Founder Storiez

ephraim yarmak
  • 4.9 (45)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Semimonthly

The purpose of "FounderStoriez Channel" is to interview Entrepreneurs from around the world to share their story, experience, and wisdom with you so you can learn from them and be inspired.

  1. Niv Braun (CEO, Noma Security): Winning Mentality, $100M Series B, and the Hidden Cost of Building Fast

    6d ago

    Niv Braun (CEO, Noma Security): Winning Mentality, $100M Series B, and the Hidden Cost of Building Fast

    Niv is the co-founder and CEO of Noma Security. He raised a $100M Series B and scaled from 20 to 100 employees in a year, as a first-time founder, in cybersecurity, in the middle of a war that started the day Noma launched. In this conversation, Niv talks about what it actually takes to win: the four-day POC sprint with no product, the candidate they signed three days after he'd already signed with a competitor, the customers he turned away because the feature didn't justify a company, and the toll it takes when you're a founder who's "never full." We also get into the stuff founders don't say on stage — the loneliness, the lost sleep, the stress that physically catches up with you, and the slow realization that the company you're building starts to look uncomfortably like you. ▬▬▬ CHAPTERS ▬▬▬  00:00 Cold open  01:05 Intro  01:30 What "winning mentality" actually means  03:25 The 4-day POC with no product  06:30 How Noma signed a candidate who'd already signed elsewhere  08:45 How to cultivate culture at scale  14:30 How fast to let someone go when culture doesn't fit  18:30 Niv's childhood and where the competitiveness came from  22:00 "I'm never full" — the founder hunger problem  24:30 The day-to-day suffering of being a CEO  28:20 The 5% empty glass mistake every founder makes  32:30 Has anyone told you you're too transparent?  36:30 Strong opinions, loosely held — the anti-blaming culture  41:00 The hardest part of giving up control as you scale  45:30 Loneliness, sleep, and the hidden cost  46:30 What Niv got right as a first-time founder  48:30 Why he told customers to buy from Palo, not Noma  51:30 Did you have this vision on day one?  53:30 Are you the same person you were 2 years ago?  57:30 The biggest blind spot: social media and branding  1:00:00 When Niv became the bottleneck  1:03:30 The moment he realized Noma was something different  1:07:00 Does he ever take a moment to appreciate it?  1:08:30 The sticky-note values exercise that defined the company  1:10:30 Inside the $100M Series B decision  1:13:30 What success actually means to Niv  1:14:30 Is Noma your full identity?  1:16:30 Legacy 1:18:30 What people misunderstand about him  1:21:00 Closing     If you want the producer notes, the clips, or to get in touch with the show: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ephraimyarmak/

    1h 23m
  2. Raj (CEO, Jetstream): Two Traffic Lights to $34M — and Why CrowdStrike Funded the Founder Who Left

    May 20

    Raj (CEO, Jetstream): Two Traffic Lights to $34M — and Why CrowdStrike Funded the Founder Who Left

    Raj grew up in a town in India with two traffic lights. He's now the CEO of Jetstream, a cybersecurity startup he founded after leaving CrowdStrike, which then turned around and invested in his company. In this conversation: his mother's anything less than #1 pressure, the failures behind the successes (a WhatsApp competitor he didn't build, Cylance's missteps), the July 19th CrowdStrike outage and what it taught him about leadership, why he believes older founders have the real edge, and the five core values (CRUSH) he built Jetstream around. A masterclass on differentiation, conviction, and starting a company in your late forties.

    1h 15m
  3. How Elite Founders Think | Shachar Hirschberg, CEO of Artemis

    Apr 28

    How Elite Founders Think | Shachar Hirschberg, CEO of Artemis

    Shachar Hirschberg, Co-founder & CEO of Artemis Security, on building a cybersecurity company with thirty employees, one manager, and no traditional titles, only "Builders." We get into the flat-org experiment, why he thinks AI-era product velocity makes traditional hierarchies obsolete, the hiring process that gets candidates an offer in 24 hours (sometimes 3), the decade-long career plan that led to founding Artemis, and what competitive tennis taught him about surviving the founder rollercoaster. Plus: how they raised a $15M seed and a $70M Series A, the five values set before the first employee joined, and the first customer who asked to pay before being pitched. A useful one for anyone building, hiring, or rethinking how to run a team in 2026.

    55 min
  4. Dean Shahar (DTCP) How Venture Capitalists Make Decisions With Incomplete Information

    Mar 11

    Dean Shahar (DTCP) How Venture Capitalists Make Decisions With Incomplete Information

    In this episode, I sit down with Dean Shahar to discuss the reality of venture capital decision-making. Investors often have to make high-stakes decisions with incomplete information, especially when startups are reaching critical inflection points. Topics include: • The hardest part of venture capital • When startups transition from early customers to enterprise • How investors evaluate risk • Why hindsight makes investing look easier than it actually is A must-listen for founders, investors, and anyone curious about how venture capital really works.

    57 min
  5. Lia Cromwell (UpWest): What VCs Really Think After Your Pitch

    Feb 23

    Lia Cromwell (UpWest): What VCs Really Think After Your Pitch

    Lia Cromwell, Partner at UpWest, joins us for a candid conversation about venture capital, founder psychology, and the signals most entrepreneurs misread during fundraising. We discuss: – What VCs really think after your pitch – How to know if a meeting actually went well – Israeli vs American business culture – Why conviction can’t be built in one meeting – Founder red flags investors notice immediately – The importance of equity splits and co-founder chemistry – Gut instinct vs data in venture capital Lia also shares the personal story behind turning down a job, moving to Tel Aviv in 30 days, and building her career in early-stage investing. This episode blends tactical advice with personal conviction for founders who want to build the right way.

    1h 10m
  6. Shay Sandler (Vega) Grit, Sales, and Security, The Founder Mindset

    Feb 11

    Shay Sandler (Vega) Grit, Sales, and Security, The Founder Mindset

    In this powerful conversation, We sit down with Shay Sandler, co-founder of Vega, to unpack how grit, identity, and discipline shaped his journey from immigrant kid to elite operator to cybersecurity founder. Shay shares raw lessons from his upbringing, the mental battle of running marathons, and how those experiences shaped the way he builds companies and leads teams. They dive deep into what’s broken in modern security, why “more alerts” don’t equal safety, and how Vega is giving security teams real leverage instead of more noise. You’ll also hear how radical transparency, relentless consistency, and a sales-first mindset became the backbone of Vega’s culture and growth. Whether you’re a founder, CISO, investor, or aspiring operator, this episode is a masterclass in mindset, endurance, and building with intention. Key themes: • Immigrant mindset & resilience • Marathon mentality for founders • From sales to startup founder • Why cybersecurity is broken • Building culture through transparency • How elite performers think 🎙 Hosted by Ephraim Yarmak 🚀 Guest: Shay Sandler (Vega)

    1h 20m
  7. Rom Carmel (Apono): From Nigeria to Series B. The Journey of Apono

    Feb 3

    Rom Carmel (Apono): From Nigeria to Series B. The Journey of Apono

    Rom Carmel, CEO & Co-Founder of Apono, shares a deeply personal founder story from running his first business at age seven in Nigeria to leading a $54M, post-Series B cybersecurity company today. In this conversation, Rom reflects on how growing up in Lagos shaped his adaptability, how Israeli intelligence changed his leadership style, and how he evolved from perfectionist founder to empowering CEO. He also reveals the story behind meeting his co-founder Ofir, getting stuck together in Seychelles during COVID, and spending nine months speaking with 100 CISOs before building Apono. This is a masterclass in founder psychology, co-founder alignment, and what it really takes to scale a company without losing yourself. 🎙 Founder Storiez. Conversations that reveal what really makes great founders.  📌 Subscribe for more founder and investor stories  📌 Leave a comment with your biggest takeaway

    1h 7m
  8. Ori Barzilay (Team8): Winning Mentality, Humility, and Founder Excellence

    12/28/2025

    Ori Barzilay (Team8): Winning Mentality, Humility, and Founder Excellence

    In this episode, we sit down with Ori Barzilay, Partner at Team8, to explore what truly drives exceptional founders and investors. Ori shares his journey from elite military service and competitive sports to becoming one of the youngest partners at a tier-1 venture firm. We discuss winning mentality, humility, intuition in investing, founder-team dynamics, execution as a moat, and why Israel’s tech ecosystem continues to defy the odds. A thoughtful conversation on leadership, grit, and building long-term success—inside and outside venture capital.

    58 min
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4.9
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

The purpose of "FounderStoriez Channel" is to interview Entrepreneurs from around the world to share their story, experience, and wisdom with you so you can learn from them and be inspired.

Information

  • Creator
    ephraim yarmak
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    125
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Founder Storiez

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