Gili Raanan - Cybersecurity Investment Playbook

My guest today is Gili Raanan. Gili is the founder of Cyberstarts, a VC firm focused on cybersecurity and the world’s first VC that is majorly backed by cyber entrepreneurs. Cyberstarts’ $50 million dollar first fund exploded to close to $2 billion in just three years. Gili describes cybersecurity today as "the perfect storm" where global conflicts and AI advancements are creating unprecedented threats. He talks about Cyberstarts' "Sunrise" methodology, which uniquely identifies customer pain points before building solutions. We discuss a focus on finding resilient talent, overcoming personal adversity, the evolution of the cybersecurity landscape, and Google's recent acquisition of Wiz, as Cyberstarts was one of Wiz's earliest investors. Please enjoy my discussion with Gili Raanan.

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Show Notes:

(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best

(00:06:52) AI's Impact on Cybersecurity

(00:07:51) Offensive and Defensive Tactics

(00:09:32) The Future of Cybersecurity

(00:15:42) The First Fund: A Legendary Success

(00:17:36) Building a Successful Cybersecurity Company

(00:28:24) The Sunrise Methodology

(00:31:58) Reversing the Startup Process

(00:32:53) The Sunrise Methodology

(00:33:17) Identifying Market Pain Points

(00:34:57) The Importance of Customer Actions

(00:36:58) From Conversations to Software Development

(00:38:57) The Role of Simulations in Startup Success

(00:40:12) Fundraising and Valuation Strategies

(00:42:08) Pricing and Market Dynamics

(00:46:16) The Value of Superpowers in Founders

(00:50:10) Google’s Acquisition of Wiz

(01:07:24) Personal Resilience and Tragedy

(01:10:30) Future of Cybersecurity and AI

(01:12:25) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Done For Gili