Cybersecurity’s AI Moment: A Conversation with Ron Peled, Founder of Sola

Cybersecurity’s AI Moment: A Conversation with Ron Peled, Founder of Sola

By Michael Matias, CEO of Clarity and Forbes 30 Under 30 alumWe’re not easing into the AI era—we’ve been thrown into it. That’s how Ron Peled, founder of Sola and former CISO at LivePerson, described the current moment: “The Big Bang already happened. Now we’re just trying to contain the blast.”Ron’s clarity around AI’s impact on cybersecurity is jarring—and refreshing. He doesn’t talk about threat vectors or dashboards. He talks about control. About complexity. About what breaks when the world adopts generative AI faster than the security stack can respond.Like many of the leaders I’ve spoken with—Dorit Dor at Check Point, Tsion Gonen at Protego, Elik Etzion at Elron—Ron sees AI as both threat and tool. But what makes his voice unique is his insistence on simplicity. “The era of bloated, ‘luxury’ cybersecurity products is over,” he said. “What teams need now is focus. Precision. Clean UX. Solutions that don’t overwhelm—just work.”That perspective echoes something Tom Mes told me about CISOs today: they don’t have the luxury of managing theoretical risk. Their job is to enable the business without drowning in alerts or friction. In that sense, Sola’s approach reflects a growing pattern—cybersecurity as a minimalist, embedded experience.But Ron takes it further. He doesn’t just want cleaner tools. He wants community-based security. “Everyone talks about shared defense,” he said. “Almost no one builds for it.” He sees this as the next evolution—not more tech, but more collective action. A model that looks more like a neighborhood watch and less like a gated compound.It’s a mindset I’ve come to share at Clarity. Whether we’re tackling deepfakes or phishing automation, the organizations moving fastest are the ones who build for people, not just systems. The ones who remember that cybersecurity is, at its core, a coordination challenge.Ron also spoke to the evolving role of the CISO. No longer just a gatekeeper, the modern security leader needs to be what he calls “a productively paranoid operator”—someone who sees what’s coming and builds guardrails without becoming the roadblock.That term stuck with me: productively paranoid.Because that’s exactly what AI requires. The attacks are faster. The tools are more accessible. And the stakes—for privacy, for resilience, for trust—have never been higher.As our conversation wrapped, Ron returned to the urgency. “Organizations don’t want partial solutions,” he said. “They want defenses that move at the speed of the threats.”In that sense, the mission is simple: Build security tools that scale with AI, not lag behind it. Architect for clarity, not complexity. And never forget—the Big Bang already happened.The question now is: who’s ready to build the shield?About Michael Matias:Michael Matias is the CEO and Co-Founder of Clarity, an AI-powered cybersecurity startup backed by venture capital firms including Bessemer Venture Partners and Walden Catalyst. Clarity develops advanced AI technologies protecting organizations from sophisticated phishing attacks and AI-generated social engineering threats, including deepfakes. Before founding Clarity, Matias studied Computer Science with a specialization in AI at Stanford University and led cybersecurity teams in Unit 8200 of the Israel Defense Forces. Forbes Israel recognized him early on, naming him to the exclusive 18Under18 list in 2013 and the Forbes 30Under30 list thereafter. Matias authored the book Age is Only an Int and hosts the podcast 20MinuteLeaders.

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Ep85: Nir Bar-Lev | Co-Founder and CEO of Allegro AI

Ep85: Nir Bar-Lev | Co-Founder and CEO of Allegro AI

Nir began his hi-tech career in the IDF and since then has spent almost 30 years in the industry in leadership positions. After completing his MBA at Wharton (BSc CS in Technion), he was one of the founding members of the Google R&D center in Tel Aviv and worked in GM leadership roles within the company (search advertising in EMEA, GM of Bebapay). Currently Nir is the co-founder and CEO of Allegro AI.

30 Aug 202021min

Ep83: Aaron Tartakovski | Co-Founder and CEO of Epic CleanTec

Ep83: Aaron Tartakovski | Co-Founder and CEO of Epic CleanTec

Aaron Tartakovsky is co-founder and CEO of Epic CleanTec, a sustainability startup redefining how cities manage their water. He previously served as Director of Business Development and Marketing for CB Engineers, overseeing its R&D division. Prior to that he worked in federal politics and has remained active in affecting public policy on the local, state, and national levels. In 2017 he was recognized as a GreenBiz 30 under 30 honoree. Aaron is also a founding member and investor in the Silicon Valley-based J-Ventures Fund.

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Ep81: Kobi Mahat | Actor and Movie Producer

Ep81: Kobi Mahat | Actor and Movie Producer

Kobi Mahat is one of the most well known and respect Israeli TV personas. He appeared in over 10,000 hours of live TV at the "children's channel" and has since acted in dozens of films and TV shows. Most recently Kobi is an accomplished film producer, having written and directed some of Israel's most well-known films. He holds a B.A in Psychology and a Masters in Organizational Behavior from Tel Aviv University.

30 Aug 202022min

Ep84: Michal Segalov | Director of Engineering at Google

Ep84: Michal Segalov | Director of Engineering at Google

Michal is a Director of Engineering at Google. She currently leads teams working on Natural Language Understanding, and previously worked on the Google Play team focusing on consumer features, Play Games APIs for developers, Google’s Networking infrastructure and YouTube. Michal co-initiated Mind The Gap, a program aimed at encouraging high school girls to select computer science and math as their high-school major. The program expanded globally and is now in its 8th year, with more than 50,000 participants to date.

30 Aug 202020min

Ep82: Yael Shemer | Co-Founder and CMO of TULU

Ep82: Yael Shemer | Co-Founder and CMO of TULU

Yael is the co-founder and CMO of TULU, a startup that aims to reshape the way people use and consume household products in buildings, neighborhoods, and offices. It is a smart rental room (accessible by an app), that leverages data analysis and smart maintenance. The company has 20 locations across Tel Aviv, New York, and New Jersey. Previously Yael was an environmental activist and promoted ventures in urban farming, food waste and renewable energy.

30 Aug 202021min

Ep76: Steven R. Gerbsman | Managing Principal at Gerbsman Partners

Ep76: Steven R. Gerbsman | Managing Principal at Gerbsman Partners

Steven is an internationally recognized Crisis/Turnaround CEO/Restructuring Professional, Private Investment Banker and Angel Investor who has been involved in maximizing enterprise value, stakeholder and shareholder value in a broad variety of industries. With 51 years experience of senior management and having been involved in deals amounting to $2.3B, he helped over 105 companies maximize their enterprise value. Steven is an investor in J-Ventures.

29 Aug 202022min

Ep80: Mor Chen | Managing Director at 8200 For Startups by EISP

Ep80: Mor Chen | Managing Director at 8200 For Startups by EISP

Mor is the Managing Director of 8200 For Startups by EISP, one of the leading startups accelerator in Israel. She founded the 8200 Alumni Association first female entrepreneurship program and the first startup accelerator for reserve duty soldiers. She is a tech and strategy enthusiastic, previously working as a software engineer at VMware and as a strategy consultant at Strategy& (previously Booz& Company). Mor is passionate about bringing more women into STEM and developing the next generation of women leaders.

29 Aug 202022min

Ep78: Elia Gourgouris | Founder and President of the Happiness Center

Ep78: Elia Gourgouris | Founder and President of the Happiness Center

Dr. Gourgouris is an International Keynote speaker and a #1 Best-selling author of “7 Paths to Lasting Happiness”. After becoming a National Swim Champion of Athens (Greece), he received his BA, MD and PhD in Psychology. He founded the Happiness Center, an organization of world leading experts in the field of Positive Psychology, and has helped thousands of individuals and companies achieve happiness, success and corporate wellness.

29 Aug 202022min

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