In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Justin Beals, CEO and Co-founder of Strike Graph, about why security certification in a digital economy plagued with breaches can be the difference between success and failure for businesses seeking all-important funding. With Strike Graph, Justin and his team have developed an automated platform to monitor, map and manage their clients’ security systems and deliver a gold-standard attestation of quality that potential partners will immediately recognize and feel comfortable putting their trust (and money) in, all without the lengthy, costly process of an outside consultant.

We also speak about Justin’s transition from a more technical background to the role of founder, why being alone at the top can sometimes be the toughest position of all, the personal experience which drove home the importance of security certification, and why Strike Graph insists they can’t run a firm’s security system on their behalf.

Topics Discussed:

• How a technical background in engineering and product development prepared Justin for the founder’s position that would follow
• The supplementary skills a founder transitioning from tech should seek out in their potential partner, and why they might not want to be the sole founder in the first place
• The central significance of security certification in the digital services economy, and how it can hamstring an enterprise before it’s even up and running
• How Strike Graph’s security software let’s a firm monitor, map, and manage their security system, bringing it up to a Soc ii standard
• How Strike Graph largely eliminates the need for external consultants, saving their customers both time and money
• Why Strike Graph draws the line at actually running their clients’ security systems, and how they expect their advice and insights to be implemented