What if AI could predict and prevent cyber fraud before it happens? Meet the founder making it possible " On this episode of Hackers to Founders, we feature Zara Perumal, the CTO and co-founder of Overwatch Data. The episode explores Zara’s journey from an early fascination with computer science, influenced by her software developer father, to her evolution into a cybersecurity and AI entrepreneur. Zara recounts her first steps into coding, beginning with HTML at age 11 and later developing iOS apps, which sparked her passion for building technology. She reflects on her experiences at MIT, where she explored bioinformatics, machine learning, and eventually cybersecurity, which became a turning point in her career. Her work at Google’s Threat Analysis Group further deepened her understanding of digital threats, leading her to the realization that she wanted to create a company addressing cybersecurity challenges at scale.

The episode then shifts focus to Overwatch Data, where Zara details the company's mission to harness AI to process OSINT (open-source intelligence) and provide actionable insights for businesses. She describes the challenges of collecting and analyzing data from the dark web and fraudulent networks, explaining how Overwatch leverages automation and investigative techniques to detect threats and fraud. She also discusses the business side of the startup, from finding the right market fit to the importance of customer feedback in shaping their solutions. Throughout the conversation, Zara and host Chris Magistrado delve into the complexities of cybercrime, the evolving threat landscape, and the role of AI in modern threat intelligence, offering listeners a fascinating look into the intersection of security, AI, and entrepreneurship.

People

• Zara Perumal – CTO and Co-founder of Overwatch Data, specializing in AI-driven cybersecurity.
• Chris Magistrado – Host of Hackers to Founders, interviewing tech and security entrepreneurs.
• Arjun Bisen – CEO and Co-founder of Overwatch Data who initially had the idea for the company.
• Ron Rivest – Renowned cryptographer and MIT professor who influenced Zara’s interest in cybersecurity.
• Michael (YC Advisor) – Advisor at Y Combinator who guided Overwatch Data through its early stages.

Companies & Organizations

• Overwatch Data – A cybersecurity startup leveraging AI to process OSINT and detect fraud.
• MIT CSAIL – MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory where Zara conducted research.
• Harvard Belfer Center – A research institute focused on security, where Zara contributed to digital democracy defense.
• Akamai – A cloud and cybersecurity company where Zara gained experience in software and data analytics.
• NASDAQ – A major stock exchange where Zara worked in technology roles.
• Apple – Technology company where Zara developed software.
• Y Combinator – Startup accelerator that backed Overwatch Data.
• Corellium – A company providing a virtualization platform for mobile security research.

Technologies & Tools

• Objective-C – Programming language used for iOS app development before Swift.
• Swift – Modern programming language for Apple’s ecosystem.
• React Native – A framework for building cross-platform mobile applications.
• Flutter – Google’s UI toolkit for natively compiled mobile apps.
• JADX – A tool for reverse-engineering Android applications.
• Telegram – Messaging platform heavily used by cybercriminals for fraud and illicit activities.
• GPT (ChatGPT) – AI tool used for scripting and automating analysis tasks.
• DeepSeek – An AI tool discussed for its open-source implications.
• Magic Eye – A bot used for detecting duplicate images on Reddit.
• Corellium – A mobile security research platform used for analyzing malware.

Cybersecurity & Hacking

• OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) – Intelligence gathered from publicly available sources.
• Dark Web – A hidden part of the internet where illicit cyber activities and fraud take place.
• SIM Swapping – A fraud technique where hackers take over phone numbers to gain access to accounts.
• Credential Stuffing – A hacking technique using stolen username-password combinations.
• PDF Malware – Malicious software hidden in PDFs, which Zara researched in academia and at Google.
• Null Market (Nulled) – A recently taken-down dark web forum used for cybercrime.
• DNM (Dark Net Marketplaces) – Online platforms for buying and selling illicit goods.
• Grams – A dark web search engine that indexed darknet marketplaces.
• MD5 Hashing – A cryptographic technique used to verify digital signatures.