CyberBytes: The Podcast

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Welcome to CyberBytes: The Podcast by Aspiron Search, your go-to source for exclusive interviews with cybersecurity leaders. We explore their career journeys, industry insights, and the evolving world of cyber tech. Gain valuable knowledge from top experts and stay informed about the latest in cybersecurity. Subscribe now and stay ahead in the world of cybersecurity! Aspiron Search is the competitive advantage in cybersecurity staffing, specialising in early-stage and GTM cybersecurity recruitment. We’ve supported everything from building founding teams for emerging startups to scaling glo

  1. 12/18/2025

    From CIA Special Ops to AI Startup CEO - Andesite

    In this episode, we sit down with Brian Carbaugh, CEO and Co-Founder of Andesite, to unpack one of the most unconventional founder journeys in cybersecurity.Brian spent 25 years at the CIA, serving in special operations, covert action, and ultimately leading the agency’s Special Activities Center. Today, he’s building a well-funded AI-for-SOC company in one of the most crowded and competitive markets in tech.We dig into:• How a career in intelligence shaped Brian’s approach to leadership, risk, and company-building• Why Andesite is taking a contrarian stance on AI in the SOC by putting analysts, not automation, at the centre• What’s broken about today’s “replace the analyst” narrative in cybersecurity• How the AI SOC market has exploded and what actually differentiates vendors beyond hype• Why Andesite chose a company-builder and foundry model over traditional venture funding• The strategic decision to prioritise compliance and trust from day one• The realities of transitioning from national security to startup chaosThis conversation goes deep on human-first AI, trust in cybersecurity, and what it really takes to build an enterprise-grade company in a noisy market.Brian's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-carbaugh-38b339243/Andesite - https://www.linkedin.com/company/andesiteai/Oliver's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverlegg/Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

    36 min
  2. 12/09/2025

    Why AI Agents Keep Failing - Arcade.dev

    In this episode of CyberBytes, we sit down with Alex, co-founder and CEO of Arcade.dev, to unpack the real story behind MCP (Model Context Protocol) and why it has become one of the fastest-adopted standards in AI.Alex explains how the industry is moving past “wow” chatbots toward action-taking agents that can actually send the email, update the CRM, and automate real workflows. He also shares the unexpected pivot that led Arcade to its core product. What started as a site reliability agent turned into a breakthrough “tool execution layer” that separates an agent’s brain from its hands, making AI actions deterministic, secure, and production-ready.We dig into why most enterprise agent projects stall before production, the three bottlenecks killing ROI (accuracy, token cost, and security), and how MCP done right is not just “APIs wrapped for LLMs” but intention-based tooling built around what users want to achieve. Plus, Alex drops hard-earned lessons from his previous startup exit to Okta, including why early founders should sell fake demos first and why the best infrastructure products feel like black magic.If you are building agents, investing in the space, or trying to understand what the next 6 to 12 months of AI adoption looks like, this one is for you.Alex's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsalazar/Arcade.dev - https://www.arcade.dev/Steffen's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffenfoley/Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

    31 min
  3. 11/11/2025

    From Sales Engineer to CEO: How Vorlon’s Amir Khayat Is Redefining SaaS Security

    In this episode, we sit down with Amir Khayat, CEO and Co-Founder of Vorlon, to unpack one of the fastest-growing frontiers in cybersecurity - SaaS and AI ecosystem security. From his early career to where he is now, Amir shares how his unique go-to-market background gives Vorlon a serious edge. He reveals why CISOs are finally waking up to the real risks in their SaaS supply chains, why misconfigurations are a losing battle, and how Vorlon’s behavioural data movement approach is reshaping how enterprises defend their environments. Vorlon secures the converged SaaS and AI ecosystem, giving enterprises visibility and control over the data, identities, and integrations that power modern business. Built on patent-pending DataMatrix™ technology, Vorlon’s unified SaaS and AI security platform creates a live model of every app, agent, and connected service, along with their interdependent data flows, non-human identities, and users. It delivers continuous, agentless visibility without disrupting operations. Organizations can see data in motion, uncover risky integrations and unsanctioned AI tools, detect unusual behaviour, and automate remediation in real time. Backed by Accel and trusted by Fortune 500 leaders and fast-moving innovators, Vorlon helps security teams safeguard sensitive data and innovate with confidence in the era of AI-driven transformation. Learn more at vorlon.io. If you’re tracking the intersection of SaaS, AI, and data protection, or just love hearing from founders changing the game, this one’s for you. Amir's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amir-khayat/ Vorlon's - https://www.linkedin.com/company/vorlon/ Oliver's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverlegg/ Aspiron Search - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspiron-search/

    27 min

About

Welcome to CyberBytes: The Podcast by Aspiron Search, your go-to source for exclusive interviews with cybersecurity leaders. We explore their career journeys, industry insights, and the evolving world of cyber tech. Gain valuable knowledge from top experts and stay informed about the latest in cybersecurity. Subscribe now and stay ahead in the world of cybersecurity! Aspiron Search is the competitive advantage in cybersecurity staffing, specialising in early-stage and GTM cybersecurity recruitment. We’ve supported everything from building founding teams for emerging startups to scaling glo