The podcast opens with Logan Bartlett introducing his conversation with Yotam Segev, co-founder and CEO of Cyera, one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity companies in the world.

"Welcome to the Logan Bartlett Show. On this episode, what you're going to hear is a conversation I had with Yo Tom Sev, the co-founder and CEO of Sierra, one of the fastest growing cybersecurity companies in the world right now."

Logan outlines the topics covered in their discussion, including the challenges of rapid growth, Cyera's journey from a tough first year to becoming a breakout business after raising capital from Sequoia, and insights on the evolving cybersecurity market following Google's acquisition of Wiz.

Timestamp: [00:38-01:16]

Logan and Yotam discuss Cyera's explosive growth trajectory over the past two years, highlighting the company's remarkable expansion from just 100 employees to 550 in that timeframe.

"Two years ago, how many people were you guys? Two years ago we were 100 people. 100 people and last year, 12 months ago 250. And now 550."

Logan notes that this kind of hypergrowth is "unnatural in a lot of ways" and that "there's only a handful of businesses that have ever done that," setting up the conversation to explore how Cyera has managed this extraordinary scaling journey.

Timestamp: [01:55-02:24]

Yotam reveals that when scaling rapidly, the company had to focus intensely on fundamentals, particularly company values, to maintain cohesion and culture.

"When you go that fast, you really go back to the fundamentals in sense of like values, what are our values, what are the people that we want, what is the attitude that we want. And values scale — like, many things don't scale, but values actually scale really well."

He explains that having a core team aligned on values enables effective recruiting decisions across the organization, even when the CEO isn't directly involved in every hire. This approach allowed Cyera to maintain a consistent identity despite its rapid expansion.

When asked about how they articulate these values, Yotam responds with elegant simplicity:

"Smart, humble, hungry."

Yotam notes that while these values weren't formally codified at the company's beginning, they evolved from an informal understanding of "who do we love working with" into a concrete framework as the organization grew. This formalization became particularly important over the past year as their headcount rapidly expanded.

Timestamp: [02:30-05:02]

Yotam shares how his cybersecurity journey began through his service in the Israeli military, specifically in the elite Talpiot program.

"Cyber security for me happened through the Israeli military. Tamar, my co-founder, and I, Jonathan, our VP engineering, Shai, our first team leader in the engineering department — we all served together in Talpiot, which is Israel's elite technological leadership academy."

He explains that Talpiot is a program that trains leaders for various technological areas in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), from ballistic missile defense to submarine warfare. For Yotam's generation 15 years ago, cybersecurity was "the hottest topic" — much like AI is today.

Yotam was particularly drawn to cybersecurity because it combined both deep technological elements and operational aspects:

"For me, cyber was super attractive because there was something about it that was very technological but also very operational. At the end of the day, my role was called cyber operations... there was a part of it that was very deep in tech, there was a part of it that was very deep in operations, and I enjoyed that very much."

After a decade in the military (2010-2020), Yotam's departure to start a company came at the unexpected prompting of his future co-founder, Tamar:

"Tamar finished his service a bit before me... he was supposed to go do the Pacific Crest Trail... and COVID hit and closed the trail down. The day that he got the notice that the trail isn't opening this year and his plans are ruined, he called me and told me, 'Quit, we're starting.' And that's exactly what I did."

Timestamp: [05:02-07:20]

Logan asks how Yotam and his co-founder navigated the venture ecosystem and developed their startup idea, especially before Israeli cybersecurity startups became mainstream investment targets.

Yotam explains that Talpiot, with its approximately 1,000 alumni over its 40-year history, had already produced numerous successful tech entrepreneurs and had a "disproportional impact on Israeli technology ecosystem."

"One of the founders of Checkpoint was a Talpiot alumni. Three of the four Wiz founders are Talpiot alumni... It's a very small group of people that have had success in those circles, started startups, grew them."

Despite this prestigious network, Yotam reveals that he and his co-founder Tamar had "no relationship to the venture ecosystem" when they started. Their journey began humbly:

"We actually spent the first nine months of the company's life — it was just Tamar and me doing it, sitting in Tamar's living room."

During this early phase, they methodically studied the market and the fundamentals of building a successful company:

"We studied, okay, what is a commercial company? What is a startup? Why are some startups doing really well? Why do others fail? What does it mean to fail? What results do they need to deliver? Why are customers buying cybersecurity products? What do they think they're paying for? What are they actually getting?"

This period of careful research and questioning laid the groundwork for what would eventually become Cyera.

Timestamp: [07:59-09:53]

• Cyera has achieved extraordinary growth, scaling from 100 employees to 550 in just two years
• When scaling rapidly, core values become a crucial foundation that enables consistent culture and hiring decisions
• Cyera's simple yet powerful core values are "smart, humble, hungry"
• Yotam's cybersecurity background came through the elite Talpiot program in the Israeli military, where he spent a decade in cyber operations
• The founding of Cyera came from an unexpected catalyst: COVID disrupting his co-founder's hiking plans
• Despite coming from the prestigious Talpiot network that produced many successful tech founders, Yotam and his co-founder spent their first nine months working quietly from a living room
• The founders took a methodical approach to understanding the cybersecurity market, studying why customers buy products and the gap between marketing claims and actual customer experiences

Timestamp: [01:23-09:53]

Organizations:

• Cyera - The fast-growing cybersecurity company co-founded by Yotam Segev
• Talpiot - Israel's elite technological leadership academy that trains leaders for various IDF technological areas
• Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) - Where Yotam and his co-founders served in cybersecurity roles
• Sequoia - The venture capital firm mentioned as providing early investment to Cyera
• Wiz - Cybersecurity company recently acquired by Google, with three founders from Talpiot
• Checkpoint - Established cybersecurity company with a Talpiot alumnus as one of its founders

People:

• Yotam Segev - Co-founder and CEO of Cyera
• Tamar - Co-founder of Cyera who prompted Yotam to leave the military
• Jonathan - VP of Engineering at Cyera, former military colleague
• Shai - First team leader in Cyera's engineering department, former military colleague

Concepts:

• Pacific Crest Trail - The hiking trail Tamar planned to trek before COVID disrupted his plans
• Cyber Operations - Yotam's military role combining technological and operational aspects
• Values-based scaling - The approach Cyera used to maintain culture during hypergrowth

Timestamp: [01:23-09:53]

Yotam describes the intensive research process he and his co-founder Tamar undertook during the company's earliest days, spending their first nine months exploring potential market opportunities before settling on data security.

"We had a lot of studying up to do. We just spend a lot of time reading up on spaces. The data security was one of the spaces we looked at initially. We also looked at several other spaces."

Their research methodology was comprehensive and methodical:

"What's the history of these spaces? Where did they come from? What's the problem they're trying to solve? How well have they solved it? How big are the companies that are doing it? Are they on the way up? Are they on the way down?"

While they leveraged their network for advice, much of their learning was self-directed:

"A lot of it came from people in our network that were willing to spend time with us and teach us or share their experiences with us, but a lot of it was just sitting our asses down and reading."

Timestamp: [10:00-11:02]

When Logan asks if coming to the market without preconceptions was advantageous, Yotam reveals that his decision to focus on data security was driven more by emotional connection than purely logical analysis.

"For me, one of the reasons that we chose data security was more of an emotional reason. I couldn't feel it with the other spaces. Like, I knew there was a problem, the problem was logical, customers validated that there's a pain and a problem, but I couldn't feel it in my gut that this really, really, really hurts me."

This emotional intuition has been validated in the years since, as Yotam shares a conversation with a customer champion at a large account:

"When I ask one of our champions in a very big account, 'We're walking in, you've got so many problems, why are you spending time with Sierra? Why are you looking at solving data security?' He tells me, 'Yotam, you know what's the worst thing that can happen in my company? When you get a question mark email from the CEO on something that happens. And when there's data incidents and data leakage events, that happens all the time. And I want to eliminate that. I want that to not happen.'"

This confirmation that data security issues are significant enough to merit CEO attention reinforced Yotam's initial emotional assessment of the problem's importance.

Timestamp: [11:29-12:46]

When Logan asks what specifically drew him to data security on an emotional level, Yotam reflects on the universal human desire for privacy and the real consequences of data loss.

"I was literally thinking about what it means to lose your data, to for your data to be stolen. What does it mean on a personal level? Do I as a person have information, do I have data that I would not like others to have and that I would not like to be publicized on some website on the internet? Yeah, the answer is yes."

The conversation takes a lighthearted turn as they joke about what personal data they might want to keep private:

"I have data personally that I would like to remain my own."

"Your browsing history maybe?"

"I'm not there, let's not be specific here."

"Some pictures back from the military days... you know, for me it's college, for you it's military."

Yotam then expands this personal concern to the organizational level, connecting it to broader business needs and regulatory requirements:

"You think about it on the organizational level... is there information in the organization that I really care that it's not going to be public? Is there information in the organization that I really care that every employee in the organization won't be able to see? And that then ties to regulation and requirements from the world, banking regulations and healthcare regulations."

He concludes by emphasizing that data protection addresses a fundamental human need:

"If you think about it, it's a very very natural human thing. We want to be able to protect some information about ourselves, about our business, about what we do and what we don't do. And organizations share that sentiment, and they share it in a very primal way."

Timestamp: [13:00-14:34]

Logan asks Yotam about Cyera's early fundraising journey, particularly how they connected with their initial investors at Cyberstarts and Sequoia during what Logan calls "peak Zero fundraising."

Yotam reveals that their fundraising journey began unexpectedly:

"It all started when Tamar and I was still unincorporated. We didn't even have a legal entity, and we got preempted with a term sheet by another firm. And that essentially plunged us into a seed funding round."

They ultimately chose to work with Cyberstarts founders Gili and Leor:

"We met with Gili and with Leor, and we clicked and we chose to go with them, a choice that was very, very, very meaningful. And we didn't even know how meaningful when we made it back then. But their coaching and their mentorship was critical to the company's success, to our success as founders, and being able to get this rocket ship to take off from the ground."

When pressed about what made Cyberstarts uniquely valuable, Yotam describes it as a specialized engine for transforming technical talent into commercial founders:

"They had product-market fit of their own, in the sense that they've built an engine to take founders like Tamar and me, which are ex-engineers, engineering leaders from the Israeli ecosystem which was very much not commercial, and in a very orchestrated, managed, but quick way, commercialize you, turn you into a commercial founder for a commercial company that needs to sell, needs to conduct business in the market."

He notes the remarkable speed of their transformation:

"In a year's time, we moved from being clueless to raising an A round from Sequoia Capital with Doug Leone... That transition, being able to go through that transition in a year, was I think the foundational value proposition for us."

The specific skills they gained included "how to talk to customers, how to find pain in customer interactions, how to tie that pain to a commercial engagement, how to iterate on the product, how to bring a product to market."

Timestamp: [14:40-17:24]

After describing Cyera's impressive fundraising momentum with top-tier investors, Logan ironically sets up the next part of the story: "Off to the races, no problems, and then what happens?"

Yotam candidly acknowledges the difficult reality that followed:

"We had a terrible year. Then we had a terrible year."

He explains that despite the strong investor backing, the company struggled with its go-to-market execution:

"I moved to the States. We went through like a go-to-market transition. We tried to hire a team. It wasn't the right fit for where the company was in terms of stage and product-market fit."

Logan notes that while the company did achieve about $1.5 million in revenue that first year—which would be "amazing for almost every company"—the expectations were much higher given their significant fundraising.

Yotam agrees with this assessment:

"It did not feel amazing to us, I will tell you that. I think we expected to do much better that year, and we expected to progress in the market better. And it was very, very, very hard."

He describes the specific challenges they faced:

"Acclimating to the market and being able to create that initial pipeline and initial engagement and drive the product forward and attract talent in the US and really get the company off the ground in terms of go-to-market — that year was a very difficult year for us."

This segment sets up the next part of the conversation where Yotam will share lessons learned from this challenging period.

Timestamp: [17:49-19:42]

• Thorough market research is essential: The founders spent nine months intensively studying various cybersecurity spaces before committing to data security
• Emotional connection to the problem is crucial: Beyond logic and validation, having a visceral feeling about the importance of the problem drove Cyera's focus on data security
• Data protection addresses a primal human need: The desire to keep certain information private is deeply personal and extends naturally to organizations
• Specialized investors can accelerate founder development: Cyberstarts helped transform technical experts into commercial founders in just one year
• Even well-funded startups face early challenges: Despite securing investment from top-tier VCs like Sequoia, Cyera struggled in its first year with go-to-market execution
• Expectations scale with funding: Raising significant capital creates higher performance expectations that can make even objectively good results feel insufficient
• Moving from technical expertise to commercial success requires specific skills: Learning how to identify customer pain points and translate them into commercial engagements was critical

Timestamp: [10:00-19:55]

Organizations:

• Cyberstarts - The first institutional investor in Cyera, led by Gili and Leor, specializing in commercializing technical founders from Israel
• Sequoia Capital - Prestigious VC firm that led Cyera's A round, with Doug Leone joining the board
• Excel - Mentioned as another "fantastic firm" that invested shortly after Sequoia

People:

• Gili - Co-founder of Cyberstarts, provided critical mentorship to Cyera's founders
• Leor - Co-founder of Cyberstarts alongside Gili
• Doug Leone - Legendary Sequoia Capital investor who led Cyera's Series A investment
• Bogum - Mentioned as part of the Sequoia team that invested in Cyera

Concepts:

• Data Security - The specific cybersecurity domain Cyera focuses on, chosen partly for emotional reasons
• Product-Market Fit - Referenced both in terms of what Cyera was seeking and what Cyberstarts had achieved with their founder development model
• Go-to-Market Transition - The challenging process Cyera went through in their first year
• Pre-empted Term Sheet - How Cyera's fundraising journey unexpectedly began before they even had a legal entity

Timestamp: [10:00-19:55]

Yotam shares his first critical lesson from Cyera's challenging first year: founders must drive early go-to-market efforts, not delegate them to sales hires.

"In the early days of a product, of a market, a VP Sales is not going to solve the problem for you. You hire a VP Sales and they hire a team, but it's still your problem as a founder and it's still your responsibility as a founder to go and drive the go-to-market in every aspect."

He explains that in the earliest stage, the founder's presence is essential in customer interactions due to the scarcity of opportunities:

"In those early days, you don't even have enough bats to actually let the team take a swing. Like, you have to be in every call because you don't have enough opportunities that you can let somebody who joined the company four weeks ago take a call with the customer."

Yotam acknowledges his own naivety in his initial approach:

"I was naive like in the first go around. I thought like, 'Oh okay, we sold a few deals, we have a few customers, they're starting to use the product now. Somebody who knows how to sell will come in and sell it.' And that didn't really work."

He describes how this realization has shaped his ongoing leadership style:

"I'm personally involved, together with my co-founder, with Tamar, in the business in every aspect. That's what I do most of my time — I spend with customers. Obviously, as the company progressed, I spend my time more and more with strategic customers, but I spend my time with customers all the time."

This customer-centric approach not only supports sales but also provides critical product direction:

"It's also my way of steering the company in terms of product. I'm very, very much attuned to what the customers are thinking about the product, how they're thinking about the problem statements, and I validate that on, you know, five to 10 customer calls a day."

Timestamp: [20:01-22:30]

When Logan asks whether their initial challenges were due to sales execution issues or market readiness, Yotam explains that the market wasn't quite ready for their Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) positioning. Logan asks him to provide some historical context about the space.

Yotam offers a comprehensive overview of the data security market:

"The data security space, if you look at it from a zoom-out lens, probably has billions and billions of dollars of existing spend. The primary spend has been on DLP, data loss prevention. These are like controls that are trying to stop the data from getting outside of the enterprise into the wrong hands."

He explains why traditional solutions were problematic for enterprises:

"Those DLP programs were quite painful for many of our customers, for many of the enterprises in the market, because the false positive rates were super high, because the total cost of ownership of this program was outrageous."

Logan illustrates this with a practical example:

"I'm at a big bank... I'm trying to send a file externally to myself or something, and you know, maybe it's over 10 megs, and so they flag it. Now someone needs to look at it and approve. Picture trying to upload it to a Google Drive or Dropbox or dealing with all the different controls... at the scale of 50,000, 100,000 employees—it's a nightmare."

Yotam identifies the major market shift that created their opportunity:

"The impetus, the big change was the move to the cloud. If you think about it, these organizations would tell us, 'Look, we never knew exactly what data we have or where it resides, but it was all in our garage.' And that's a pretty good feeling."

He explains how cloud adoption fundamentally changed data visibility and control:

"The move to the cloud essentially created a loss of control over the data. It's no longer in my data center. I don't have a network. I don't have the ability to inspect it and choke it through the network because it's sitting in somebody else's cloud, whether that's in SaaS or in [the customer's own cloud infrastructure]."

Timestamp: [22:38-25:03]

Yotam describes how Cyera approached the cloud-driven shift in data security, framing their solution as a way to turn cloud challenges into advantages.

"What we did is we plugged on into that event and we told them, 'Okay, the cloud has many dangers, many risks in terms of security, but it also has many advantages. And we can actually turn the fact that the data is in the cloud into an advantage.'"

He explains their technical approach:

"We can use the way the cloud is built in order to connect to the underlying cloud provider and from that position, in an agentless manner, show you all the data you have there and assure that the data is secured as it should be secured."

This positioning created their initial product focus:

"That was the initial—that's where the company started—doing that, doing it at scale, doing it fast. And you know, our first version was AWS only, so we could pretty much just light up the data in their AWS."

Yotam acknowledges that this narrow focus limited their initial market, but proved sufficient to gain early traction:

"Luckily enough for us, there were enough customers in the world that had that specific problem, and it was an urgent enough problem that they took a bet on us. There were many customers that didn't care at all, like, 'No, we don't have AWS,' or 'We don't have anything important in AWS,' or 'We have so many other environments. If you can only take care of AWS, talk to us in a couple of years.' But there were some customers that were in that position where they cared enough about that specific problem that they gave us a shot."

Timestamp: [25:03-26:17]

Logan interjects with a humorous observation about the company's performance since his firm invested:

"By the way, I don't know causation or correlation, but the business has—you didn't have any bad years after we invested. Not even a bad quarter. Everything's been up and to the right. So I don't know who's to take credit for this..."

He then outlines the straightforward investment thesis that drove their decision to back Cyera:

"It was actually a pretty simple thesis: data volumes just keep going up, cloud is like an accelerant of that, and more stuff is going to the cloud. And then security is increasingly important. Those are like the three simple primitives of it. And we think this team's best to execute on it."

Logan also hints at a future topic of conversation:

"And then—and we'll talk a little bit more about this—but then AI could be an accelerant for all of these things in some way, and I think that's proving out."

He emphasizes that their investment decision wasn't overly complex:

"But it was actually pretty simple. We didn't spend a ton of time thinking about 'Is this going to be the case?' I think the question then becomes, 'How big can it be if all these things happen?' which is always a question in our jobs."

Timestamp: [26:23-27:16]

Yotam describes the turning point that occurred after their challenging first year, crediting their sales leader Steve Rog with transforming their go-to-market efforts.

"Steve Rog joined as our sales leader and managed to start to attract talent, and he managed to do something that when we started, we never imagined we'd have. He managed to create excellence in go-to-market."

He details how Steve built a team with specific traits aligned with their company values:

"He started bringing on people who are very proficient account representatives, sellers. They were very smart, they were very curious, they were humble—smart and hungry—and they started delivering results."

Yotam notes that he and his co-founder remained deeply involved with customers, but gradually witnessed the team's development:

"Tamar and I stayed very close to the sales, very close to the customers in every stage of the process, and we still are today. But we gradually saw that these people are ramping, as people tell you in the model that sales reps are supposed to ramp."

He describes his initial disbelief when salespeople began closing deals independently:

"When the magic starts to happen at the beginning, you don't believe it. A customer you never met signs a deal, you're like, 'Nah, that must have been like, it's probably somebody's cousin.' Or, 'This is—you added a zero here. It's not—this must be 30,000, not 300,000.'"

This culminates in a humorous anecdote about an unexpectedly large deal:

"One of the sales guys who was already doing well was telling me that he's going to close a deal for $3 million a year with a company that's not regulated. And I'm like, 'Come on, come on. If you close it for a million dollars, I'll build an altar with your picture in the office. $3 million? Come on.'"

Logan responds: "And now that altar's up there?"

Yotam replies: "Keep his picture in my wallet alongside with my wife and my kid."

Timestamp: [27:34-29:22]

When Logan asks what made their recruiting efforts successful in building their sales team, Yotam emphasizes Steve's understanding of the specific type of salesperson needed at their early stage.

"I think he knew what a great salesperson looked like, and he knew that at this point in our journey, only great salespeople will actually succeed. The market was too early, the product was too early, it wasn't easy to sell it."

This insight highlights how critical talent quality was at their particular stage of development—when the product and market weren't yet mature, only exceptional sales talent could bridge the gap.

Timestamp: [29:28-29:55]

• Founders must lead early go-to-market efforts: Even with sales hires, founders need to remain deeply involved in customer interactions at the early stage
• Customer engagement provides dual benefits: Beyond sales, founder involvement with customers provides critical product direction insights
• The cloud transformation created the opportunity: The shift to cloud created a loss of control over data that traditional security tools couldn't address
• Agentless, cloud-native approaches offered a new solution: Leveraging cloud provider APIs to gain visibility without legacy infrastructure
• Starting narrow can work: Even with an AWS-only initial product, they found enough customers with urgent needs to gain traction
• The investment thesis was straightforward: Growing data volumes + cloud acceleration + increasing security importance = opportunity
• Sales excellence requires specific talent for the stage: At the early stage with an emerging product category, only exceptional sales talent would succeed
• Founder skepticism is natural: Even as the sales team began to succeed independently, the founders initially doubted large deals were real
• Transformative sales leadership focuses on talent quality: Understanding exactly what type of salesperson can succeed in early market conditions is critical

Timestamp: [20:01-29:55]

Organizations:

• AWS (Amazon Web Services) - The initial cloud platform Cyera supported in their first product version

People:

• Steve Rog - Sales leader who joined Cyera and helped turn around their go-to-market efforts by recruiting excellent talent
• Tamar - Yotam's co-founder, who remained deeply involved in sales and customer interactions alongside him

Concepts:

• DSPM (Data Security Posture Management) - The product category positioning Cyera initially used, which was new to the market
• DLP (Data Loss Prevention) - The traditional approach to data security with high false positives and high total cost of ownership
• Agentless approach - Cyera's technical method that connects to cloud providers directly without requiring installed agents
• False positives - A key challenge with traditional DLP tools that made them painful for enterprises to use
• Go-to-market excellence - The sales capability Steve Rog built at Cyera by hiring talented salespeople who fit their values

Timestamp: [20:01-29:55]

Yotam continues explaining how their sales leader built an exceptional team by focusing on quality talent suited for their early-stage challenges.

"You needed people who really, really, really cared about the customer and were able to do the work. It wasn't like you're just shipping CDs and you need somebody to fulfill the demand. You had to do the work with the customers to understand what they're trying to achieve, how the product can help them achieve that, and be able to drive the project in."

He emphasizes the importance of recognizing excellence and being determined to achieve it:

"He knew what great looks like, and he was very, very, very determined to go after greatness and bring it in. And he started to do that, and we started seeing things pick up."

This focus on excellence was embraced by the entire organization:

"I think that all of us together as a team came together around the opportunity to start to launch this company into a much more meaningful growth trajectory. It was a small, intimate company. People were already in it. They liked it, they liked us, they believed in it."

Yotam describes how he and his co-founder rallied the team:

"Tamar and I pretty much rallied the team around the opportunity to blow it out of the park. And I think that that was a big part—to make everybody feel like they're a part of the company's ability to succeed and become an outlier."

While setting ambitious expectations, they were transparent about the challenges:

"We were very clear about what it requires to become an outlier—what are the results we all need to make happen together. And it was very clear that those results were not to be trivialized. There were no guarantees that we're going to be able to do that."

This collective effort created momentum:

"The team came together, everybody put in 150%, and then we managed to start to create that flywheel of momentum that has really continued since you invested, Logan."

Timestamp: [30:00-31:48]

Logan asks Yotam if there was a specific moment when things clearly shifted for the company, "from rowing against the current to now the current was sort of helping accelerate you in a meaningful way."

Yotam reflects on the gradual nature of this transformation:

"There were many moments like that. I don't think it tips. I think there's many moments where you're like, 'Wow, I never expected to see this.' And then it becomes normal, and you get used to it, and you move on."

He shares a personal insight about the perpetual state of healthy discomfort that comes with leadership:

"I always joke, I tell my wife that we're kind of doomed in this position where I'm always uncomfortable, because that's my job—to make myself and to make the company very much uncomfortable."

When Logan observes that Cyera's rapid growth on headcount and revenue sometimes makes him as an investor uncomfortable because they're "defying gravity or physics," he asks Yotam what drives this "insatiable desire to go at the pace" they're executing on.

Timestamp: [31:48-33:05]

Yotam explains his philosophy on Cyera's aggressive growth pace, starting with a perspective that might surprise investors:

"There's a few reasons for that. I think the first one in my mind—and you might not like to hear it as an investor—but for the people that work for the company, my job is to create a return on investment, which is a return on time."

He frames this responsibility in deeply human terms:

"You invested dollars, but they're investing time. And my job is to create an incredible return for them on their time. They're giving me some of the best years of their careers and much of the best hours and years of their life. They're giving it to the company, and I want to create an amazing return for them. So time matters a lot."

Yotam then references wisdom from a board member:

"The second thing is what Frank told us in the last board meeting: 'You think it's hard to go fast? It's much easier to go fast than it is to go slow.'"

He explains the strategic advantages of rapid growth:

"It allows you to differentiate more from your competitors. It allows you to excite the market. It allows you to continue to garner support from the venture capital community. So going fast, while it's very, very, very scary in many aspects, it actually helps you avoid friction. It helps you lower the friction, and it helps you win."

Logan interjects to provide context: "For people that don't know, Frank Slootman, I think the iconic name in software, CEO, and certainly sales and execution."

Timestamp: [33:05-34:26]

Logan asks how Yotam determines the right level of ambition for company goals—whether they aim for 25%, 50%, or 75% confidence levels in achieving their targets.

Yotam begins his answer with a personal reflection:

"Maybe as like a third-generation Holocaust survivor, that's how I think about many things in the world. I risk manage."

He explains that Cyera's private company status gives them more flexibility in how they approach goals:

"At this point in the company's life, private company, we don't report to Wall Street. We report to the board, and it's a pretty intimate group that is very much in the details of what's going on. As much as everybody loves the beat and raise, beat and raise narrative, I think we do have the ability to hold a little bit of a more intricate narrative within our board structure."

Yotam describes his goal-setting philosophy:

"I like to put the goals for us at this stage at a place that, first of all, makes me uncomfortable. I'm saying, 'Wow, it's going to be really hard to do that.' At the same time, I have a high level of confidence that we're going to be able to at least do 80% of that."

He emphasizes the importance of risk management:

"I also risk manage from a financial perspective—what does the company look like if I only do 80% of the goal? Did I mess up the company? Did I do something that puts us in a bad position? And I want to make sure that even if we only do 80% of the goal that I'm setting for all of us, then we're still in an exquisite position."

This balanced approach allows them to be ambitious while ensuring the company remains in a strong position even if they fall somewhat short:

"I want the goal to make us all stretch into it and make us feel like we're leaning out of our skis. But at the same time, you have to risk manage that if you're doing that and something doesn't come your way and you end up doing a little less, you're still very happy about the financial structure that you created."

When Logan asks if this means 100% confidence of achieving 80% of the goal, Yotam responds:

"100% confidence is reserved for fools."

Timestamp: [34:26-36:50]

Logan asks if Yotam's ambitious goal-setting approach extends to other parts of the organization beyond sales, such as engineering, product, and marketing.

Yotam confirms that this mentality does spread throughout the company:

"I think that mentality does trickle down. And generally, I think it's positive. Generally, I think that building a great plan and achieving even almost all of the plan is a pretty good tactic for most of the business units."

This brief exchange establishes that Cyera's culture of ambitious goal-setting isn't limited to sales or executive objectives, but permeates the entire organization, creating an environment where stretching toward ambitious targets is normalized.

Timestamp: [36:50-37:43]

Logan shifts the conversation to a broader industry perspective, asking Yotam how he views the cybersecurity market's potential for creating truly massive companies:

"One of the things that I think has historically been said about cyber is it's really—there's a lot of paths to exiting for a couple hundred million bucks, and it's a good place to build point solutions. It's a really hard place to build five, ten billion dollar-plus companies."

Logan notes there are only a handful of cybersecurity companies that have exceeded $20 billion in valuation in the last decade:

"I'm thinking Crowdstrike, I'm thinking Palo Alto Networks, I'm thinking Zscaler... but I'm curious how you think about the cyber landscape today."

He asks Yotam to revisit a question from their earlier conversations: "How many 10 billion dollar companies do you think there will be in cyber in 5 years' time? Do you think that's a few? Do you think it's dozens?"

Yotam begins his response with a strong affirmation of his belief in the cybersecurity market:

"I'm a very big believer in cyber for several reasons."

He starts explaining a fundamental difference in how cybersecurity is evaluated compared to other business domains:

"It starts in my mind with the foundational paradigm of cyber. In most of the things we do in our lives, as companies, as individuals, we get measured on how well we do on average. In cyber, we get measured on our weakest link. That's a very different paradigm."

This setup introduces Yotam's perspective on why cybersecurity has unique market dynamics that could enable more massive companies to emerge.

Timestamp: [37:43-39:04]

• Customer-focused excellence is essential: Sales team members must genuinely care about customers and do the work to understand their needs, especially with early products
• Creating a sustainable growth flywheel requires total team commitment: Rallying everyone around ambitious goals with 150% effort creates momentum
• Transformation happens gradually: Rather than a single tipping point, success comes through multiple "wow" moments that become normalized
• Leaders should embrace discomfort: It's a leader's job to keep themselves and the company pushing boundaries
• Speed can be a strategic advantage: Moving fast differentiates from competitors, excites the market, and reduces friction
• Goal-setting should balance ambition with risk management: Set targets that feel uncomfortable but ensure the company remains in a strong position even at 80% achievement
• Ambitious goal-setting should cascade throughout the organization: This mentality should be consistent across all business units
• Cybersecurity has unique market dynamics: Unlike other industries measured on averages, cybersecurity is evaluated by its weakest link
• Few cybersecurity companies have reached massive scale: Despite numerous exits, only a handful of cyber companies have exceeded $20B valuations

Timestamp: [30:00-39:04]

Organizations:

• Crowdstrike - Mentioned by Logan as one of the few cybersecurity companies to exceed $20 billion in valuation
• Palo Alto Networks - Referenced as another of the rare $20B+ cybersecurity companies
• Zscaler - The third example Logan gives of cybersecurity companies that have reached massive scale

People:

• Tamar - Yotam's co-founder who helped rally the team around ambitious growth goals
• Frank Slootman - Board member referenced for his advice that "it's much easier to go fast than it is to go slow," described by Logan as "the iconic name in software"
• Logan - The host and investor in Cyera who comments on their growth defying "gravity or physics"

Concepts:

• Return on time - Yotam's philosophy that employees invest their time and deserve an exceptional return on that investment
• Weakest link measurement - The fundamental paradigm of cybersecurity that makes it different from other business domains
• Beat and raise - The traditional public company narrative of exceeding quarterly expectations
• Growth flywheel - The self-reinforcing momentum that develops when a company starts growing rapidly
• 80% confidence goal-setting - Yotam's approach to setting ambitious targets while managing risk
• Third-generation Holocaust survivor - Personal context Yotam shares to explain his risk management approach

Timestamp: [30:00-39:04]

Continuing his response about why he believes in the cybersecurity market, Yotam expands on the unique paradigm that distinguishes cybersecurity from other business domains.

"That's the fundamental paradigm that creates an endless opportunity in cyber. So while a mature enterprise today might already be an average of eight out of 10 on their cybersecurity program, it's enough that there's one weak link that is a two or a three, and they're very much exposed."

This weakness-focused measurement creates a fundamentally different dynamic:

"That's something that is fundamentally different in the paradigm of how cyber affects or how it comes into friction with the world compared to many other topics, many other things we're doing, where the average is what matters."

Yotam explains why this unique paradigm creates substantial market opportunities:

"I think that fundamentally creates a huge opportunity for entrepreneurship and innovation because companies and organizations get measured on their weakest link."

When Logan asks if this dynamic favors best-of-breed solutions becoming increasingly valuable, Yotam agrees:

"It mostly lends itself to say that if I have a big enough problem—if I have a problem that is a two or a three and I think it's a real problem—then I have to find a solution for it. And if the big providers will only solve it in 3 years, then it's three years of exposure that I have right now, and that's probably going to mean a breach."

Timestamp: [39:09-40:19]

Yotam describes the ongoing race between attackers and defenders that makes cybersecurity different from other enterprise technology markets.

"It's a cat and mouse game between the defenders and the attackers, and time multiplies everything."

He contrasts this dynamic with other enterprise technology areas where time pressure is less acute:

"In many topics I would say, 'Ah, my HR system—there's a niche AI company here that is doing something amazing for HR that could have such efficiencies for me, but my bigger HR provider will probably take care of it in two years from now.' Okay, so that's two years of less efficiency."

The critical difference with cybersecurity:

"It's not two years where you're exposed to a breach that could potentially damage your company substantially. So there's a fundamental difference in why cyber is so appealing for innovation. It's not just because of the exit plan, it's mostly because the CISOs think that way."

Logan builds on this observation by offering a framework for understanding cybersecurity's unique position:

"Cyber is a weird one where there's a 2x2 kind of matrix. Most industries, if you need to be on the cutting edge of something, you won't get fired for picking something that's innovative."

He provides an example:

"So hey, we're going to buy a new AI SDR tool, and if it goes wrong, you might fire off a few emails that you don't like, and you're not going to get fired for it. You shut it down and it's like, 'Okay, we're not going to do that. We tried it, it was interesting, whatever, it didn't exactly work.'"

Logan contrasts this with other areas where innovation is less critical:

"Or you could get fired for it, but you don't need to be on the leading edge of it. And so it's like, 'Hey, we're implementing a new payroll system.' We're not going to go test the new payroll system out there because, you know, if this goes wrong, I'm probably losing my job for it."

He then highlights what makes cybersecurity unique:

"Cyber's a weird one where you both need to be at the leading edge of innovation and you can get fired if it goes wrong, which I think leads itself to a lot of things you're talking about."

Yotam agrees with this assessment:

"Cyber in general is a very volatile workplace, and it's very hard to be a CISO. These people deal with so much challenges internally in their organizations, a changing attack landscape, a changing IT ecosystem they have to protect. It's a very, very, very challenging job for any person to have. To secure these organizations is a challenge."

Timestamp: [40:20-42:30]

Logan asks Yotam about the characteristics of successful security leaders within their customer base: "Besides buying Sierra, what traits do those people have that lends themselves to being good at their job?"

Yotam identifies first principles thinking as a key trait of effective Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs):

"Usually I see a lot of people who have like a first principles thinking. They try to choose relatively simple principles that they believe are core principles to securing the enterprise and scale them very well and keep their principles relatively simple."

He elaborates on how this approach helps them manage complexity:

"They find a way to take this very complex space that is cyber and turn it into something relatively simple that their teams can understand, rally around, and just execute on in a very, very, very meaningful way."

The ability to scale these principles across the entire organization is critical:

"Scale it to every part of the enterprise, which in the big enterprise is very hard. And again, it comes from that same topic that you get tested on your weakest link."

Yotam emphasizes how even sophisticated security programs can fail if they don't cover the entire organization:

"You can have the most sophisticated plan of defense ever, but if it doesn't actually extend to your entire enterprise, you're still going to leave exposures out there that are going to be taken advantage of."

He summarizes the essence of top-performing security leaders:

"So the best CISOs in my mind are kind of like first principles thinkers—they take very simple principles and they scale them."

Timestamp: [42:42-43:49]

• Cybersecurity's unique "weakest link" paradigm creates endless market opportunities: Even organizations with strong overall security postures remain vulnerable through their weakest areas
• Time multiplies risk in cybersecurity: Unlike other technology areas where delaying innovation means lost efficiency, waiting to address security gaps means extended exposure to potentially devastating breaches
• Cybersecurity exists in a unique quadrant: It requires cutting-edge innovation while also carrying high career risk for decision-makers
• The CISO role faces exceptional challenges: Security leaders must navigate internal organizational complexities, rapidly changing attack landscapes, and evolving IT ecosystems
• First principles thinking is a hallmark of effective security leaders: The best CISOs identify simple core principles and scale them consistently across their entire organization
• Comprehensive coverage matters more than sophisticated point solutions: Even the most advanced security plan fails if it doesn't extend to every part of the enterprise
• The security market's dynamics favor specialized solutions for critical gaps: Organizations can't afford to wait for comprehensive platform providers to address specific vulnerabilities

Timestamp: [39:09-43:49]

People:

• CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) - The security executives Yotam and Logan discuss as facing unique challenges in their roles

Concepts:

• Weakest link measurement - The fundamental paradigm of cybersecurity where organizations are evaluated by their most vulnerable areas rather than their average security posture
• Cat and mouse game - Description of the ongoing race between attackers and defenders in cybersecurity
• First principles thinking - The approach of the most effective security leaders who identify core principles rather than getting lost in complexity
• 2x2 matrix - Logan's framework for understanding cybersecurity's unique position requiring both innovation and carrying high career risk
• Exposure window - The concept that time without protection creates multiplied risk in security contexts

Technologies:

• AI SDR tool - Logan's example of an innovative technology in another domain where failure carries less risk than in cybersecurity
• HR systems - Used as a contrasting example where delayed innovation results in inefficiency rather than security exposure

Timestamp: [39:09-43:49]

Logan asks Yotam about Cyera's strategic approach to expansion and how he determines which adjacencies to pursue versus where to draw boundaries on their platform capabilities.

Yotam acknowledges the ongoing nature of this strategic challenge:

"It's a great question, and I'm not sure I have the answer today. I think we're still so much on the expansion part of the story that I'm not sure I know where we stop or where the line should be drawn."

However, he emphasizes two guiding principles that drive their expansion decisions:

"It is very important for us to keep two things as our principles while we're expanding. Those two things are, first of all, like a platform approach. And what do I mean by that? I mean 1 plus 1 equals 3."

He elaborates on their decision framework:

"If we're developing a new product and it's 1 plus 1 equals 2, then it's probably not the right investment for us. If there's no additive value, meaningful additive value from having these two capabilities integrated in one platform, it's probably better to leave it for somebody else."

This becomes their primary filter for new investments:

"That's the biggest question Tamar and I ask ourselves on every new investment that we're making as a company: are we going to create a 1 plus 1 equals 3 situation for our customers here?"

Timestamp: [43:56-45:18]

When Logan asks whether Yotam determines the "1+1=3" value proposition intuitively or through customer feedback, Yotam emphasizes their customer-centric approach:

"In every type of product decision, product strategy decision, we always defer to the customers as our sanity check. That's been our method from the get-go—to be able to really ask the customers the hard questions and get to the truth from them. And that has always been a very honest compass for us to steer the ship around."

As the company grows more complex, Yotam notes they sometimes need to guide customers through their thinking:

"As Cyera as a company becomes more complex, we do need to make it accessible for them. We do need to show them the Cyera perspective on this. Sometimes they wouldn't be able to comprehend the 1 plus 1 equals 3 out of the box. We'd have to explain why we think there's going to be a 1 plus 1 equals 3 situation here."

The customer feedback can be bluntly direct:

"They'll tell us, 'That sounds really good, I'd love that,' or 'You're full of [expletive]. Those things don't really go together. It's a nice story, but it's not going to work in my world, and let me tell you why.'"

Yotam values this grounding influence:

"They're very good at keeping us grounded to the facts, and they're also very good at centering us on the core value proposition of Cyera."

He shares a consistent message from their customer advisory board:

"Whenever we bring our advisory board, our customer advisory board together to review the roadmap and review the planning sessions, the message that is always portrayed most loudly is: expanding the platform is important, it's wonderful, we want you to solve more problems, but the most important thing is that you will continue to solve the problem we bought you for in the first place amazingly well, and you will find more and more ways to do that better for us."

This creates a clear strategic directive:

"That is always the message from the customers: 'Sure, expand, grow, but double down on the core.'"

Timestamp: [45:18-47:13]

Logan observes that emerging cybersecurity companies need to quickly establish themselves as platforms before incumbents can marginalize them as point solutions. He asks how Cyera successfully positioned itself as a platform.

Yotam emphasizes velocity as their key advantage:

"I think that goes back to the speed—the ability to create momentum, the ability to create speed, velocity. That's what allows you to start to set yourself apart."

He shares a surprising example of their aggressive growth strategy:

"We acquired a company last year for $162 million. If you would have told me that when Cyera will be 3 years old, we will acquire a company for $162 million, I would have told you you're drunk. I wouldn't have believed it."

Yotam explains the strategic rationale behind this bold move:

"The reason we did that is because it was an accelerator. It allowed us to grow the momentum. It allows us to grow our speed. It allowed us to expand faster and in a way that doesn't eat up from the core resources."

He frames these decisions as necessary to maintain their advantage:

"That is us acting in what I see as extreme ways in order to create velocity and continue to drive forward at speed."

This approach creates a competitive edge against larger, slower-moving competitors:

"The incumbents have no way to compete with that. They're fundamentally—their position in the market is much more established and it's much slower. It's much harder for them to create momentum where it didn't exist before."

Yotam references a fundamental business principle:

"It's like anything. Companies' growth doesn't usually go up as the company scales and becomes bigger. The growth goes down, so does the velocity."

This dynamic creates Cyera's strategic opportunity:

"We are definitely leveraging our advantage and our position in the market to use that and emphasize on speed and double down on speed and use it as a way to completely change the market in a sense."

Timestamp: [47:13-49:23]

Logan shifts the conversation to the recent news of Google acquiring Wiz for $32 billion, noting the shared background between Wiz and Cyera (Talpiot, Cyberstarts, and Sequoia's Doug Leone and Bogomil). He asks for Yotam's reaction and thoughts on the implications for the cybersecurity world.

Yotam expresses enthusiasm and admiration:

"I think it's amazing. First of all, super, super happy for them. I think they've rocked the cybersecurity market in incredible way."

He sees the acquisition as validating a core business philosophy:

"I think that it's extremely exciting to see such validation that excellence commands a premium in the world—that being able to do something that is extraordinary gets rewarded with a premium in the sense of this acquisition."

Yotam connects this to Cyera's own values:

"For us at Cyera, I think that's something we definitely believe in as well, that doing something extraordinary is worth much more than doing something ordinary."

However, he notes mixed implications for the cybersecurity market:

"For the cybersecurity market, it's honestly a bummer. Wiz was a rising star that many customers looked at as the next great platform in cyber, and for their reasons, they chose to partner with Google and become part of that. I think that the market is not going to be all too thrilled about it for many reasons."

Timestamp: [49:23-51:08]

Logan asks Yotam to identify what Wiz "nailed" that contributed to their extraordinary success.

Yotam highlights two key factors. First, he recognizes their execution tempo:

"I think there's really many things that they did amazingly well. One of them is velocity—creating momentum and driving it forward at an extreme pace."

Second, and more substantively, he points to their approach to risk democratization:

"Another one that is a bit more core to the way their product operates and the way it's implemented in these enterprises is that they managed to democratize the risk."

He explains how this approach works:

"They managed to create a platform in which the developers, which actually need to solve the problems, fix the problems that their platform identified—the developers are able to do that within their ecosystem, and they like doing that within their ecosystem."

This creates a powerful dynamic that shifts responsibility to the appropriate teams:

"That allows the security team to put this product in place and enable the business, the application owners, the developers—in our world, the data owners—to go and take ownership and responsibility for the risks under their purview and solve those risks through the platform."

Yotam sees this as fundamental to their market success:

"I think that that is one of the most core elements to their success in the market and something that we believe in as well. And we believe that it's the only way to actually scale security in the enterprise."

Timestamp: [51:08-52:35]

• Platform expansion requires the "1+1=3" principle: New capabilities must create synergistic value when integrated, not just additive value
• Customer input serves as the ultimate "sanity check": Despite growing complexity, customer feedback remains the most reliable compass for strategic decisions
• Double down on core strengths while expanding: Customers consistently emphasize solving their initial problem "amazingly well" as most important, even as they welcome platform expansion
• Speed creates competitive advantage against incumbents: Moving fast and creating momentum allows startups to establish themselves as platforms before being marginalized
• Bold moves accelerate velocity: Cyera's $162M acquisition at just three years old demonstrates their commitment to maintaining momentum
• Growth rate naturally decreases with scale: Larger companies struggle to generate momentum, creating an opportunity for agile startups
• Excellence commands a premium: Wiz's $32B acquisition validates that extraordinary execution receives extraordinary valuation
• Democratizing risk is a winning strategy: Enabling application and data owners to take responsibility for fixing issues within their domain is the only way to scale security effectively
• Independent security platforms matter to the market: Wiz being acquired creates a gap in the market for the "next great platform" in cybersecurity

Timestamp: [43:56-52:35]

Organizations:

• Google - The company that acquired Wiz for $32 billion, mentioned as creating mixed feelings in the cybersecurity market
• Wiz - The cybersecurity company recently acquired for $32 billion that Yotam admires for their velocity and risk democratization approach
• Talpiot - Referenced as the shared background between Wiz founders and Cyera founders
• Cyberstarts - Mentioned as another common investor between Wiz and Cyera

People:

• Tamar - Yotam's co-founder who jointly evaluates new investment and expansion decisions
• Doug - Likely referring to Doug Leone from Sequoia Capital, mentioned as an investor in both Wiz and Cyera
• Bogomil - Another Sequoia investor mentioned as backing both companies

Concepts:

• 1+1=3 platform approach - Yotam's framework for evaluating platform expansion opportunities
• Customer advisory board - The formal mechanism Cyera uses to get feedback on roadmap and planning
• Velocity/momentum - A key strategic advantage that smaller companies can leverage against incumbents
• Risk democratization - The approach of enabling application owners and developers to solve security issues through the platform
• $162 million acquisition - Cyera's bold move at just three years old to accelerate growth and platform expansion

Timestamp: [43:56-52:35]

Logan brings up the topic of AI, referencing a previous conversation where Yotam had been hesitant to embrace AI marketing hype. He shares a joke about the current state of AI:

"AI is the same as sex is for teenagers—everybody's talking about it, very few people are doing it, and the ones that are doing it are doing it wrong."

Logan asks Yotam for his current perspective on the risks and opportunities of AI in security.

Yotam explains that in Cyera's specific domain, AI presents a significant business opportunity:

"In our world specifically, it's for us the ability for CISOs to support the adoption of AI in the enterprise and to make it into a responsible and secure process. That is the core business driver for our success nowadays."

He elaborates on why this has become a priority for their customers:

"The reason we're getting the budgets we're getting from these enterprises, the reasons they're investing in this topic, is just that—to be able to support the adoption of AI in the enterprise in a secure and responsible way."

Yotam emphasizes that security teams won't stop AI adoption but can help ensure it happens safely:

"People are not going to slow down. Security is not going to block AI in any way. AI is happening, and it's going to happen big. But if we can, as a security industry, help it happen securely and responsibly—that's our most important mission in the world right now."

Timestamp: [52:41-54:55]

When Logan asks if Cyera's role is ensuring that data and systems are properly secured for AI use, Yotam takes a step back to provide a broader philosophical context, starting with a striking observation about the urban landscape around them.

"You look—we're sitting here in New York City—you look around at these buildings and all of this civilization, if you will, and it looks so stable. It looks so solid. The buildings are made of stone, and the institutions are strong."

He points to a specific example that symbolizes this apparent solidity:

"There's a Credit Suisse building in the city that looks like a fortress... literally looks like a medieval fortress. And I'm saying, that is so symbolic, because that's what you want a bank to represent."

Then he contrasts this image of permanence with reality:

"But where is Credit Suisse? It's not a fortress. It's done, it's dead. And how fast did that happen? An institution that we looked at, that wanted to portray to all of us that it's a fortress, that is robust, that is sturdy, that is reliable, disappeared off the face of the planet in what felt to me like two days."

This example leads to his core insight about the modern world:

"That is the hard reality that people do not want to face about the modern world we live in. It's not as robust and not as sturdy as we'd like everybody to believe."

Within this context, Yotam identifies trust as a critical component of our social fabric:

"The ability to trust in these institutions, to trust when you're putting your information into whatever system it is, whether it's a healthcare system or a finance system or a retail system, and that information gets treated with some level of decency... the ability to trust is not to be taken for granted in society."

He explains how AI threatens to destabilize this trust:

"If you look at it from a macro trend, the introduction of AI into the world is going to challenge that in a very, very big way. If I no longer know if I'm interacting with an AI engine or a human being on the other side, that does something to my trust."

This leads to his view of Cyera's broader mission:

"When I look at the role of cybersecurity, data security in the next few years, it's making sure that this transition doesn't crumble the digital trust that exists in the world today. I don't want my kids to live in a world where you cannot trust institutions. That's a crazy world, and it can happen quite quickly."

He concludes with a stark warning about institutional trust:

"The line is not that thick. Very quickly, we go from a world where these institutions are trustworthy, reliable, dependable, to a world where they're not."

This frames Cyera's ultimate purpose:

"From a values perspective, from a mission perspective, that's what Cyera is about in the world. It's about enabling this modernization to happen because it's going to happen anyhow, but enabling it to happen in a secure and responsible way."

Timestamp: [54:55-58:21]

Logan asks Yotam to elaborate on Cyera's specific role in maintaining trust in the AI era. Yotam provides a concise explanation:

"Cyera's role is in allowing enterprises to put the right controls around data, which is pretty much AI's favorite meal, to make sure that the adoption of AI that is happening doesn't turn—doesn't make the data exposed in ways that it shouldn't be exposed."

He illustrates this with a healthcare example:

"You have a big healthcare provider that wants to put the PHI [Protected Health Information] into their internal LLM engine that's supposed to accelerate their ability to service the customers. If the result of that is now that every employee of the 100,000 employees that work for that healthcare provider can now access every person's PHI—that's a price we're not willing to pay as society."

Yotam emphasizes the personal nature of this concern:

"I don't want every employee at my healthcare provider to be able to find out all of my medical conditions, and you don't want it either."

He frames Cyera's position as enabling innovation without compromising security:

"While we do want AI to modernize our experience, to improve it, to enhance the service we're getting, we're not willing to compromise the integrity of our data and the privacy and security of our data for it. And that's where we're coming and saying there shouldn't be a trade-off. It's not one or the other—you can adopt AI, you can modernize, you can move to the cloud, and you can do it while having the best and the right controls around that data."

Timestamp: [58:21-59:52]

Logan asks why the data systems or AI models themselves can't solve the security challenges they present. Yotam explains two fundamental reasons.

First, the inherent sequence of innovation and security:

"Security is always an afterthought. You first of all want to do something, then you want to secure it. So security within the enterprise is used to playing catch-up. The business does something, and then we chase them to secure it."

He notes how this pattern is particularly evident with AI:

"Sometimes we have mature enough processes in place to catch it before it's happening, but with AI, that's definitely going to be the situation. It's already making its way into the enterprise, and security teams are trying to play catch-up to secure it and to make sure that it doesn't end up as the enterprise's downfall."

Second, Yotam highlights the complex, heterogeneous nature of enterprise environments:

"When you look at the enterprise lens of things, they're not using just one data platform or one AI model or one system. The enterprise reality is that they have everything."

He shares a colorful anecdote from a CISO friend:

"A CISO friend of mine once told me, he was doing a deal with Microsoft and he got Microsoft for most of his environment. So I thought, 'Ah, so you're all set now.' He's like, 'Yotam, I'm not all set. What are you talking about? I have a soup sandwich. You try to pick it up, it melts in your hand. We have everything and everything here.' And that's the reality for every enterprise."

This complexity creates a need for comprehensive solutions that work across diverse environments:

"Even if the providers give you some tools to do security in their system or their model or whatnot, it doesn't solve the enterprise issue of having to deal with hundreds of those models, hundreds of those systems, hundreds of environments."

Yotam explains how Cyera addresses this challenge:

"That's where platforms like Cyera come in and are saying, 'Wherever your data resides, whether it's in the cloud, whether it's in data lakes, whether it's on premise, whether it's in systems we don't even know the name of yet and will come up tomorrow, we're going to be there to make sure that you're getting a uniform level of security.'"

He details the specific governance capabilities they provide:

"That you have the right controls, that you have the right access governance, that you can report to your auditors about what you're doing, that you're reducing risk, managing risk. And for the enterprise, that's crucial. It doesn't help them if they solve the problem in a tiny niche of it—they have to be able to cover the full gamut."

Timestamp: [59:52-1:02:09]

Logan asks Yotam about something in the industry that he believes will be true in a couple of years that isn't commonly appreciated today.

Yotam shares a hopeful vision for the future of cybersecurity:

"I have hope—I don't know if I believe that hope will happen—but cybersecurity today is a market where it's very hard to partner because of the competitive nature, because it's ever-evolving. It seems like everybody's competing with everybody all the time."

He suggests this dynamic has reached its limits:

"I think that has a limit. And I think that the next wave of success that is going to come into cyber—obviously AI is going to make it a lot more effective—but I think the next wave is going to come from meaningful partnerships between providers, between vendors that come to actually serve the cause."

Yotam explains the potential impact of this shift:

"I think that when those partnerships start to become more meaningful, that will allow enterprises to improve their security quite substantially without increasing the total cost of ownership that they're already invested."

This perspective suggests a potential evolution from the current hyper-competitive cybersecurity landscape to a more collaborative ecosystem focused on serving customer needs.

Timestamp: [1:02:16-1:03:24]

• AI adoption is inevitable in enterprises, and security's role is to ensure it happens responsibly rather than block it
• The apparent stability of institutions masks their underlying fragility, as demonstrated by how quickly established organizations like Credit Suisse can collapse
• AI threatens to undermine institutional trust by blurring the line between human and automated interactions
• Data is "AI's favorite meal," and protecting it properly is essential to responsible AI adoption
• There should be no trade-off between innovation and security—organizations can adopt AI while maintaining proper data controls
• Security typically plays catch-up to innovation, especially with rapidly evolving technologies like AI
• Enterprise environments are complex "soup sandwiches" of different systems, requiring platform approaches that work across diverse environments
• The current hyper-competitive cybersecurity market may evolve toward more meaningful partnerships between vendors
• Effective partnerships could substantially improve enterprise security without increasing total cost of ownership
• Maintaining digital trust through secure, responsible technology adoption is a fundamental societal challenge

Timestamp: [52:41-1:03:24]

Organizations:

• Credit Suisse - Used as an example of an apparently solid institution that quickly collapsed, despite its fortress-like building projecting permanence

Technologies:

• AI (Artificial Intelligence) - The technology discussed throughout as both transformative and requiring appropriate security
• LLM (Large Language Model) - Mentioned in the context of healthcare providers potentially using internal LLMs to process patient data
• PHI (Protected Health Information) - Sensitive healthcare data that requires special protection when used with AI systems

Concepts:

• Digital trust - The fundamental concept Yotam identifies as being at risk in the AI era
• AI's favorite meal - Yotam's metaphor for data as the essential input for AI systems
• Soup sandwich - Colorful metaphor from a CISO describing the messy, heterogeneous nature of enterprise IT environments
• Security as an afterthought - The pattern where innovation happens first, followed by security considerations
• Total cost of ownership - Economic consideration for enterprises implementing security solutions
• Catch-up security - The reactive pattern where security teams must secure technologies after they're already being used

Timestamp: [52:41-1:03:24]

Logan brings up a deeply personal topic about the October 2023 attack on Israel and how it affected Yotam and the Cyera team. He recalls his own concerns at the time:

"I texted you guys, and I thought, maybe Cyera, you know, everyone was going to have to go to war, and we have a company in Israel and having to deal with all the implications of that stuff. But at a human level, I just couldn't even imagine the position you guys were in."

Yotam responds with a candid reflection on this profound crisis:

"October 7th was an earth-shattering event for the Israeli community, and maybe broader than that in some senses, in some ways. For us at Cyera, obviously we're a company with very, very deep roots in Israel. Almost half of our employees are in Israel."

He then shares his initial personal reaction:

"On the personal front, my first feeling was guilt that I'm not still in the service. Tamar, who's always more rational and smarter, slapped it out of me and told me it wouldn't have helped, shut up and do what you can, which is to continue to succeed with Cyera."

Yotam describes the widespread impact on his team:

"For the team, it was an atrocious, atrocious time. Israel is a small country. These things affect people very close to home. It's your cousin, it's your brother, it's your in-laws. People feel it as if it's their family."

He notes that the situation remains unresolved:

"Right now as we speak, we still have tens and tens of hostages in Gaza, and these are our brothers and sisters that haven't returned home yet. And we want them to return as soon as possible, and we want this conflict to be resolved. So it was a very, very difficult moment for all of us and is continuing to be in our hearts every day."

Timestamp: [1:03:32-1:06:04]

Yotam reflects on how the October 7th attack created a fundamental shift in the psychological landscape for Israelis:

"I think as people living in this day and age, it kind of threw us back to our grandparents' days. There's something about that feeling where somebody could come into your home and murder your family that, as much as Israel has been in conflict during my years as a teenager and as a young man, I've never felt that before."

He describes the deeply unsettling sensation of personal vulnerability:

"I've never felt that feeling that your life is threatened by some external power that has issues with you, whether they're geopolitical or religious or ideological or whatnot."

This new reality had a transformative effect:

"That sentiment is one that changes people, has changed me. To feel that way has changed me in a big way. And I think it's changed the Israeli society."

Yotam explains how this trauma galvanized a powerful response:

"It's led us to fight back with force and with unity that I'm not sure the people who started that attack expected."

While acknowledging the geopolitical shifts, he emphasizes the devastating human cost:

"I think Israel all in all is in a better geopolitical situation today than it was before that attack. This has led us to take a much more proactive stance in protecting our people and protecting our country. But at the same time, the price is—could not be higher."

He details this human toll:

"The many, many warriors that have fallen, the many, many families that have had men and women in the service for months and months or even years over the past two years. And we're all experiencing it very close to home."

Yotam concludes with a hope for resolution and deterrence:

"I hope that we can find a resolution to this immediate conflict and make sure to deter any future aggressors from taking action like this again."

Timestamp: [1:06:04-1:08:09]

Logan notes the challenge of compartmentalizing when so many employees were directly affected by the conflict and asks how Yotam approached leadership during this extraordinarily difficult time.

Yotam outlines his approach to leading through crisis:

"I think for us, it's first of all to lead with empathy, and with empathy that is collective but it's also personal. Because while it's something that the collective is experiencing, it's also something that everybody is experiencing personally."

He emphasizes the importance of recognizing individual differences:

"The same thing can affect two different people very differently. You have to respect that, and you have to have the room for that."

Yotam explains how Cyera's company culture provided a foundation for resilience:

"In general, in Cyera, we have a very, very committed and determined and motivated employee base, and that's our assumption. That's almost like the requirements in order to participate in this company. So the level of trust with the employees is very high."

This foundation of trust enabled a flexible approach:

"You have to respect that everybody's going through their own thing. Sometimes people have a day when they're not dialed in, and they're not going to be in the places they need to be. To be empathic to that and to respect that, and as a collective, as a group, to remind everybody that this is something that all of us are experiencing."

While providing support, Yotam also maintained focus on their shared mission:

"Wherever they need to do something about it or to be somewhere, we've got their back. At the same time, our mission as a company and as Israelis in the company is to keep it going and to not slow down. We have a unique opportunity to do something extraordinary in the world. We have a unique opportunity to change our industry and to affect the way the world adopts AI."

He acknowledges the need to adjust expectations while maintaining momentum:

"We have to master our energies and to master our focus and resources for that mission as we're capable of. And it's okay if the capability level drops—that's the situation. But whatever anybody can do, they should continue to do."

Timestamp: [1:08:09-1:10:59]

Yotam shares a surprising observation about how the workplace became a sanctuary for many during the crisis:

"What I've seen in the team is that people actually double down on their work in many cases. The world outside was not very fulfilling, not to say depressing, and I think a lot of people in the company found a lot of solace and a lot of comfort at the workplace where things were normal in a sense."

This normalcy provided an essential counterbalance to the chaos outside:

"We kept on selling, we kept on building, we kept on moving, we kept on recruiting people, and that was the only place in people's life that was sane."

The team's mutual support created a resilient community:

"The team kept each other sane and held each other close in the bad days, gave each other space when people needed it, but stayed together, stuck together, and stuck through it."

Yotam contrasts his initial expectations with what actually happened:

"Honestly, when this started, I thought that the throughput from Israel will probably stall completely, and that wasn't the case. Things kept going pretty much at the same pace that they were going before—in some areas even faster."

He attributes this resilience not to management pressure but to the team's internal drive:

"That's due to the resilience and determination of the team to keep it going. Nobody made them. We tried to give everybody the full support and space to do and be wherever they need to, and people drove hard."

This segment reveals how meaningful work and collegial bonds provided stability during an exceptionally destabilizing crisis.

Timestamp: [1:10:59-1:12:29]

• Crisis reveals character: The October 7th attack was "earth-shattering" for the Israeli community, creating profound emotional impacts that continue today
• Personal vulnerability transforms perspective: The feeling that "somebody could come into your home and murder your family" created a psychological shift unlike previous conflicts
• Leadership during crisis requires dual empathy: Both collective empathy for shared trauma and personal empathy for individual experiences
• Trust creates flexibility: A foundation of trust with a committed team allows for accommodating varying needs during crisis
• Balance support with mission: Providing space for personal needs while maintaining focus on shared purpose
• Work can provide stability in chaos: The workplace became a sanctuary of normalcy and purpose during an otherwise destabilizing time
• Crises can unleash unexpected determination: Rather than stalling, work throughput maintained or even increased in some areas
• Resilience comes from within: The team's productivity wasn't driven by management pressure but by internal motivation
• Community creates strength: Team members "kept each other sane" through mutual support and understanding
• Leadership includes vulnerability: Yotam's own guilt and personal transformation illustrate how leaders are affected alongside their teams

Timestamp: [1:03:32-1:12:29]

Events:

• October 7th attack - The devastating Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 that profoundly affected Cyera's team and the broader Israeli society

People:

• Tamar - Yotam's co-founder, described as "more rational and smarter," who encouraged him to focus on leading Cyera rather than feeling guilt about not being in military service

Concepts:

• Collective and personal empathy - Yotam's dual approach to leadership during crisis, recognizing both shared and individual trauma
• Psychological vulnerability - The unprecedented feeling of personal threat that changed Yotam and Israeli society
• Workplace as sanctuary - How the company environment provided normalcy and purpose during chaotic times
• Hostage situation - The ongoing crisis of Israelis being held in Gaza, mentioned as continuing to affect the team

Timestamp: [1:03:32-1:12:29]

Logan shifts the conversation to Yotam's personal motivations, noting Cyera's success has likely brought acquisition interest: "I'm sure at different points in time there were opportunities to get off the ride and the people sniffing around trying to buy the business or whatever it is. I'm curious at this point, what motivates you, keeps you going?"

Yotam's answer begins with a surprisingly simple but profound insight:

"I think the first thing, which sounds so simple but I think it's actually the most important one, is that I'm having a blast. I love my job. I love doing my job. I love the people I work with. I love what we're doing as a company. So I'm having the best time of my life in a very, very big way."

He emphasizes that this enjoyment is foundational:

"That sounds so simple, but that's first of all the most important thing."

Yotam then shares his philosophy about success, challenging the traditional view of achievement:

"There's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The prize is the journey. The prize is being able to go through this, to build this together with the team, to see people in the company grow, take on more responsibility, solve hard problems, lead other people. That for me is the prize in all of this on the personal level."

He adds that his current state of mind makes continuing easy:

"Right now, it's very, very easy to be in love with the company and to be in love with what we're doing."

Beyond enjoying the work itself, Yotam finds deep fulfillment in the nature of what they're building:

"On a personal level, it's a feeling of fulfillment. You're doing something in the world that is world class. You're doing something in the world that is extraordinary."

He values the constant challenge and growth the role provides:

"You challenged yourself as a leader, as an entrepreneur every day. You have to get better. You have to learn something you didn't know yesterday. You have to challenge the business. You have to challenge the team. You have to challenge yourself all the time."

This combination of factors creates a powerful motivation to continue:

"That's something that I think I enjoy very much, and I think Tamar enjoys very much, and it's really a privilege to be able to do this. So there's no rush to stop."

Timestamp: [1:12:36-1:14:42]

When Logan asks about the most challenging aspect of being CEO of a hypergrowth business, Yotam reveals a surprisingly personal struggle:

"I think the most challenging part is letting people down. You know, I'm a firstborn son, firstborn grandchild on both sides. I'm like a people pleaser in my nature, in my core."

This personality trait creates a constant tension with the realities of leading a large organization:

"When you have 550 people that need things from you or want things from you, you don't get to all of it. And you're letting a lot of people down all the time, in a sense."

Yotam describes his ongoing effort to manage this challenge:

"Not to judge yourself for it, to accept it, to keep your head up and focus on the things that you need to focus on—that's for me a personal challenge, to be able to handle that balance that you cannot be in all places all the time."

He shares a fresh example from that very day:

"Today I got on a customer call in Europe with a very big enterprise in Europe, and the team was on site in the office with the customers. And you know, you feel that little bitterness in your stomach—why am I not there on the ground? I should have been there on the ground in the office. I would have loved it, they would have loved it, I would have loved being there with the team. But you can't be in all the places in the way that you want all the time."

This candid reflection reveals the emotional weight of leadership and the necessity of coming to terms with one's limitations even while driving ambitious growth.

Timestamp: [1:14:42-1:16:00]

Logan asks what Yotam would tell his five-years-ago self, or what critical operational lessons he'd apply if starting another business. After acknowledging there are "so many things," Yotam shares an insight about organizational clarity:

"Maybe I'll give something that is not so trivial but still quite applicable. As the business becomes more complex, more things are happening, different things are happening, more people are doing things, it becomes a little hard to understand what's going on and to own it in a sense."

He borrows a concept from software engineering that he believes applies powerfully to business:

"There's a concept in software that is a very basic concept, but sometimes it doesn't get implemented all the way through in business. That's the concept of an interface—how do you interface with the world."

Yotam explains how this applies to organizational functions:

"Something that I've recently realized is that some business units, some business functions have a very clear interface that everybody knows how to interface with them, and some don't. And they need to declare an interface. They need to say, 'This is how you interface with us, this is how we accept requests, this is how we work on them.'"

When Logan clarifies if he's referring to departments or people, Yotam confirms it's about departments within the company and provides a contrasting example:

"Some departments just have a very natural interface. For example, sales are measured on a quarterly basis on the numbers they put up, on the pipeline they have for the next quarter. The basic level of interface is much more clear than for some other departments that don't necessarily have a clear cadence or don't necessarily have a clear timeline for the things that they're doing or not doing."

He identifies the core issue and its impact:

"They have to somehow teach the organization how to work with them, and they don't always do that proactively. And I think oftentimes that creates frustration that people are working hard, but nobody knows what they're working on and what they're not working on, and what they chose to prioritize and what they chose to not prioritize."

Yotam concludes that this fundamental problem has a straightforward solution once recognized:

"That's just a lack of an interface—not such a hard problem to solve once you've defined it well."

Timestamp: [1:16:00-1:18:38]

Logan asks about specific tactics that enable Cyera to maintain their "perpetual motion and this ability to go fast."

Yotam first gently challenges the assumption with humility:

"First of all, I hope it's perpetual. Seems like it so far. It's a good statement to snug it in there, but let's hope it's perpetual."

He then identifies the fundamental driver of their continued growth:

"I think generally, we're in the software business. We're building enterprise software today for cybersecurity buyers. And that's not the easiest thing, but it's also not rocket science. The customers know their problems. They know what they don't like about their existing solutions. They know what they can spend on problems."

This customer insight becomes the engine for innovation:

"The work with the customers is the foundational driver for a lot of the innovation and growth and continued growth for the company. Keep talking to the customers. Keep listening to what they're telling you about their needs, how their needs are evolving and changing, where they see you, where they want you, and what are the gaps you need to close."

Yotam describes the virtuous cycle that develops once you establish relationships with enterprise customers:

"Once you actually get in the enterprise, it's a lot about being able to listen and execute. If you execute for the enterprise, they have many more problems they want you to solve."

He outlines the process for converting this customer feedback into growth:

"You just need to be able to define those problems well based on the right sample size. You need to be able to plan great solutions for those problems. You need to make sure that the additive value of getting that solution from you—the 1+1=3—continues to exist."

This approach creates a self-reinforcing system where solving one problem well leads to opportunities to solve additional problems, sustaining growth.

Timestamp: [1:18:38-1:20:19]

Logan notes that Cyera has "a number of venerable investors around the table" and asks Yotam specifically about working with Doug Leone from Sequoia (particularly relevant after "a very high-profile acquisition for Sequoia" with Wiz): "What's something he's imparted to you as a board member that you feel has been particularly helpful or additive to the organization?"

Yotam's answer is surprisingly personal and candid:

"You know, it's a little embarrassing to say, but I think the biggest gift that Doug gave me is validation for my leadership, for Tamar's leadership."

He explains that this validation wasn't immediate:

"It wasn't given when he invested, but about a year and a half after he invested, just about the time you invested, he started telling us nice things about us."

Yotam explains why validation from this particular source carried special weight:

"There's something about the way Doug handles himself in the world that makes you believe it when he says it, whereas many other people might tell you nice things and you'll just discard them to the side."

He reflects on the profound impact this had:

"I think that validation was empowering for us and allowed us to believe in ourselves and to dream bigger and think bigger."

This insight reveals how even the most successful entrepreneurs can struggle with confidence, and how validation from the right person at the right time can have a transformative effect on leadership ambition and vision.

Timestamp: [1:20:19-1:21:36]

• Intrinsic enjoyment is the most powerful motivation: Loving the work itself creates a foundation for sustained commitment
• Success lies in the journey, not the destination: The "prize" is the process of building and witnessing growth
• World-class work provides deep fulfillment: Doing something extraordinary creates a profound sense of purpose
• Leadership requires accepting limitations: Managing 550 people inevitably means disappointing some, requiring emotional resilience
• Organizational interfaces create clarity: Departments need clearly defined ways for others to interact with them
• Unclear interfaces cause friction: When teams don't proactively explain how to work with them, frustration develops
• Customer feedback drives perpetual growth: Listening and executing well creates a cycle of expanded opportunities
• The "1+1=3" principle applies to growth: Solutions must continue to provide synergistic value as the company expands
• Validation from respected figures is transformative: Recognition from credible sources can empower leaders to think bigger
• Hypergrowth remains challenging but straightforward: Despite complexity, the core formula remains listening to customers and executing well

Timestamp: [1:12:36-1:21:36]

People:

• Doug Leone - Legendary Sequoia Capital investor who provided crucial validation to Yotam and Tamar's leadership
• Tamar - Yotam's co-founder, mentioned as sharing his enjoyment of the business and receiving validation from Doug Leone

Concepts:

• Interface concept - Software engineering principle Yotam applies to business functions, referring to how departments communicate with the rest of the organization
• 1+1=3 principle - The ongoing requirement that solutions provide synergistic value to customers
• People pleaser - Yotam's self-description of his personality as a firstborn son and grandchild, creating tension with leadership realities
• Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - Metaphor Yotam rejects in favor of viewing the journey itself as the prize
• Perpetual motion - Logan's description of Cyera's sustained growth momentum
• Validation - The psychological empowerment Yotam received from Doug Leone's approval

Organizations:

• Sequoia - Venture capital firm represented by Doug Leone on Cyera's board

Timestamp: [1:12:36-1:21:36]

Logan shifts the conversation to fundraising, offering his assessment of Yotam's skill: "I would call you a good fundraiser. I don't know if you would consider yourself a good fundraiser, but I think the same characteristics that you do a great job of selling customers on the opportunity of Cyera, I think you also bring that to bear with the venture community."

He asks Yotam what he's learned about fundraising and selecting investment partners.

Yotam emphasizes that valuation is an easy metric to focus on but shouldn't be the primary consideration:

"It's very easy to look at the valuation because it's numbers. So it's easy to compare what the offer from X is, what the offer from Y is, because it's numbers. It's objective. It's easy to say what you prefer."

He frames the investor relationship in a more personal context:

"Investors in venture capital in our space, at our stage, at our world, it's like getting married. And I think for many reasons, you don't actually know the partner as much as you think before you get married."

Yotam stresses the importance of compatibility and alignment:

"Taking the time to get to know each other a bit, to make sure that there's alignment of values, alignment of beliefs, alignment of expectations in the way we communicate, in the way we work together, in what we're trying to achieve is important."

He notes that venture capital firms can vary significantly:

"The fact that many firms are a venture capital firm doesn't mean they're the same, and there's big differences in how they approach it, how they approach the business, and what they want from a company when they're making that investment."

Yotam summarizes his perspective:

"It's really important to look at it more like a decision about somebody you're bringing into the family than, you know, strictly financial decision."

Timestamp: [1:21:42-1:23:32]

Logan observes that Yotam has successfully recruited established, senior partners from top firms, asking if this stability was an intentional strategy.

Yotam explains that reputation serves as a critical balancing factor in the venture capital power dynamic:

"Working with reputable firms that, in many senses, venture capital have a lot of power over the company, and in my perspective, what holds that power in check is the reputation."

He frames reputation as a protection mechanism for founders:

"The reputation is important because it's the defense mechanism, in a sense, that the founders have."

Yotam identifies what drives the best investors:

"Great investors care only about one thing more than they care about the company's outcome: it's about the reputation. Because they plan to invest more and build more companies, and reputation lasts a lifetime."

This creates a powerful alignment:

"Having people who value the reputation is critical."

Logan adds an interesting observation about how brand value shifts during the relationship:

"There's a funny thing too where initially companies steal the brand from the venture capital firm, and then ultimately if you're successful, the venture capital firm steals the brand from the company."

He explains this evolution:

"Initially you put our logo up on the website, our general hour up on the website and show it off, and then at some point it shifts and we put your—you're up there and you get the tombstones when you come in and we show your picture. So there's this funny brand stealing thing that exists too that is validating."

Yotam agrees and extends the point about interdependence:

"It goes much, much further than that. At the end of the day, VCs rely on their founders in order to help them get deals and close deals. So the relationship is definitely much more of a two-way, bidirectional relationship than it is initially portrayed."

Timestamp: [1:23:32-1:26:06]

Logan transitions to hiring, asking what Cyera is looking for in potential employees and what traits they value.

Yotam reiterates their core values:

"Smart, humble, and hungry. That's the people that we're looking for."

He then offers a candid assessment of their workplace intensity:

"To be very frank, as I tell all the employees in their interview process and on the 'welcome to Cyera' call, we don't have anything against work-life balance, but it's just not what we offer."

Yotam explains that the intensity comes from internal motivation rather than external pressure:

"This is a very, very intense workplace. It's not intense because somebody makes you work hard, it's intense because it's going to swallow you in, and you're going to find yourself thinking about it in your dreams and in your vacations. And it's just that kind of place. It's contagious."

He acknowledges this environment isn't for everyone:

"People who love it love it, and people who don't don't."

Yotam believes in clearly communicating what they do and don't offer:

"It's important to know what you have to offer. We have to offer an extremely thrilling, exciting, and distinguished ride. We have to offer a drive for excellence that is uncompromising. What we don't have to offer is a great work-life balance. That's sadly, to my wife's dismay, that's sadly not part of the core value proposition that we have for employees today."

He places this in the context of career stages:

"People today have pretty long careers. There's times to do different things in your career, and there's times you want to go all in, and there's times you want something more balanced, and that's a-ok."

Yotam adds a personal note about his own commitment:

"I hope I'm not going to work this hard forever, but right now I'm enjoying every minute of it, and I want to work even more."

When Logan jokes that Yotam "won't be around forever" if he keeps working so hard, he transitions to asking about Cyera's hiring plans.

Yotam reveals their ambitious growth targets, continuing their pattern of doubling headcount:

"Hiring 500 people. So 100 to 250, 250 to 550, 550 to whatever that is—1,100 or so."

This confirms the company's extraordinary growth trajectory continues unabated, with Logan noting, "There's lots of job opportunities out there if people are smart, hungry, and humble."

Timestamp: [1:26:14-1:28:34]

• Fundraising is more than valuation: Selecting investors should resemble choosing family members rather than making purely financial decisions
• Investor relationships require alignment: Values, beliefs, expectations, and communication styles should be compatible between founders and investors
• Reputation serves as a power balancer: A venture firm's desire to maintain its reputation provides a check on its power over portfolio companies
• Brand value flows both ways: Initially companies benefit from association with prestigious investors, later successful companies enhance their investors' reputations
• Venture relationships become bidirectional: Successful founders become valuable assets to VCs for sourcing and closing new deals
• Workplace intensity should be transparent: Cyera is candid about their intense culture and lack of work-life balance
• Intensity comes from passion, not pressure: The most demanding environments can be those where people are intrinsically motivated
• Career stages have different priorities: There are appropriate times for all-in commitment and times for more balance
• Hypergrowth continues: Cyera plans to double again from 550 to approximately 1,100 employees
• Core values remain consistent: "Smart, humble, hungry" continues to define their hiring criteria despite rapid expansion

Timestamp: [1:21:42-1:28:34]

People:

• Philipe - Partner at Excel who invested in Cyera
• Doug - Doug Leone at Sequoia Capital, mentioned again regarding his investment in Cyera
• Dave and Lucas - Investors at COU who backed Cyera
• Gili and Leor - Founders of Cyberstarts who were early investors in Cyera

Organizations:

• Excel - Venture capital firm that invested in Cyera
• Sequoia - Venture capital firm represented by Doug Leone that invested in Cyera
• COU - Venture capital firm with Dave and Lucas as partners who invested in Cyera
• Cyberstarts - Early investor in Cyera founded by Gili and Leor

Concepts:

• Reputation as defense mechanism - Yotam's framing of how reputation protects founders from potential misuse of investor power
• Brand stealing - Logan's observation about how brand value shifts between investors and companies over time
• Work-life balance - Discussed as explicitly not part of Cyera's value proposition to employees
• Smart, humble, hungry - Cyera's core values and hiring criteria
• Bidirectional relationship - How the founder-investor dynamic evolves to become mutually beneficial

Timestamp: [1:21:42-1:28:34]