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98% of CISOs See What’s Coming. Do You?

This isn’t another trend report. It’s what the people in the room are actually doing next.

Author

Merve Isler
July 20, 2025

Cybersecurity must evolve at the speed of AI.

AI Insiders: Cybersecurity didn’t play it safe.
It broke format, turning insight into strategy, and strategy into action.
The threats were real. So were the people in the room.

The Room Was Curated, Not Crowded

130 handpicked insiders arrived, under invitation only.
Not just attendees, but architects of cybersecurity’s next chapter.

50% were CISOs and security leaders - the ones holding the budgets, feeling the pressure, and defending real systems in real time.

30% were founders and operators - actively building the next wave of defense tech, not just talking about it.

10% were investors - bringing capital, context, and sharp filters, without turning the room into a pitch parade.

10% were media and analysts - listening closely, reporting selectively, and amplifying what mattered without chasing soundbites.

The Signal Came Early

AI isn’t a future threat. It’s already here, and accelerating. That was the tone set from the very first words on stage. The room didn’t need convincing, but it needed clarity. And it got it.

Privacy leader Michelle Dennedy opened with a sobering truth: attack surfaces are expanding, timelines are collapsing, and the old playbooks no longer hold. In this new era, cybersecurity isn’t adapting fast enough.

This wasn’t just a cautionary note. It was a clear marker in time, a signal that the rules had already changed.

The future of AI x Cybersecurity is no longer theoretical. It’s operational. And it’s moving faster than most organizations are prepared for.

Inside the VC Playbook for AI-Era Security

Malika Aubakirova (a16z), Shreya Shekhar (Greylock), James Green (CRV), Chenxi Wang (Rain Capital), and David Hahn (Ballistic Ventures) shared insights on assessing risk, resilience, and runway in an AI-influenced cybersecurity sector.

A key takeaway: resilience is more than technical architecture; it involves timing, trust, and execution. Investors are drawn to teams that grasp the nuances of procurement, regulatory challenges, and the urgency of live deployments.

Moderated by David Columbo, the discussion highlighted funding trends, red flags to avoid in pitches, and the importance of real-world traction, especially from security buyers.

Ultimately, the conversation emphasized alignment over mere enthusiasm. Investors are seeking clarity, not complexity.

Lessons From The Builders

This session, moderated by Feyza Haskaraman of Menlo Ventures, focused on what AI security looks like in practice.

David Haber (Lakera) opened by naming the real challenge: not just the scale of threats, but the speed at which they evolve. Security teams are defending against human attackers, autonomous agents, and everything in between often using the same tools across wildly different applications.

Jack Cable (Corridor) pointed out that while AI changes the pace, the core vulnerabilities remain familiar. From his policy work at CISA to building developer tools, he emphasized that AI is amplifying long-standing security gaps not rewriting them.

Tanya Verma (Tinfoil) highlighted the gap between legacy security approaches and AI-native workflows. Confidential computing, built into the latest GPU hardware, is becoming a viable path forward, but current industry standards aren’t keeping up.

Sujoy Gupta (Tools for Humanity) brought the conversation back to fundamentals: identity, trust, and proof-of-humanity at global scale. The tech isn’t theoretical, he brought the orb on stage to show it’s already live.

This wasn’t a discussion about potential. It was about what’s already shipping and what still breaks.

What People Felt

As Business Insider reported, “98% of CISOs expect AI-driven attacks to surge.”
But the real headline wasn’t on the page. It was in the room.

People shared what they’re actually doing, what’s failing, and what’s too urgent to ignore.

Full Business Insider Feature: Read the article

Malika Aubakirova-Partner, a16z
She focuses on investing across Security and AI x Infrastructure, from pre-seed to Series B

Shreya Shekhar, Partner, Greylock
She focuses on investing in early-stage AI, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and developer tools. She bringing a sharp lens to foundational technologies shaping the future of enterprise software.

Dr.Chenxi Wang, Managing General Partner, Rain Capital 
She is the Founder and Managing General Partner of Rain Capital, where she leads sourcing, evaluation, and management of early-stage technology investments. Rain Capital’s portfolio includes Claroty, Project Discovery, Ox Security, Oasis Labs, Elisity, Mitiga, and JupiterOne. Her previous roles include Board Director for MDU Resources Group and Founder of Forte Group.

David Hahn, Partner, Ballistic Ventures
He brings deep operational experience as a CISO and executive at Silicon Valley Bank, CDK Global, Hearst, and Wells Fargo. At Ballistic Ventures, he focuses on connecting CISOs and security leaders with early-stage founders, helping them navigate the frontline realities of modern cybersecurity, backed by Ballistic’s extensive experience supporting over 100 cybersecurity firms, including companies like Aembit, ArmorCode, Pangea, Reach Security, and WitnessAI.

James Green, Partner, CRV
He contributes to CRV’s global focus on early-stage enterprise and consumer investing. The firm has backed over 500 startups in its 50-year history, including Airtable, Doordash, Drift, Dropbox, HubSpot, Postman, Twitter, and Zendesk.

Jack Cable, CEO & Co-founder, Corridor 
He has been leading Corridor since January 2025. In addition to founding Corridor, he brings deep cybersecurity policy experience through his concurrent role as Adjunct Senior Technical Advisor at the Institute for Security and Technology (IST), where he supports initiatives at the intersection of security, technology, and policy.

Previously, Jack served as a Senior Technical Advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for over two years. At CISA, he led multiple high-priority efforts including Secure by Design and open-source software security initiatives. He was instrumental in launching the Secure by Design pledge, securing commitments from 250 of the world’s largest technology manufacturers to improve software security standards at scale.

David Haber, CEO & Co-founder, Lakera
Lakera is an AI-native security platform built to accelerate enterprise adoption of GenAI. He has led Lakera in securing billions of GenAI interactions across Fortune 100 enterprises, fast-growing tech firms, and leading startups. The company is powered by what it describes as the world’s largest AI red team, and was named one of the 2025 AI 100 Most Innovative AI Startups in the World by CB Insights.

Tanya Verma, Founder, Tinfoil (YCx25)
Tinfoil enables organizations to deploy AI workloads with the security and privacy of on-prem infrastructure while offering the convenience of cloud ensuring trust without compromising performance.

​Sujoy Gupta, Head of Engineering, Tools for Humanity
Engineering leader with over a decade at Google and YouTube, where he helped scale infrastructure across Nest’s AI systems and later brought Web3 to life as the founding engineer behind Google’s first NFT. Most recently served as Senior Engineering Manager helping shape Google's next decacorn initiative.

At Tools for Humanity, Sujoy is focused on building the technical foundation for a more trusted and inclusive digital identity. He also contributes actively to ACM and IEEE journals, where he shares insights on emerging tech architectures and blockchain.

Michelle Dennedy, Privacy Officer-in-Residence, Abaxx / PrivacyCode
She has held Chief Privacy Officer roles at McAfee, Intel, Cisco, and Sun Microsystems, defining the modern playbook for enterprise data governance. She’s also the author of The Privacy Engineer’s Manifesto and author & host of the “Privacy Sigma Riders” podcast.

Now at Abaxx, following its acquisition of PrivacyCode.ai, she leads the integration of data ethics and policy automation across the ID++ tech stack. Her work focuses on transforming global data liabilities into assets, quantifiable, accountable, and protected across jurisdictions from Canada to Singapore.

Julie Tsai, Cybersecurity Leader (CISO/TechOps), Board Member
She is a seasoned cybersecurity leader with experience leading security and privacy teams through IPOs, incident response, and large-scale infrastructure. She has held CISO and TechOps leadership roles across multiple private and public companies including Fortune 1 managing global security operations, compliance, and platform risk. With over 18 years in cybersecurity and two decades in systems engineering, Julie brings deep hands-on expertise and strategic vision to high-growth environments. She has spoken at major industry conferences including RSA, OWASP, and DevSecOps, and has been recognized among the top CISOs in California and influential women in DevOps.

Bhavya Gupta, Information Security Officer, Stanford University  
She is focused on cloud security and vulnerability management. Her work supports the university’s broader efforts to safeguard infrastructure through strong technical execution and cross-functional collaboration.

Feyza Haskaraman, Principal, Menlo Ventures
She has been with the firm for several years, previously serving as an investor. Her work spans early-stage venture investing across high-growth technology sectors.

David Colombo, Founder & Chief Everything Officer at Alaris Security
A VC-backed startup building at the intersection of cybersecurity and AI. His work focuses on helping enterprise and defense organizations secure the tactical edge and adapt at unmatched speed.

By the Numbers

👥 150+ curated guests
A room full of AI founders, CISOs, VCs, and builders, each handpicked to spark meaningful conversations.

⭐ 4.7/5 event rating
Attendees rated AI Insiders among the most valuable and thought-provoking events they’ve joined this year.

🗞️ 8 top-tier media features
Our story was picked up by Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, FOX47, and more, reaching a combined audience of over 100 million.

Want to See It?

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Lakera — The AI-native security platform accelerating enterprise GenAI, trusted by Fortune 100s and fast-scaling startups.

Cyera — The data security company that gives businesses context and control over their most valuable asset: data.

Straiker — The safest way to bring structured data into your AI workflows.

Zania — Building AI agents that execute risk and compliance work for enterprises.

Tinfoil — Confidential AI, end-to-end. Deploy AI workloads with the security of on-prem and the convenience of cloud.

AWS — The ultimate precision in Cloud Network Management

HC Consulting — Helping build the security ecosystem.

Pangea — Secure AI from Cloud to Code.

Marvelous — Designed the entire experience from first impression to final toast blending creative direction with AI-native precision to make every moment count.

Deepest gratitude to our brilliant partners, inspiring speakers, generous volunteers, and every incredible guest who made this gathering not just possible, but powerful.

If you are interested in featuring your startup in our Startup Spotlight during our events, please feel free to reach out by replying to this newsletter.

What’s Next for AI Insiders

AI Insiders is a high-trust ecosystem built around six verticals, from cybersecurity to biotech, where top founders, investors, and innovators connect in curated, invite-only gatherings. It combines private dialogue, hands-on demos, and targeted amplification to accelerate partnerships, shape AI strategy, and turn insight into action. Every touchpoint, from VIP dinners to real-time feedback loops, is designed to shorten cycles, deepen trust, and scale impact across the AI landscape.

→AI Insiders: Fintech & Payments
Revolutionizing financial services with intelligent AI applications

→AI Insiders: Robotics & Automation
Enhancing physical systems through intelligent AI automation

→AI Insiders: Government & Policy
Enhancing public services through responsible AI integration

→AI Insiders: Healthcare & Biotech
Advancing medical innovation through transformative AI solutions

🎟️ Join the next salon or inquire about partnerships.Till next time,

Merve Isler
Ecosystem Builder, AI Insiders Founder & CEO, Marvelous

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