SANS@Night - Getting Involved in a Startup: Make a Dent in The Universe

The classic way to make a massive difference with technology, or “Dent in The Universe,” is via a startup. We can define a startup as a company with high growth possibilities that is innovative and potentially disruptive. This describes most startups in the infosec space. Also, essentially every startup has a strong technology component today and infosec concerns. This translates to lots of startup opportunities for infosec professionals, whether as a founder, early-stage employee, rank and file employee, or even investor. In this talk we’ll discuss startups, including how important having a “great idea” may or may not be, funding options, as well as “exit” strategies. Funding options include bootstrapping, which means using existing resources, starting a business without external help or capital. Angel investors, affluent individuals who provide capital for a startup, are another option, as are venture capitalists, and crowd sourcing. An exit strategy is how illiquid assets like company ownership and stock are changed into liquid assets like cash. Even if you do not plan on exiting the company, you may want to convert some assets to cash. And of course any investors will want their money back with profits at some point. If you are focused on outcomes instead of inputs, a startup can be absolutely fantastic. If you are happy hacking more than just technology, but also happy to figure out and execute business concerns, such as hacking procedures and whatever it takes to make things work, a startup is an option to consider.