In this episode of Inside the Network, we sit down with Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos, a 40-year-old cybersecurity company that has quietly become one of the most important global players, serving over 600,000 organizations and generating over $1 billion in revenue. 

Throughout his career, Joe has operated with a founder's mindset: thinking in bets, building great teams, spotting technical and market inflection points, and executing with long-term discipline. A great example is Sophos’ recent $800+ million acquisition of Dell Secureworks, adding over 1,000 new team members and significantly expanding Sophos’ managed detection and response and extended detection and response (MDR/XDR) capabilities. 

Today’s session is an exciting masterclass on how a technically astute CEO navigates demanding customers, engages positively with Private Equity giants like Thoma Bravo, and partners with MSPs globally, while building a culture of "vulnerability-based trust”. One of the most insightful statistics Joe and his team at Sophos have highlighted is that while there are over 350 million businesses worldwide, fewer than 1 in 10,000 have a CISO. 

This episode is packed with practical lessons on founder transitions, managing through personal health crises, and building resilient security organizations. For any cybersecurity founder thinking about the long game, Joe’s story is one you’ll want to hear.

As mentioned in the episode, Joe shared a curated list of books he’s been collecting over the years for his daughter, a shelf he calls “my daughter’s bookshelf.” These aren’t just bedtime stories; they’re books that have shaped Joe’s thinking about the world, passed along with personal inscriptions to provide context and reflection. Some were even introduced by his wife, Tracie, and read together as a family, like the James Herriot series, which took nearly a year to complete and left a lasting impression. This isn’t meant to be a definitive reading list - many classics, business books, and philosophical staples are intentionally left out. But it offers a deeply personal window into the stories that have mattered most to Joe as a parent, leader, and lifelong learner. He also shared a second resource: a living document of quotes, mental models, and hard-won career lessons, many of which have shaped his leadership journey and are referenced throughout the episode. You can explore both below.

• "Joe's daughter’s bookshelf"  
• Quotes & career notes

In this RSAC special episode of Inside the Network, we sit down not with one, but two remarkable guests from the center of the cybersecurity world.

First, we’re joined by Andy Cao, COO of ProjectDiscovery, a company focused on open-source vulnerability management tools, which won the "Most Innovative Startup" award at the RSA Conference 2025 Innovation Sandbox. Andy shares how ProjectDiscovery is reimagining vulnerability management in an AI-driven world, what set their pitch apart in the Innovation Sandbox, and how their attacker-first mindset is reshaping how security teams discover and fix real-world exposures. With over 1 million users and thousands of Nuclei templates, ProjectDiscovery is aiming to make vulnerability detection radically faster, smarter, and more accessible.

Then, we shift gears to talk with Dr. Hugh Thompson, Executive Chairman and Program Committee Chair of RSAC. A world-renowned security expert and longtime steward of the conference, Hugh takes us behind the curtain of what it takes to run the world’s largest cybersecurity gathering, including the bold moves that shaped this year’s Innovation Sandbox, the evolution of the RSAC brand, and the future of security thought leadership in the age of AI. And most intriguingly, Hugh gives us an exclusive answer to the question everyone’s been asking - is RSAC 2026 moving to Las Vegas?

To close, Mahendra, Sid, and Ross share their favorite moments from the show floor - the trends that caught their attention, the buzz from founders and investors, and yes, even a surprise guest spotted at the expo (spoiler: it’s not a unicorn, but maybe the GOAT?).

Whether you made it to RSAC this year or followed from afar, this episode brings you fresh insights from both the main stage and the show floor.

In this episode of Inside the Network, we sit down with Dug Song, the legendary co-founder and former CEO of Duo Security. Dug's journey is nothing short of iconic—he turned a side project into a cybersecurity powerhouse with over 50,000 customers and a $2.35 billion exit to Cisco. In a world obsessed with unicorn status and funding hype, Dug stands out as a founder who stayed grounded in values, culture, and customer empathy.

We explore Dug’s early years—from doing data entry in his father’s liquor store in West Baltimore to cutting his teeth at Arbor Networks, leaving security, and coming back to change how security is delivered. Dug was also part of the hacker collective w00w00, alongside future tech luminaries like Jan Koum (WhatsApp) and Shawn Fanning (Napster), where he honed the ethos of solving hard problems and building in community. These experiences laid the foundation for Duo, which Dug and co-founder Jon Oberheide started not with a grand business plan but a desire to democratize security and make strong authentication simple and usable for all organizations—not just the Fortune 500.

This conversation is packed with actionable lessons for founders: how to build a billion-dollar business with capital efficiency and discipline; how to prioritize user experience in security, not just infrastructure; and how to lead with integrity and build a “learning organization” that continuously improves across every function—engineering, sales, marketing, and customer success. Dug also gives an inside look at the decision to sell Duo to Cisco versus going public and what that choice meant for the company, team, and customers.

We then dive into Dug’s post-Duo chapter, where he and his wife Linh are reshaping philanthropy and backing the next generation of founders in Michigan, Detroit, and beyond. From punk rock to planetary-scale startups, Dug brings a rare mix of grit, humility, and wisdom, making this episode a must-listen for any entrepreneur. 

In this episode of Inside the Network, we sit down with Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer. Jeetu previously led Cisco’s Security and Collaboration business units. Under his leadership, these divisions have become major growth engines fueled by AI-driven innovation, strategic acquisitions, and a renewed focus on user experience.

With a market cap of $250 billion and a security business generating $10 billion in revenue, Cisco is evolving into a different kind of startup, one that moves with speed and urgency. Jeetu shares why he joined Cisco to spearhead this transformation and how the company is positioning itself in the cybersecurity space, competing with incumbents like Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler, as well as disruptors like Wiz and Cato Networks. We explore how Cisco’s $28 billion acquisition of Splunk, along with key deals like Armorblox, Isovalent, and Robust Intelligence, is reshaping its security business. Jeetu also dives into the challenges CISOs face today - tool sprawl, talent shortages, and AI-driven threats - and how Cisco plans to simplify security at scale.

For founders, Jeetu breaks down his six-vector rubric for evaluating opportunities, the key factors Cisco considers in acquisitions, and what startup leaders need to do to get Cisco’s attention. He also provides an inside look at Cisco’s legendary distribution machine and how startups can leverage it for hypergrowth. Finally, we discuss Jeetu’s concept of a "personal board" and his views on navigating geopolitical challenges in the tech industry.

Shlomo Kramer, CEO and co-founder of Cato Networks is a rare bird in the cybersecurity industry, having built three unicorns in his career. For many in the cybersecurity industry, Shlomo needs no introduction. One of the early pioneers in Israel’s cybersecurity startup ecosystem, what makes Shlomo remarkable is his ability to repeatedly build category-defining companies. He first co-founded Check Point, which pioneered the firewall category and today commands a $20 billion market cap. Then, seeing the shift to the cloud, he launched Imperva, focusing on web application security (WAF). That was his second IPO. Now with Cato Networks, he's created an entirely new category called SASE – Secure Access Service Edge – and Cato has already reached over $200 million in annual recurring revenue.

But Shlomo isn't just a builder – he's also a remarkably successful investor with an eye for transformative companies. His portfolio includes Trusteer, which IBM acquired for $1 billion, and Palo Alto Networks, in which he wrote the first angel check and sat on its board - a company now valued well over $100 billion dollars.

In this episode, we get inside the mind of the only entrepreneur we know who's on track to potentially take his third cybersecurity company public. Many founders are satisfied with one IPO, some rarely go to two and Shlomo is on track for his third IPO - a hat trick if he pulls it off. In the cybersecurity hall of fame, very few could equal what Shlomo has accomplished.

We discuss building cybersecurity companies, the evolution of the security market over the past three decades, why founders should focus on their customers instead of competitors, how building startups has changed from when Shlomo started Check Point, and many other aspects of the founder's journey. 

In this holiday episode special, we’re joined by Hamza Fodderwala, Executive Director at Morgan Stanley, where he leads cybersecurity equity coverage. He joined Morgan Stanley's software research team in early 2016 and leads coverage for public cybersecurity companies like Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, Fortinet, SentinelOne, Okta, Zscaler, Cloudflare, Rapid7, Check Point, Qualys, Varonis and Tenable. Before Morgan Stanley, Hamza was an equity research associate at Susquehanna International Group covering the financial technology sector. Hamza graduated from New York University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

We dive into Hamza’s insights on the major customer buying patterns in cybersecurity throughout 2024 and what might shift in 2025. Hamza shares his observations on how the Generative AI boom is influencing product adoption in the industry, and whether enterprises are currently adopting AI security solutions. Additionally, we explore key trends from cybersecurity resellers, discuss what might unlock public equity markets for new IPOs, and which private cyber companies could go public next.

Our discussion covers the cybersecurity M&A landscape, highlighting over $50B in deal volume this year with companies like Juniper, Darktrace, Recorded Future, Synopsys, Venafi, and more all getting acquired. Finally, Hamza shares lessons for founders, offering advice on identifying areas ripe for disruption, navigating the venture funding landscape, and building resilience in a competitive industry.

In this episode, we sit down with Kumar Saurabh, CEO and co-founder of AirMDR, which provides a new approach to managed detection and response with an AI-powered virtual security analyst. A serial entrepreneur, Kumar has been at it for two decades. Before AirMDR, he co-founded Sumo Logic, the first cloud-based SIEM, and LogicHub, one of the pioneers of SOAR.

Kumar’s journey as an immigrant founder offers a unique perspective on why immigrants often succeed as entrepreneurs and how institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) have produced some of the world’s most successful tech leaders. Drawing on his experience, Kumar explores why large companies struggle to innovate, the competitive edge startups hold over established players, and how founders can identify opportunities in markets that may appear crowded. He also shares actionable insights for founders on hiring top talent from leading companies and scaling a startup with the right team.  

Having collaborated with premier venture capital firms like Greylock, Sutter Hill, Sequoia, and Accel, Kumar provides invaluable advice on selecting the right VC partners, what to look for, and common mistakes to avoid.  Kumar’s story is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the power of identifying opportunities in enterprise tech, making him a leading voice in the startup ecosystem.

In this special election episode, we sit down with Gov. Rick Snyder, an entrepreneur, a former VC, and a leader whose career is unique in depth and breadth, spanning both the public and private sectors. 

Rick Snyder initially made his mark as COO of Gateway, where he helped the company grow revenue from $600 million to $6 billion to IPO. He then co-founded venture firm Ardesta, which stands for “spark” in Greek. After two fund cycles, he transitioned from business to politics, serving two terms as Governor of Michigan. Post-governorship, Rick Snyder returned to the entrepreneurial world, co-founding SensCy, a cybersecurity company focused on helping small and medium-sized businesses defend against growing digital threats.

Drawing from his experience in both public office and tech entrepreneurship, our episode with Rick Snyder brings unique insights into the intersection of technology, government, and cybersecurity. We speak with Rick about cybersecurity, its importance in elections, and what startup founders need to keep in mind when selling to the public sector. In addition, we cover the importance of securing small and medium-sized businesses, and what startup entrepreneurs should do to develop personal resilience.

In this episode, we sit down with Slavik Markovich, CEO and co-founder of Descope, a low-code/no-code Customer Identity Access Management (CIAM) platform. A serial entrepreneur, Slavik has been at it for two decades and over this time built three companies.

Before Descope, he was co-founder and CEO at Demisto, a leader in the SOAR industry that was acquired by Palo Alto Networks for $560 million. Before co-founding Demisto, Slavik was VP & CTO of database technologies at McAfee (Intel Security). He joined McAfee via the acquisition of Sentrigo, a database security startup, where he was a co-founder and CTO. Slavik also served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for 5 years as a team leader. He graduated with a degree in computer science from The Technion (Israel’s MIT).

We speak with Slavik about his childhood and what got him hooked on cybersecurity. We cover Slavik’s learnings on how to identify early product-market fit and define a category like what he did with SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response). We discuss the art of negotiating a VC fundraise and M&A exit. And of course, we touch on how Slavik’s love for good coffee has played a key part in building friendships including with one of his co-founders Rishi Bhargava.

In this episode we have a special guest - Doug Merritt - who has shaped not a unicorn but a decacorn - a company valued at more than $10 billion. As the former CEO of Splunk, he steered this big data company to extraordinary heights. In just six years under Doug's leadership, Splunk's market cap soared past $25 billion, and its annual recurring revenue skyrocketed from $200 million to a staggering $3 billion. At its peak, over 50% of Splunk revenues came from security applications.

Doug's journey began as a coder and developer before transitioning to sales leadership and eventually CEO of a publicly traded company. His entrepreneurial roots trace back to founding a company called Icarian, which was acquired by WorkStream. He then went on to hold senior management positions at tech giants like Cisco, SAP, and PeopleSoft. Today Doug is the Chairman and CEO of Aviatrix, a secure cloud networking leader that has raised over $350 million in venture funding and serves over 500 global customers.

Throughout his time at Splunk, Doug hired, mentored, and promoted well-known executives in the infrastructure and cyber industry, from Haiyan Song to Jason Child to Snehal Antani. In this episode, Doug discusses what he looks for in executives, how he evaluates their ability to succeed, and what founders should keep in mind when building their leadership teams. As the CEO of Splunk, Doug led several acquisitions including SignalFx and Phantom Cyber. On Inside the Network, he shares how founders should think about M&A and what they need to do to achieve successful exits. In our conversation, we'll explore Doug's career evolution, insights from his founder experience, and key lessons learned while scaling Splunk into a decacorn. We'll also discuss his current role at Aviatrix and his vision for the future of cloud technology and generative AI.