EPISODE SUMMARY
Today’s Pathfinder episode features Galvanick cofounder and CEO Josh Steinman. The LA-based startup, which just announced a $10M seed round, is building cybersecurity solutions to protect industrial infrastructure.
EPISODE NOTES
While warfare used to mean dropping bombs and shooting bullets, modern conflict is increasingly seeing actors targeting an adversaries’ critical infrastructure with cyberattacks.
The number of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure perpetrated or sponsored by nation-states doubled from 20% to 40% between July 2021 and June 2022, according to Microsoft. The US is particularly vulnerable since the vast majority of critical infrastructure is under private ownership. This makes the implementation of safety standards challenging and complicates the government’s task of monitoring and guarding against threats.
Enter: Galvanick.
Catch-up quick: The LA-based startup, which just announced a $10M seed round, is building cybersecurity solutions to protect industrial infrastructure.
Galvanick’s first product is an industrial-based XDR platform. Think of it as a system that collects data from different industrial machines and locations to keep an eye out for any potential threats. This allows the operations and computer security teams to understand what’s normal behavior—and what isn’t—and to quickly see if something is out of whack.
First customer? The company’s initial target market is the aerospace and defense industry, where cyber threats are particularly acute due to national security interests.
A sneak peek…
We interview Josh Steinman, cofounder and CEO of Galvanick. Josh founded the company in 2021 after witnessing the extent of the issue as a former senior director for cyber at the National Security Council. We discuss:
- Galvanick’s origin story and vision
- The importance of the National Security Council
- Asymmetric attacks and the extent of the cyber problem
- What separates successful defense startups
- The top three threats to America
And much more…
This episode is brought to you by SpiderOak, a US-based software company that builds space cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Learn more at https://spideroak.com/
• Chapters •
00:00 – Intro and SpiderOak Ad
01:10 – Good morning, we are going to win
03:35 – Galvanick overview
05:56 – Josh’s background and the Galvanick origin story
09:35 – Influencing the creation of the Defense Innovation Unit
11:28 – National Security Council Primer
14:25 – How did you land a role on the NSC?
16:29 – What is an asymmetric attack and how does cyber fit into that description?
22:47 – What are the critical vulnerabilities that we face today?
27:20 – Galvanick’s technology
29:53 – How are you thinking about scaling in the market and growing the business?
32:44 – Customer pushback on the product
36:55 – How is generative AI going to change cyberattacks?
39:01 – SpiderOak Ad break
39:49 – What separates successful defense startups from the rest?
42:33 – How would you digitize our infrastructure?
47:17 – Top threats to America today
50:28 – Is China ahead in critical technology developments?
52:50 – Perspective on US decline vs China rise
57:12 – The future of cybersecurity
01:00 – How to get in touch with Josh and Galvanick