Ross Haleliuk

Venture in Security

Industry's top newsletter (750,000 reads annually) about building startups, as well as business and investment sides of cybersecurity. Covering topics like venture capital, go-to-market strategies, and business models in cybersecurity.

Author | Blogger

Cyber for Builders (Amazon Best Seller)

'Cyber for Builders: The Essential Guide to Building a Cybersecurity Startup'  is the most comprehensive resource about building the future of cybersecurity available on the market. Within hours of the official launch, the book instantly became the Amazon best seller in several categories. In 2024, 'Cyber for Builders' got recognized as Book of the Year at the SANS Difference Makers Awards, the most prestigious recognition available to cybersecurity authors globally. 

Most cybersecurity books talk about how to do security. This book is different as it is intended first and foremost for builders - startup founders, security analysts, security engineers, marketing and sales teams, product managers, VCs, angel investors, software developers, investor relations and analyst relations professionals, and others who are building the future of cybersecurity.

Author

Inside the Network

Inside the Network is all about building category-defining cybersecurity startups.

Collectively, we’ve spent decades building, researching, and investing in cybersecurity companies. On this podcast, we invite you to join us inside the network where we bring you the best founders, operators, and investors building the future of cyber.

We will talk about the hard parts of the founder journey - launching companies, getting to product-market-fit, raising capital, and scaling to an exit. Both the success stories and the epic failures. We are here to make the founder journey easier, but not too much easier because anything worth building is hard (but you already knew that 😊).

Podcast Co-Host

Clutch Security

Clutch is addressing the increasingly critical challenge of non-human identity security within modern enterprises.

As digital infrastructures expand and become more complex, the management and security of non-human identities—ranging from API keys and secrets to tokens and service accounts—have emerged as a pivotal yet often neglected aspect of cybersecurity. Recognizing this gap, Clutch is developing an enterprise platform dedicated to the comprehensive protection and management of these identities.

Angel Investor

Security Tinkerers

Member of The Security Tinkerers, a non-profit organization championing the advancement of cybersecurity. I am proud to be part of a community of world-class CISOs, CTOs, cybersecurity CEOs, and industry leaders. Our collective mission, encapsulated in our byline "Advancing cybersecurity through trust," focuses on fostering growth and innovation in the cybersecurity field. Through collaborative efforts, we aim to nurture a safer digital environment by sharing knowledge, resources, and expertise.

Member

Nullify

Nullify augments your AppSec team with AI agents capable of carrying out multiple levels of product security work autonomously.

SANS Institute

The SANS Difference Makers Awards shine a light on the cybersecurity practitioners who are leading innovative developments in the industry, who’ve made outstanding security achievements, and who are contributing back to the InfoSec community in ways that deserve recognition.

Advisory Board - SANS Difference Makers Awards 

Stealth Startup

Cybersecurity has been caught in the same patterns for too long. The hardest problems remain unsolved - not because they’re impossible, but because we haven’t asked the right questions.

It’s time for a new approach. A new way of thinking. A product that doesn’t just tell CISOs they’ve got problems. We have a lot of visibility. It’s time to make security actionable. 

Having built and scaled products for the past decade, I am embracing the most ambitious journey yet. It’s time to build. More soon.

Co-founder & CEO

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS & CrowdStrike Cybersecurity Accelerator in collaboration with NVIDIA is an equity-free program designed to empower cybersecurity startups from EMEA and US with product development, GTM and fundraising support.

Mentor - AWS and CrowdStrike Cybersecurity Accelerator

LimaCharlie

LimaCharlie enables organizations to detect & respond to threats, automate processes, reduce the number of vendors, and future-proof their security operations.

We do it by giving security teams full control over how they manage their security infrastructure. Get full visibility into your coverage, build what you want, control your data, get the security capabilities you need, for however long you need them, and pay only for what you use.

Head of Product

Experienced operator & builder shaping the future of cybersecurity. Now working on something new. 

📙 Book about building the future of cybersecurity 👉🏻 cyberforbuilders.com
📬 Blog & newsletter 👉🏻 ventureinsecurity.net
🚀 Angel syndicate for security practitioners  👉🏻 visangels.com

"Write something worth reading or do something worth writing." —  Benjamin Franklin

“Life is too short to do mediocre work, and it is definitely too short to build shitty things.” — Stewart Butterfield, Co-Founder of Slack

"As you start to walk on the way, the way appears." — Rumi

In security or otherwise, trends are temporary. Stick to fundamentals.

Director of Product

Let me say this out loud: the rate of growth of cyber startups will never match the rate of growth of the new AI companies. Even new AI x security companies won't just fly off the shelves because they are AI-native. 

The reason is pretty simple: in cyber, growth moves with the speed of trust, not the speed of shipping new features. Interestingly enough, as AI is accelerating the speed of shipping new features it's actually extending the speed of trust so POCs can become longer. 

If the current trend continues, I think it's going to drive a lot of the tourist VCs out of cyber because they just won't be able to justify investing in "slower-growing" security companies over all these "AI supernovas" with $10M ARR after one year. Looking at this nice chart from Bessemer, cyber is gonna stay as "Cloud Centaur" by default and by design. 

Over the long term, this is going to be a good thing for the industry, I think. 

And yet, none of this changes the fundamentals of the security market, the fact that cyber is a trillion-dollar opportunity, and that there will be many fantastic returns. It's just that successful companies in cyber will probably look like pretty average AI startups in other industries if all you look at is ARR. 

P.S. Yes, I know, there's Delve and similar companies that are "AI-native and cyber" but I'll stand my ground that the reason they're growing so fast is because they are sales enablement tools and not security or compliance tools. What they do is super valuable but it's a different market ("get your cert to sell to enteprises") with different rules of the game.

Security product leader, author, advisor, board member and investor.

ExtraHop

AVP Channel Sales, North America

Partnership Leaders

Partnership Leaders is an industry association for Partnership/Channel/Alliances/Business Development leaders. The association’s mission is to elevate the role of partnership leaders at their companies and provides a vibrant online community, virtual events, curated professional networking opportunities, and educational resources to drive success for it's members.

Expert in Residence (Executive Member)

SafeGuard Cyber

•	Established a comprehensive Channel Sales Program on a global scale, effectively engaging and signing Resellers and MSSP Partners across regions including the US, LATAM, and EMEA, fostering international business growth and expanding market reach.
•	Successfully generated a robust sales pipeline, achieving over $5.5M in potential revenue from both international and domestic reseller opportunities within the period from Q3 2022 to Q2 2023, demonstrating strong market penetration and sales acumen.
•	Spearheaded the development of a Focus Partner program, collaborating with industry leaders such as OPTIV, Guidepoint, Defy Security, and Tevora, enhancing alliances and fortifying market position through key partnerships.
•	Forged strategic relationships with global distribution partners, including Exclusive Networks, Distology, and NextGEN, optimizing distribution networks and expanding product accessibility across diverse markets.
•	Drove significant revenue growth through cultivating and enhancing Alliance partnerships with major industry players like Microsoft, Crowdstrike, Seismic, and FMG Suite, leveraging collaborative efforts for mutual business development.
•	Innovated in partner engagement by creating a Partner Advisory Council with key reseller and MSSP partners, and implemented a state-of-the-art Partner Portal to streamline Deal Registration and facilitate access to critical sales collateral, enhancing partner experience and efficiency.

VP, WW Channels & Alliances 

ThirdPartyTrust

•	Directed the development and global implementation of a 100% Channel Sales Program, leading to the successful acquisition of 5 Resellers and 2 Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) Partners in the US and EMEA regions. This strategic initiative significantly expanded the company's market reach and partner network.
•	Played a pivotal role in generating a robust pipeline, valued at over $3.5M, in Reseller opportunities during Q4 2021 and Q1 2022. Demonstrating a profound understanding of market dynamics and effective sales strategies, the efforts contributed to the company's revenue growth.
•	Enhanced and nurtured existing Service Partner relationships with notable industry players, Guidepoint and OPTIV, fostering collaboration and mutually beneficial outcomes. The effort not only solidified these partnerships but also leveraged their networks for broader market penetration and service delivery.
•	Led the implementation of a comprehensive Partner Portal, designed to streamline Deal Registration processes and provide easy access to essential sales collateral, improving partner engagement and operational efficiency, facilitating smoother collaboration and sales enablement for partners.

VP of Global Partner Sales 

Fidelis Cybersecurity

•	Oversaw a comprehensive redesign of the Channel, Alliances, and MSSP Programs, resulting in the successful acquisition of 3 Resellers, 1 Alliance Partner, and 3 MSSP Partners in the US, significantly enhancing the company's market presence and partner network.
•	Expertly generated an impressive pipeline exceeding $8M in Reseller opportunities for Q2 2021 and Q3 2021, alongside achieving over $2.3M in partner-generated revenue within the first quarter of 2021, demonstrating exceptional sales and partnership management skills.
•	Successfully reestablished and strengthened Reseller and MSSP partner relationships across the US, Canada, and LATAM, showcasing outstanding relationship-building and strategic negotiation abilities.
•	Cultivated and solidified valuable partner relationships with key industry players including Guidepoint, OPTIV, Presidio, Trace3, Novacoast, One Source Communications, Cyber Guards, Gotham, Preeminent Technologies, IBM, E&Y, LTI, and BT, expanding the company's reach and collaborative opportunities.
•	Initiated and implemented a Partner IR Program aimed at generating referral opportunities for Fidelis and fostering new business avenues for IR Partners, utilizing the Fidelis toolset, reflecting innovative program development and partnership strategy skills.
•	Demonstrated exceptional capacity in reinvigorating and expanding partner networks, leading to significant business growth and enhanced market position, underscored by effective strategy implementation and relationship management prowess in a competitive industry.

VP of Channels NA

XM Cyber

•	Managed the creation and implementation of a Global Channel, Alliances, and MSSP Programs, securing 15 Resellers, 2 Alliance Partners, and 5 MSSP Partners across multiple regions. This initiative led to the generation of a $2.8M pipeline and realized over $1M in partner-generated revenue in Q3 2020.
•	Skillfully navigated global markets to establish robust Reseller and MSSP partner networks in the US, LATAM, United Kingdom, Italy, Denmark, Romania, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East, fostering significant business growth.
•	Effectively cultivated key partner relationships with industry leaders such as Guidepoint, OPTIV, Presidio, Trace3, Novacoast, One Source Communications, Cyber Guards, Gotham, Preeminent Technologies, IBM, E&Y, LTI, and BT, enhancing the company's market position and reach.
•	Championed the launch of an innovative Partner Portal, which significantly contributed to business development by generating over $1.8M in net new Deal Registrations within the first 90 days of its inception.
•	Developed and executed a comprehensive sales strategy, along with efficient back office processes, for the Channel and MSSP Programs, streamlining operations and maximizing program effectiveness.
•	Displayed exceptional leadership in building and nurturing international partnerships, leading to substantial revenue growth and an expanded global footprint for the organization. This strategic expansion was pivotal in establishing the company as a key player in the international market.

VP of Global Channels and Alliances

Axonius

Director of WW Channels & Alliances

COFENSE

Senior Director Global MSSP 

FireEye, Inc.

Responsible for designing and building the FireEye Managed Security Service Provider practice; recruiting top performing MSSPs and helping them deploy the FireEye portfolio of products and services into their Managed Security offerings; and focused on growing revenues through the FireEye MSP Channel.

Director of MSSP Business Development

Senior Channel Manager - National Accounts

Egnyte

Manage a global team of four regional Partner Managers responsible for nurturing relationships with specific value-added resellers and distributors and generating new business for this leader in the Enterprise File Sync & Share solution space with revenues of approximately $90M annually.

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