Entrée Capital’s “Founder Spotlight” series is a collection of video and written blogs that aim to highlight some of the inspiring founders in our portfolio and to share some of the lessons that they’ve learned along the way.
In this Founder Spotlight, we spoke to Arik Solomon, the Co-Founder and CEO of Cypago.
What does your company do and the problem it solves for your target audience in one sentence?
Cypago is a Cyber GRC Automation platform (CGA), enabling CISOs and security teams to efficiently and continuously implement, manage, and monitor their cybersecurity programs using innovative AI-driven automation technology.
How did you come up with your business idea, and what inspired you to pursue it?
Back when I was serving as CTO for EY’s cybersecurity center, I was helping CISOs in large US-based enterprises go through complex security assessments. While running these exercises, I noticed how time-consuming and resource-intensive it was for them to manually align their cybersecurity programs with business requirements such as regulatory compliance, customer requirements, and internal company policies. Later, while working on this idea with my Co-Founder Yahav Peri, we realized the need is much wider and that Cyber GRC requires a shift-to-automation in the way it’s being done.
What’s the best advice you’ve received on your journey?
I was fortunate to learn from many smart people along this journey. The one most valuable advice I was given was to be open to getting advice. While I had a long and successful career before starting the company, there was no room for thinking “I know it all”. Each day, as an entrepreneur and a founder, I learn something new, from my co-founder, investors, our customers, and most importantly from the amazing team we’ve built.
Can you pinpoint key milestones in your entrepreneurial journey and how they shaped your business?
Undoubtedly the first time we hired someone to join the team. At that moment, I realized that as a CEO, I’m responsible for other people’s careers. We achieved another important milestone with the recent funding we secured and the affirmation it gave to our vision. Surprisingly though, the first paying customer we onboarded came in naturally as if it was obvious it should’ve happened.
What was your toughest decision as an entrepreneur, and how did you handle it?
Reid Hoffman once said that starting your startup company is like trying to build an airplane while falling off a cliff. I believe this statement captures the essence of one of the toughest decisions I took which involved leaving the comfort of being an employee and endeavoring into the unknown realms of entrepreneurship.
How do you envision your company’s future and any exciting developments ahead?
The Cyber GRC space is mostly a great blue ocean, and Cypago is growing to become the leader in Cyber GRC Automation (CGA). We see Cypago helping mature organizations across industries in their journey to enhance their cybersecurity while maintaining business continuity and alignment. Our pockets (or Google Drive folders) are packed with ideas and plans for revolutionary technologies to be introduced in the coming weeks and months that will gradually materialize this vision.
How do you balance work and personal life to avoid burnout?
It’s accustomed to describe startup life as a 24/7 emotional rollercoaster. Luckily, for me, it’s a 24/6 journey, as every Saturday (Shabbat) I turn off all electronic inputs, devote myself to my family, and recharge my emotional and motivational energies. With endless things popping up on my entrepreneurial journey, this time off is essential to the mind and body.
Why Entrée?
Entrepreneurship is a team play, where founders bring together a group of great minds, preferably with relevant field experience, to empower their journey. We were fortunate to team up with Entrée, where Avi, Adi and the rest of the team all have first-hand experience in entrepreneurship, know exactly when we need assistance, and how to provide it, always with a can-do approach and a positive attitude.
