From Hacker to $65M Startup - Ep 54 - Tal Kollender, Remedio

Join Matt Rose and Harry Baldwin for Episode 54 of the Cyber Security Matters Podcast as we sit down with Tal Kollender, CEO and Co-Founder of Remedio, who's tackling one of enterprise security's biggest blind spots - misconfigurations.

With over 20 years in cyber security, Tal shares her remarkable journey from discovering hacking as a teenager playing online games, through military intelligence service in Israel's cyber units, to CISO-level leadership at Dell and Avnet. She reveals how managing 150 security tools at Dell led to the eureka moment that sparked Remedio's creation.

Fresh from raising $65 million in their first funding round, Tal discusses how Remedio is revolutionising security by addressing misconfigurations without agents or credentials. She offers candid insights on the current state of security tools, the dangerous over-reliance on AI, and why alert fatigue is paralysing security teams globally.

Key Topics Covered:

• The evolution from teenage hacker to cyber CEO
• Why enterprises struggle with 150+ security tools
• Misconfigurations as the #1 cause of breaches
• Building security solutions without agents
• The $65 million funding journey
• Reality check on AI in cyber security
• The critical talent shortage in security
• Essential advice for industry newcomers

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

01:18 - Tal's entry into cyber security

08:45 - Military intelligence experience

15:00 - The 150 tools problem at Dell

20:30 - Founding Remedio

27:00 - The $65 million raise

32:15 - Industry challenges and talent shortage

38:30 - AI limitations in security

44:15 - Advice for newcomers

46:00 - Closing thoughts

About Tal Kollender:

CEO and Co-Founder of Remedio, Tal brings decades of hands-on cyber security experience from military intelligence to Fortune 500 CISO roles. A recognised leader in addressing enterprise misconfigurations, she's building the next generation of agent-free security solutions.

https://remedio.io/

The Cybersecurity Matters Podcast is brought to you by neuco, a global recruitment agency that specialises in sourcing brilliant people for groundbreaking companies.