Cyber Security District

Threat Intel, Startups & Scaling Europe’s Cyber Future with Marco Riccardi


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In this episode of Cyber Security District, we sit down with Marco Riccardi, threat intelligence expert, startup founder, and the mind behind QuoIntelligence. From getting his first computer at age 7 to running cyber operations at Deutsche Bank and the European Central Bank, Marco’s journey is anything but linear. He’s built a deep-tech company protecting European infrastructure, all while fusing AI, geopolitics, and intelligence analysis into a single mission: safeguarding Europe’s digital future.

Marco is the founder and CEO of QuoIntelligence, a fast-growing European scale-up tackling the growing need for context-aware threat intelligence. His roots lie in coding and hacking, but his vision is firmly set on building an intelligence powerhouse grounded in critical thinking, geopolitics, and predictive security. In this episode, he breaks down the gaps in the vendor market, why Europe needs its own intelligence solutions, and what it takes to scale a security company without losing its soul.

We cover:

  • Marco’s early obsession with computers and hacking
  • His time in military psy-ops and its influence on his thinking
  • Building threat intel teams at European Central Bank and Deutsche Bank
  • Spotting the market gap that led to founding QuoIntelligence
  • The rise of AI in cyber defense and offense
  • Why most security teams fail at scaling
  • His philosophy on intelligence, communication, and critical thinking
  • Lessons from five years of building a remote-first startup
  • The future of European cybersecurity
  • Whether you’re a cyber leader, an aspiring threat analyst, or simply curious about how intelligence intersects with business, this episode offers a raw, honest, and insightful look into one of Europe’s most original cybersecurity minds.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 – Intro
    01:00 – Meet Marco Riccardi
    04:00 – First Hacking Experiences at Age 11
    07:45 – From Military Psy-Ops to Cybersecurity
    11:30 – Moving to Barcelona & Malware Research
    16:00 – Career at ECB and Deutsche Bank
    21:15 – Why Europe Lacked Local Threat Intel Vendors
    25:30 – Intelligence as a Business Advantage
    30:00 – Building QuoIntelligence
    35:50 – Starting a Company During COVID
    39:30 – Lessons in Scaling: Hiring Mistakes & Culture
    44:00 – The Power of AI in Cybersecurity
    48:30 – What Threat Actors Are Doing with AI
    53:00 – Advice for Entering Threat Intelligence
    58:30 – Final Message to CISOs Worldwide

    Connect with the guest:

    Marco Riccardi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcoriccardi/
    Learn more about QuoIntelligence: https://www.quointelligence.eu

    Follow Cyber Security District:

    Laurens Jagt (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurensjagt/
    Website: https://www.cybersecuritydistrict.com
    All channels & newsletter: https://beacons.ai/cybersecuritydistrict



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    Cyber Security DistrictBy Cyber Security District

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