CyberBytes: The Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Casber Wang, Partner at Sapphire Ventures, diving into what it takes to invest in some of the biggest names in AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise software.

Casber shares:

👉 His journey from emigrating to the US and starting in investment banking to joining Sapphire Ventures in 2018

👉 Lessons learned from founding his own startup, and why he has more empathy for the entrepreneurial grind

👉 How Sapphire approaches growth-stage investing and why “the more things change, the more they stay the same” in cyber👉 The stories behind his investments, and why founder dynamics make or break scale

👉 Where AI and cyber really intersect, and why most companies still have no idea how to secure AI

👉 The crowded SOC AI space, identity innovation, and the “painkiller vs. vitamin” test for new solutions

Plus: the advice he gives aspiring VCs, why access is just as important as judgment, and how to find your spike in a competitive market.

If you’re building in cybersecurity, raising growth capital, or just want an inside look at how top VCs spot winners, this one’s for you.

Casber's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/casberwang/

Sapphire Ventures - https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapphirevc/

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

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

The BlackHat Edition of CyberBytes is proudly sponsored by Marketbridge - a unique blend of strategic growth consultancy and top-tier marketing agency.

Marketbridge drives accelerated performance with zero signal loss, seamlessly connecting GTM strategy to in-market execution.

Marketbridge: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketbridge/

In this episode, we sit down with Arik, Founding Managing Partner at Glilot Capital Partners, to explore his 25+ year journey at the heart of Israel’s tech and cybersecurity ecosystem.

Arik shares:

👉 How a chance conversation with his business school professor led to his first role in venture capital back in 1996

👉 Why he believes the best founders are master storytellers who can sell a vision, not just a product

👉 The “unfair advantage” Israeli founders have, and how Glilot uses it to back category-leading companies

👉 His take on the WIZ-Google deal and what it means for the future of Israeli cyber

👉 Where AI is creating both risks and opportunities in security

👉 The one common mistake he sees technical founders make,  and how to avoid it

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or just fascinated by the startup game, this episode offers a front-row seat to the evolution of Israel from “Startup Nation” to “Scale-Up Nation”, and the lessons learned along the way.

Arik's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arik-kleinstein/

Glilot Capital Partners - https://www.linkedin.com/company/glilot-capital-partners/

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

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

In this episode, we sit down with Ed Bellis, Founder of Kenna Security (acquired by Cisco) and now Co-Founder and CEO of Empirical Security, to unpack the highs, lows, and learnings from over two decades in cybersecurity.

Ed shares:

👉 The wild early days of Kenna, including near-bankruptcy and a failed “Kenna in a box” moment

👉 His journey from CISO at Orbitz to founder, and the painful transition from practitioner to CEO

👉 What went wrong — and right — with managed service partners and scaling go-to-market

👉 Why Empirical is taking a radical approach: building thousands of custom AI models for each customer

👉 His honest take on the AI hype wave (“everyone’s suddenly an AI company… really?”)

👉 How he’s applying lessons from Kenna to build smarter, predictive security tailored to your data at Empirical Security 

Plus: advice for founders, raising early capital, and how not to blow your Series A runway.

If you're building in cybersecurity, scaling a startup, or just love a good founder story - this one’s for you.

Ed's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bellis/

Empirical Security - https://www.empiricalsecurity.com/

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

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

In this episode of CyberBytes, Joseph sits down with Or Eshed, CEO & Co-founder of LayerX Security. 

Or shares his journey from serving in Israeli military intelligence, where he specialised in offensive security, to uncovering the world’s largest browser hijacking operation, and eventually founding LayerX – a company transforming browser security for enterprises.

We cover:

- How browser security has evolved over the past decade

- The real risks behind AI tools and shadow SaaS apps

- How LayerX protects companies from insider threats and data leaks

- His vision to grow LayerX into a leading SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) giant

If you want to understand the future of browser security, SaaS adoption, and AI risks in simple, practical terms – this episode is for you.

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights from cybersecurity founders and leaders.

#cybersecurity #browsersecurity #AI #startup #LayerX #podcast

Or's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/or-eshed/

LayerX Security - https://www.linkedin.com/company/layerx-security/

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

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

In this episode, we sit down with Zsolt Nemeth, the founder and CEO of R6 Security – a company redefining how we protect AI workloads and Kubernetes environments through moving target defence.

From his early days to building a company now supporting large AI infrastructures with thousands of GPUs, he walks us through how R6 was born, why proactive security is so rare, and what’s coming next for AI security.

If you're working in AI, Kubernetes, or building the future of proactive security, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Zsolt's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zsoltnemeth/

R6 Security - https://www.linkedin.com/company/r6-phoenix/posts/

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

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

In this episode, we’re joined by Guy Flechter, founder and CEO of Sola Security and former CISO at AppsFlyer.

With over 20 years in cybersecurity, Guy shares his journey from practitioner to entrepreneur—including how he built and exited his first company, Cider Security, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks.

We dive into:

- What inspired Guy to make the leap from CISO to startup founder- Lessons learned from a multi-million dollar exit

- Why Sola Security is rethinking security architecture from the ground up

- How AI can truly transform security operations—when it's built from the ground up with AI at the core

- His advice for first-time founders (hint: there's no secret sauce—just scars, mindset, and hard lessons)

If you're in cybersecurity, building a startup, or just love hearing raw, real founder stories—you'll want to tune in.

Guy's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-flechter-ba475535/

Sola Security - https://www.linkedin.com/company/sola-security/

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

Aspiron Search - https://aspironsearch.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Joni Klippert, founder and CEO of StackHawk - a company on a mission to make application security testing part of the developer workflow.Joni shares her fascinating journey from a non-technical MBA grad to becoming a key player in the DevOps and cybersecurity world. After cutting her teeth at early-stage startups and leading product at VictorOps (later acquired by Splunk), Joni saw a critical gap in security: traditional tools weren’t keeping pace with the speed of modern software development.That insight sparked the idea for StackHawk - a dynamic application security testing (DAST) platform designed for developers. Built to be fast, language-agnostic, and easy to use, StackHawk empowers teams to find and fix vulnerabilities before code hits production. From whiteboarding ideas in her living room to building a product used by enterprises, Joni walks us through how StackHawk was born, why the name matters, and what’s coming next — including API discovery and sensitive data detection.If you're building or securing modern applications, this is one conversation you don't want to miss.This episode of CyberBytes: The Podcast is sponsored by Costanoa Ventures. Joni's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joniklippert/StackHawk - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stackhawk/Joseph's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stackhawk/Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/Costanoa Ventures - https://www.linkedin.com/company/costanoa-ventures/

In this episode of CyberBytes: The Podcast, we're joined by Chris and Ryan, the visionary co-founders of Replica Cyber (formerly Grey Market Labs).

They dive into the evolution of their mission-driven company — from building tools to defend against intelligence threats to creating a powerful SaaS platform enabling secure environments for high-risk digital activity.

From protecting national security to empowering enterprises to work securely in untrusted spaces, Chris and Ryan break down their journey with honesty and insight.

Whether you're in cybersecurity, building a startup, or curious about how to scale technical innovation without losing your values — this one’s for you.

Chris's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-schroeder/

Ryan's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-underwood-4ab519354/

Replica Cyber - https://www.linkedin.com/company/replica-cyber/

Ben's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-gascoigne-aa973317b/

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

In this episode of CyberBytes: The Podcast, we sit down with Anusha Iyer, CEO and Co-Founder of Corsha - a trailblazer in the world of machine identity and non-human access control.

With over 20 years in cyber, a career that started at the Naval Research Lab, and a stint running DARPA programs, Anusha shares how she went from engineering on the tarmac to leading a company redefining API and machine-to-machine authentication.

We dive into:

Why non-human identity is the silent giant of cybersecurity

How Corsha pivoted from MFA to solving machine identity at scale

Real-world use cases with the U.S. Air Force and operational tech environments

Why connecting legacy machines to the cloud securely is a game-changer

Her vision for a machine-first identity provider in critical infrastructure

Don't miss this deep dive into the evolving threat landscape, the explosion of automation, and the future of securing systems that run our world.

Anusha's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anusha-iyer/

Corsha - https://www.linkedin.com/company/corsha/

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

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

In this episode of CyberBytes: The Podcast, we're joined by James Wickett, CEO and Co-Founder of DryRun Security.

Formerly an early engineer at Signal Sciences, James is now on a mission with his Co-founder Ken Johnson to transform static application security testing (SAST) with Dry Run Security.

From tackling the realities of founder-led sales to navigating VC fundraising (with backing from Live Oak and others), James opens up about the challenges and wins of building a company that's reshaping how modern security teams approach code risk.

If you're building, breaking, or securing software, this is a name - and a company - you’ll want to remember.

SAST Accuracy Report - https://www.dryrun.security/sast-accuracy-report

James's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wickett/

DryRun - https://www.linkedin.com/company/dryrun-security/

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

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