first role at Shape Security, to co-founding Unit 21 to fight financial crime, Clarence has been at the heart of some of the most exciting security innovations of the past decade.He shares candid stories of hypergrowth chaos (including the time a code push took down an entire hotel chain), what inspired him to launch Coverbase, and why enterprise procurement is broken. We dive into his views on AI in security, what’s hype, what’s real, and how it’s changing the role of security professionals forever.Clarence also opens up about his work teaching at Berkeley, co-authoring Machine Learning and Security, and founding the AI Village at DEF CON. If you’ve ever wondered where cybersecurity is heading, how AI will reshape the industry, or what it really takes to build companies at the frontier of risk and compliance, this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.Clarence's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cchio/Coverbase - https://www.linkedin.com/company/coverbase/Joseph's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cybercoops/Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

What happens when a film school grad turned infantry sergeant turned Amazon AI leader walks away from a cushy tech job to tackle one of the government’s most boring, yet most critical, problems? Meet Sri Iyer, co-founder and CTO of Kovr.ai, the startup using generative AI to take on the mountain of red tape strangling government and defense innovation.In this episode, recorded live at BlackHat 2025, Sri shares his wild career journey, why outdated compliance is cybersecurity’s biggest blind spot, and how AI might be the only way 80,000 defense contractors can survive the new CMMC mandate.From raising $3M in seed funding to hitting seven figures in ARR in under a year, Sri reveals how Kovr.ai is scaling fast, what GenAI really means for national security, and why sometimes the “boring problems” turn out to be billion-dollar opportunities.Sri's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sri-iyer/Kovr.ai - https://www.linkedin.com/company/kovrai/Ben's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-gascoigne-aa973317b/Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

In this episode, we sit down with Ankur Shah, CEO & Co-Founder of Straiker AI, fresh off a massive $21M seed raise.

Straiker AI is tackling one of the most urgent questions in tech right now: what happens when autonomous AI agents go rogue?

Ankur breaks down:

- Why agentic AI could unleash both massive productivity and unprecedented security risks

- How Straiker’s Ascend and Defend agents are designed to battle “autonomous chaos”

- Why startups still have the edge over big tech in the race to secure AI

- The future of AI security, and why only AI can defend against AI

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when AI agents start making decisions (and mistakes) on their own, this conversation is a must-listen.

Ankur's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankur-shah-aisec/

Straiker - https://www.linkedin.com/company/straikerai/

Oliver's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverlegg/

Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

In this episode, we sit down with Elizabeth Nammour, Founder & CEO of Teleskope, a fast-growing data security startup that’s already protecting enterprise customers. 

Lizzy shares her journey from building internal security tools at Airbnb to taking the leap into entrepreneurship, fundraising her seed round, and navigating the challenges of being a solo founder.

We dive into:

• How she turned her Airbnb experience into a venture-backed startup
• Why AI makes data security riskier than ever
• Lessons learned from raising capital as a first-time founder
• The future of data security in the era of Copilot, ChatGPT, and generative AI
• Her best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who are hesitating to start

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or just curious about the future of AI and cybersecurity, Lizzy’s story is full of insights, honesty, and inspiration.

Lizzy’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethnammour/

Teleskope - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleskopeai/

Joseph’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cybercoops/

Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

In today’s episode of CyberBytes, we sit down with Murali Basavaiah, co-founder and CEO of Andromeda, to unpack the growing identity security crisis reshaping enterprises today. 

From his successful exit to launching Andromeda, Murali shares what he’s learned about scaling startups, navigating go-to-market challenges, and staying ahead of rapidly evolving threats.

We dive into how agentic AI is transforming both cyberattacks and defense, why identity compromises drive 80% of breaches, and what enterprises must do now to avoid catastrophic risk. Murali also explains the shift from dashboards to conversational AI interfaces, and why explainability, not just innovation, is the key to trust in security.

If you’re curious about the future of cybersecurity, AI’s role in shaping it, and the hard-earned lessons of a second-time founder, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Murali’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/muralibasavaiah/

Andromeda - https://www.linkedin.com/company/andromeda-security/

Steffen’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffenfoley/

Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

In this BlackHat 2025 edition of CyberBytes, we sit down with Wes Mullins, former CTO of DeepWatch and now the founder & CEO of Icite, for a raw conversation on the future of identity security. Wes shares how his journey from the Marine Corps to cybersecurity leadership shaped his approach to building a startup from the ground up.We dive into why legacy security tools are falling short, how identity has become the hidden bottleneck in modern SOCs, and what it really takes to build a product that cuts through the noise. From insider threats to the slow pace of enterprise adoption, this episode is packed with insights for founders, defenders, and anyone trying to stay ahead of the curve in a cloud-first, AI-driven world.If you're curious about the next wave of identity innovation, and the gritty reality of startup life, this one's for you.Wes's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesmullins/Icite - https://www.linkedin.com/company/icite/Ben's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-gascoigne-aa973317b/Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

In this episode, we sit down with Barmak Meftah, Co-Founder and General Partner at Ballistic Ventures, to unpack his incredible journey from helping take Wells Fargo online in the early days of the internet to building and backing some of cybersecurity’s most iconic companies. Barmak shares stories from his time founding Fortify Software, scaling AlienVault to thousands of customers worldwide, and turning to venture capital.We dive into how Ballistic Ventures is redefining early-stage cybersecurity investing, why data security and AI-driven defenses are at the center of their strategy, and what makes a company truly “investable” in this fast-moving market. From the challenges founders face in finding product-market fit to the emerging threat vectors shaping the future, this is a candid conversation packed with insights for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone passionate about the future of cyber.Barmak's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/barmakmeftah/Ballistic Ventures - https://www.linkedin.com/company/ballistic-ventures/Joseph's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cybercoops/Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/