From Bootstrapped to Venture-Backed with Vinnie Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of Bishop Fox | The Forgecast

Proactive Network Threat Detection with Ricardo Villadiego, CEO and Founder of Lumu | The Forgecast

There’s unlimited potential to create innovative software with just a laptop, an internet connection, and your mind.   It’s a motto that Ricardo Villadiego lives by and has driven him to solve complex technology problems and start two companies: Easy Solutions in 2009 (acquired by Centersquare- formerly Cyxtera- in 2016) and Lumu in 2019. Today, Lumu is a market leader in Network Detection and Response, helping over 2,500 businesses of all sizes continuously measure their state of compromise to stay ahead of threats in real time.  In this episode, Forgepoint Capital Managing Director Leo Casusol speaks with Ricardo about his early career in engineering and sales, overcoming obstacles as a Colombia-based cybersecurity entrepreneur, venturing into international markets, using AI at Lumu to make “magic” and uncover network threats, shifting to meet the evolving threat and technology landscape, SecOps automation, advice for other entrepreneurs, and more.

Secure Elections and Defending Democracy with Cait Conley, Senior Advisor to the Director of CISA | The Forgecast

Secure elections are the cornerstone of a strong democracy.   Facing threats including foreign influence and disinformation, public trust is essential- in elections and in the institutions and people defending them.   As Senior Advisor to the Director of CISA, Cait Conley is on the forefront of the fight to protect election integrity and strengthen national security. In this episode, Forgepoint Capital Managing Director Andrew McClure speaks with Cait about the upcoming US election, the current threat landscape, CISA’s work to secure elections and bolster public confidence and trust, the critical role state and local election officials play, and more.

From Bootstrapped to Venture-Backed with Vinnie Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of Bishop Fox | The Forgecast

Few cybersecurity startups develop strong customer relationships with 25% of the Fortune 100, attract an incredible team of experts, and become a market leader– all without any funding.  That’s precisely what Bishop Fox did for over a decade before raising a Series A round in 2019 to invest in the future of offensive security testing at scale.   Bishop Fox co-founder and CEO Vinnie Liu has helmed the company through it all, working to proactively protect the company’s customers from the latest threats.    In this episode, Forgepoint Capital Managing Director Ernie Bio speaks with Vinnie about working with the NSA at 17, co-founding and bootstrapping Bishop Fox, deciding to pursue venture funding, what it takes to build a customer-centric business, developing a scalable offensive security platform, trends in Gen AI and enterprise resiliency, and more.

Cybersecurity as a Business Enabler with Eddie Borrero, CISO at Blue Shield of California | The Forgecast

Cybersecurity is no longer exclusively a technical endeavor focused on stopping and responding to cyber threats. It’s also a strategic enabler of business growth and innovation. It’s an evolution that Eddie Borrero, Vice President and CISO at Blue Shield of California, has experienced and contributed to firsthand during his 20+ year career in the field. In this episode, Forgepoint Capital Co-Founder and Managing Director Alberto Yépez speaks with Eddie about the Crowdstrike outage, his early career in technology and cybersecurity, the evolving role of the modern CISO, developing relationships with board members, crafting a narrative, AI governance, giving back to the community, and more.

A Blueprint for Building Cybersecurity Startups with Ross Haleliuk | The Forgecast

The deck is stacked against you when you build a cybersecurity startup. Entrepreneurs navigate a maze of technical and business hurdles to turn their vision into a successful company.   Ross Haleliuk’s pragmatic approach to company building is a gold mine for founders, practitioners, and investors alike.   In this episode, Forgepoint Capital Managing Director Ernie Bio sits down with Ross to discuss his early career, starting the popular Venture in Security blog, launching an angel investing syndicate for security practitioners, his bestselling book Cyber for Builders, unique challenges in starting a cybersecurity company, successful partnerships, how cybersecurity companies fail, and more.