Korea IT Times had an exclusive interview with Yotam Gutman, Director of Marketing at SentinelOne on Israel's power in cybersecurity and innovative management. Yotam Gutman popularly known as chosen as one of the 5 Security Influencers to follow on LinkedIn. Lt. Commander (Ret.) Israel Navy, Yotam Gutman, founded and managed the Cybersecurity Marketing Professionals Community, which includes over 300 marketing professionals from over 170 cyber companies.
SentinelOne stormed into 2020 with reports of a $200 million round led by New York-based venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners. This investment, coming just seven months after a previous $120 million series, gave SentinelOne a $1.1 billion valuation and a prominent spot on the global map of leading cybersecurity companies.
Q: Israel has more startups per capita than any nation. How can you explain that?
A: Israel is indeed a tiny and very young nation, and in itself, is a kind of startup built on faith and hard labor. During the 70 years since its establishment, Israel had to face immense challenges- to fight and thwart more potent military enemies, develop agriculture in a very arid climate, and build authoritative democratic institutes. Through the act of constantly facing and overcoming challenges, the state has built incredible grit and a “can-do” attitude, hard-wired into the Israeli DNA. This is the same mindset that entrepreneurs need when they seek to found new companies. In addition, the Israeli culture is tolerant of trial and error and expects less than perfect results (again- a byproduct of having to cope with less-ideal conditions). This is an essential phycological aspect- the gains from daring (and losing) are more significant than the perceived losses of trying and failing.
Q: What makes Israel so prolific in Cybersecurity?
A: In addition to the “Israeli Startup Mentality” mentioned above, three other factors are contributing to Israel’s forte in cybersecurity:
- The need: Israel is in constant military conflict with its neighbors and other countries and terror organizations worldwide. Israel was forced to develop a very potent defense industry to cope with these threats, and cybersecurity is the latest facet of warfare, is also included. The Israeli Army (IDF), Mossad, and ISD have developed tools and tactics to thwart cyber threats. Young people who finish their military service than take this know-how and turn it into civil cybersecurity technology.
- Startup ecosystem: by the time cybersecurity became popular, Israel already enjoyed a mature Hightech and startup eco-system, with multiple venture capital funds and excellent infrastructure (including some help from the government) to support new ventures. Of course, Israel has one of the oldest cybersecurity companies in the world- checkpoint, which in itself has helped incubate and nurture many startups.
- Academy: The Academic institutions in Israel are world-renowned in the cybersecurity research, which they then share with the industry or invest/ incubate directly in Startups.
Combining these three factors makes it possible for Israel to have such a thriving cybersecurity eco-system.
Q: Israel is a small country, and Korea has mostly huge enterprises. Are Israeli products suited to such large organizations?
A: They are. Even though the magnitude is different, the challenges are similar- climate stress, urbanization and density, and regional instability. Israeli technologies are especially suited for urban societies in less-stable regions.
Q: Can Israel effectively sell to such a distant region? How do Israeli companies overcome the distance and cultural differences?
A: Israeli B2B companies have been successfully exporting goods and services for over 50 years. With the shift to the SaaS business model, Israeli companies have been able to scale and sell directly to consumers and corporates worldwide, directly from Israel. We acknowledge the need for local presence, so at SentinelOne, we’ve recently opened APJ headquarters in Singapore and are recruiting local distributors and partners across the region.
Q: Israel was renowned for its agriculture tech, then weapons technology, then Cyber. Looking ahead, which are the Israeli innovations that would prove beneficial/ fruitful?
A: Israel was always excellent in turning “lemons” into “Lemonade.” For instance, the need to develop agriculture in the arid climate facilitated the invention of drip-irrigation. Using the same logic, I believe that we must solve today’s problems using the technology we have and the one we will develop. The most pressing challenges in Israel today are Environmental technologies (pollution monitoring, recycling), Mobility (self-driving cars, navigation), and smart building technologies.
