Avoiding 5 Common Cyber Entrepreneur Pitfalls

Avoiding 5 Common Cyber Entrepreneur Pitfalls

In this #DreamitLive, Ron Gula, president of Gula Tech Ventures, joins Steve Barsh to talk about the 5 most common mistakes cyber entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them. Ron was co-founder and CEO of Tenable where he grew revenue to $100m, customers to 20k, and raised $300m in venture capital. He has invested in dozens of cyber start-ups and supported multiple cyber funds. In this episode, they discuss the top mistakes Ron and many other prominent cyber investors see cyber startups making and what these startups need to focus on to not only get investment but to build a market-dominating company.

10:10 - What are some investments you’ve made or exits you’ve had? 

12:30 - About how many cyber startups reach out to you each week or month?

15:00 - What does you Gula Five Slide Pitch Deck look like? 

21:00 - Does the best tech always win? 

23:45 - How do you want to hear a cyber startup talk about competition (or lack thereof)? 

28:00 - How important do you feel it is that a startup addressed a “top 10” CISO/CSO problem? 

31:10 - Let’s talk about honesty and credibility of a startup or founder. 

33:00 - What are some examples that have caused you to back away from a deal?

37:30 - How important is exceptional sales & marketing talent in a cyber startup? What do you look for?

41:20 - Are most of the companies that are pitching to you B2B? 

42:15 - Final 2 things cyber entrepreneurs must not do wrong 

Listen to the conversation on the Dreamit podcast: