Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Neil Serebryany, CEO & Co-Founder of Calypso AI, an AI security platform that has raised over $38 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Origins in Intelligence and AI: Neil's experience in the US intelligence community revealed the vast potential of AI for data analysis and the significant security vulnerabilities that accompany AI's rise, inspiring the foundation of Calypso AI.
- Early Challenges and Learning: The initial days of Calypso AI involved identifying and addressing the myriad vulnerabilities in AI systems, underscoring the nascent state of AI security and the company's role in shaping the field.
- Market Education and Awareness: In the early stages, there was a significant challenge in convincing stakeholders of the imminent need for AI security solutions before the widespread acknowledgment of AI vulnerabilities.
- Government as the First Customer: Having the government as an early customer provided substantial initial revenue and R&D collaboration opportunities but necessitated balancing government-specific solutions with broader enterprise needs.
- Building Trust and Credibility: Calypso AI leveraged its government partnership as a credibility stamp in the enterprise domain, emphasizing the importance of showing tangible product value to build trust.
- Navigating the Post-ChatGPT Landscape: The advent of generative AI and foundation models has significantly shifted the company's focus and messaging, aligning with the evolving AI risk landscape and enterprise needs for simplified, secure AI deployment.