How KK Mookhey Built a Global Cybersecurity Company | Be Fearless Podcast EP 20

Be Fearless Podcast by SquareX

KK Mookhey, the founder of Network Intelligence, shares his incredible journey from dropping out of college to becoming a pioneering cybersecurity entrepreneur. In this three-part series, KK shares stories, insights and advice with Vivek, Audrey and Aleksandra from the SquareX Team. He recounts the challenges faced in different stages of a cybersecurity company, shares his thoughts on channel partnerships and offers advice for those starting out or looking to grow in the industry.
0:00 Introduction and KK’s journey to being an entrepreneur
4:46 How KK landed his first client by cold-calling the State Bank of India
8:42 A chance encounter which set KK on the journey to presenting at Black Hat
13:26 The challenges of scaling a global cybersecurity company, such as building culture and staying relevant
18:58 Vivek’s thoughts on running a research-led product company
22:15 The problems that Network Intelligence solves and why leaders must embrace new trends such as Generative AI
28:56 KK’s insights on channel partnerships
35:08 Network Intelligence’s Center of Excellence and onboarding new products/vendors
37:56 Audrey and KK discuss channel partnership strategies and breaking into new markets
47:25 Why some channel partnerships may not work out and advice for practitioners
51:16 Why CISOs face one of the toughest roles in modern businesses and the complexity of evaluating solutions
56:28 Strategies for working with MSSPs
1:01:46 Why aspiring entrepreneurs need to build a personal brand and put themselves out there
1:05:59 On moving to the Bay Area
1:08:45 KK’s reading habit and book recommendations
🔔 Follow KK, Vivek, Audrey and Aleksandra on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkmookhey/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekramachandran/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-adeline/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandra-melnikova-1012/

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SquareX helps organizations detect, mitigate, and threat hunt web attacks happening against their users in real-time. Find out more about SquareX at https://sqrx.com/

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1. Introduction and KK’s journey to being an entrepreneur (00:00:00)

2. How KK landed his first client by cold-calling the State Bank of India (00:04:46)

3. A chance encounter which set KK on the journey to presenting at Black Hat (00:08:42)

4. The challenges of scaling a global cybersecurity company, such as building culture and staying relevant (00:13:26)

5. Vivek’s thoughts on running a research-led product company (00:18:58)

6. The problems that Network Intelligence solves and why leaders must embrace new trends such as Generative AI (00:22:15)

7. KK’s insights on channel partnerships (00:28:56)

8. Network Intelligence’s Center of Excellence and onboarding new products/vendors (00:35:08)

9. Audrey and KK discuss channel partnership strategies and breaking into new markets (00:37:56)

10. Why some channel partnerships may not work out and advice for practitioners (00:47:25)

11. Why CISOs face one of the toughest roles in modern businesses and the complexity of evaluating solutions (00:51:16)

12. Strategies for working with MSSPs (00:56:28)

13. Why aspiring entrepreneurs need to build a personal brand and put themselves out there (01:01:46)

14. On moving to the Bay Area (01:05:59)

15. KK’s reading habit and book recommendations (01:08:45)