On a recent episode of the Unpack Podcast, Sierra Ventures Partner Vignesh Ravikumar and Arvind Ayyala, Partner at Geodesic Capital, sat down with Sanjay Beri, Founder and CEO of Netskope, one of the largest private cybersecurity platforms. Sanjay shared candid reflections on building Netskope from inception in 2012 to surpassing $500M+ ARR, and the principles that shaped his journey as a founder.

Building From First Principles

Sanjay attributes much of his entrepreneurial foundation to lessons learned early: grit, resilience, and integrity instilled by his family. Professionally, his career spanned engineering, product, sales, and general management before founding Netskope. This breadth gave him not only technical depth but also the perspective to recognize the confluence of major shifts—cloud, mobile, and networking—that set the stage for Netskope.

His vision was bold from day one: to build the converged security and networking platform for the cloud and now the AI era. He started pragmatically by focusing on SaaS applications, earning early trust with enterprises before expanding into a true multi-product platform.

Culture as a Differentiator

A recurring theme in Sanjay’s leadership is culture. He stressed that building a company with integrity, openness, and empathy is not optional; it is essential.

• He evaluates employees annually, not just on performance but also on cultural values.

• He actively screens hires for empathy, EQ, and cultural alignment over pedigree or “big names.”

• He lives the mantra of “two CXOs a day,” staying close to customers and using those conversations to build empathy with his customers.

Scaling GTM with Partners and Hunters

From the earliest days, Netskope committed to working through partners and never going around them. That loyalty built long-term trust. Sanjay also emphasized hiring “hunters” even at scale—leaders who can not only operate but also chase growth opportunities with passion and creativity.

He shared that every growth stage comes with challenges. Whether it was building brand awareness, scaling sales leadership, or adjusting during COVID when traditional field marketing evaporated, the common thread was resilience and adapting GTM motions without losing sight of the long game.

Innovation as a Survival Imperative

For Sanjay, innovation is not optional. Netskope invests nearly half its team in R&D, betting on platform depth to stay ahead of entrenched incumbents. He pointed out that in cybersecurity, “innovate or die” is the reality, and too many companies in the sector have stagnated.

The company’s architecture also enabled it to adapt seamlessly to new waves, including AI. Netskope was able to extend its existing data protection and threat prevention technologies to secure generative AI adoption without starting from scratch.

Advice for Founders Sanjay’s reflections carried several lessons for early-stage founders:

• Think long-term but start focused. Build with a platform mindset, but enter the market through the wedge where you can win.

• Prioritize culture. Hire for empathy and values as much as skill. Integrity compounds.

• Stay in the trenches. Whether it is joining sales calls, hosting open dialogues with employees, or meeting two CXOs a day, leaders must balance strategic vision with hands-on engagement.

• Do not follow the hype. Speak to customer use cases and real business value, not the buzzword of the month. Authenticity stands out.

• Partners matter. Choose your channel model early and commit to it with loyalty.

Netskope’s story underscores that enduring companies are not built by chasing fads or cutting corners. They are built through grit, culture, focus, and a relentless commitment to innovation. For founders navigating their own scaling journey, Sanjay’s playbook is one worth studying.

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