Securing AI Adoption: A Conversation with Matan Derman, Co-founder & CEO of Apex

Securing AI Adoption: A Conversation with Matan Derman, Co-founder & CEO of Apex

By Michael Matias, CEO of Clarity and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum


Cybersecurity is at a turning point, driven by AI’s rapid rise. In a recent conversation with Matan Derman, CEO of Apex, we explored why integrating AI into organizations is inevitable—and why traditional security strategies must evolve to meet AI-specific threats.


Derman, with a background in elite Israeli cyber units and Stanford Business School, alongside co-founder Tomer Even, quickly recognized how accessible AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot were revolutionizing productivity while exposing new vulnerabilities. “Organizations were banning AI tools out of fear—legal, compliance, privacy, and data leakage concerns were overwhelming,” Derman shared.


At Clarity, I’ve seen firsthand how AI-generated cyberattacks are escalating. Team8 reports AI-driven phishing attacks have surged over 2,000% recently. Static, reactive security models are no match for these dynamic threats.


Apex’s solution? Use AI to secure AI. "We evolved from being a security company focused on AI to becoming a security company for AI, leveraging AI extensively," Derman explained. Traditional defenses can’t handle novel attack methods like prompt injection and jailbreak attacks, which trick AI models into revealing sensitive data—even through creative methods like Morse code.


Organizations now face a clear choice: adopt proactive, AI-powered security or risk falling behind. As AI lowers the barrier for attackers, real-time, AI-driven defenses have become essential.


Derman stressed that for AI’s true potential to be realized, it must be widely adopted across entire workforces—not just by tech experts. Yet, broader use also expands the risk landscape. Companies must urgently adopt AI-native security platforms to harness AI’s benefits safely.


The cybersecurity industry is at a crossroads. AI-driven solutions are no longer optional—they’re today’s standard. As Derman put it: “Our goal was identifying critical problems unique to AI use and creating foundational security layers for future AI adoption.”


The time to act is now. The future won’t wait.

Episoder(1150)

Ep265: Arod Balissa | Manager, Deloitte Catalyst, Deloitte Israel

Ep265: Arod Balissa | Manager, Deloitte Catalyst, Deloitte Israel

Arod is a Manager at Deloitte Catalyst, Deloitte Israel's startup practice, focusing on Life Sciences and Healthcare innovation. He also is the co-founder of Wize, one of Israel's largest content platforms, a board member of the 8200 Alumni Association, where he leads the digital transformation project and several other initiatives, and a board member of ISOC-IL, the Israeli Internet Association. Arod is passionate about climate change, an avid reader and a lawyer by training.

23 Jan 202126min

Ep264: Tess Manning | Principal, GSV Ventures

Ep264: Tess Manning | Principal, GSV Ventures

Tess is a Principal at GSV Ventures, an early-stage venture fund focused on education technology. Tess spent time at Pluralsight on their strategy team, was a top sales executive at Andela (start-up transforming talent across Africa), and the Head of Talent at Timehop. Tess holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA in International Relations/Economics from New York University. Tess was a Teaching Assistant at Stanford GSB for “Diverse Leadership in Education.” She serves on the Advisory Board for Girl Develop It, a non-profit providing software engineering courses for adult women.

22 Jan 202123min

Ep263: Peter Fishman | Co-Founder & CEO, Mozart Data

Ep263: Peter Fishman | Co-Founder & CEO, Mozart Data

Peter Fishman is the co-founder and CEO of Mozart Data (YCS20), the easiest way to spin up a modern data stack.  Previously, he was the Chief Strategy Officer at Eaze, a cannabis technology platform. He has also worked at fast-growing startups including Opendoor, Zenefits, Yammer/Microsoft, Playdom/Disney.  He also has been involved with sports analytics at the Philadelphia Eagles and has run a hot sauce company, Bacon Hot Sauce.  He holds a B.S. from Duke University and a Ph.D. in economics from UC Berkeley.

21 Jan 202124min

Ep262: Spandana Palaypu | Founder & CEO, ZoEasy

Ep262: Spandana Palaypu | Founder & CEO, ZoEasy

Spandana is the Founder & CEO of ZoEasy, an award-winning social enterprise in the MENA Region that focuses on educating and matching migrant blue-collar job seekers to the right employment opportunities using ethical and transparent hiring. She is also the Vice Curator of Global Shapers Dubai, World Economic Forum, where she helps lead the Hub in relation to the WEF's key pillars and has also contributed to many of the hub's education and employment initiatives. Spandana is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Awardee, Expo 2020, and Credit Suisse's Lead 2030 Winner, Speaker, and Ambassador at One Young World and an Enterprise for Peace Scholar with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

20 Jan 202124min

Ep261: Nuri Golan | Co-Founder and CEO, Sosivio

Ep261: Nuri Golan | Co-Founder and CEO, Sosivio

Nuri Golan is a serial entrepreneur and Angel investor. Nuri was the CEO and Co-Founder of the GPS technology startup EXO Technologies which he sold to Lear Corporation, a Fortune 150 company. At Lear, Nuri became the Managing Director of Lear Innovation Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Lear. Currently, Nuri is the CEO of Sosivio, a next-gen observability platform for Cloud Native environments. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Nuri served 6 years in the Israeli Navy Seals as a combat officer and also managed the unit's advanced R&D team. Nuri has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and an MBA from the Technion in Israel.

19 Jan 202124min

Ep260: Orlie (Dahan) Gruper | Executive Director,  EcoMotion

Ep260: Orlie (Dahan) Gruper | Executive Director, EcoMotion

Orlie began her path in the industry through her time in the Air Force, where she was recruited to operate a private aviation fleet, then moved on to complete her BA in Business Management at IDC. She became the first female entrepreneur in the community she leads today by founding Blitz Motors, a two-wheeled electric vehicle company.  Orlie is the current acting Executive Director at EcoMotion and is the founder of Women in Mobility, a community that aims to grow the number of women in the field by sharing challenges and opportunities while acquiring new tools for professional growth.

18 Jan 202121min

Ep259: Ivan Jakovljevic | Chief Development Officer, STV

Ep259: Ivan Jakovljevic | Chief Development Officer, STV

Ivan is the Chief Development Officer at STV, largest venture capital fund in the Middle East and North Africa region with more than $500M in assets under management. At STV, Ivan is leading portfolio support and value creation, helping STV portfolio companies address key challenges to scale, such as talent, marketing & growth, business development and strategy. Before joining STV, Ivan was Regional Lead for new markets at Google MENA and Principal at Booz & Company, consultants. Ivan holds a Masters in Logistics and Transport Engineering from Belgrade University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

17 Jan 202117min

Ep258: Tamir Plachinsky | Founder and CEO, Griiip

Ep258: Tamir Plachinsky | Founder and CEO, Griiip

After founding the first Formula SAE team in Israel (2011), I spent 6 months in Italy working at Dallara - the world's best race car manufacturer. Returning to Israel (2012), I decided to establish a company that will focus on making Motorsport more accessible and affordable, using new technologies and solutions yet to be implemented in the industry. We started by addressing the needs of the driver and developed the G1- a race car that combines extreme performance with affordability, but our true success was uncovering the larger opportunity for smart-connected racecars and a comprehensive data solution for the racing and automotive industries.

16 Jan 202122min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
pengepodden-2
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
finansredaksjonen
utbytte
rss-sunn-okonomi
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
stinn-av-gryn
lederpodden
pengesnakk
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
aksjesladder
rss-impressions-2
rss-investering-gjort-enkelt
rss-bare-a-beklage