So you've got an idea, some motivation, and a few screws loose so you're thinking of hanging up your shingle and going out on your own. You're in good company. There's a long track record of successful information security startups making a huge impact on our industry. There's also a lot failed companies and burned out employees that serve as a reminder that launching a startup can be difficult and unpredictable. So what's on the path to success? And what are the gotchas, pitfalls, and other hazards that can get in between you and a successful company? There are numerous resources available to people looking to start their own company. However, starting a security company in the breach-a-day environment we live in has its own challenges. This talk focuses on the unique issues that information security startups face. This talk will cover a wide variety of topics that people involved in startups in our industry will face including recruiting, insurance, dropping 0day, and outside funding. Also, Bruce has made numerous mistakes in his professional career and he will share a list of What Not To Do (tm) in your company. Sometimes the path to success isn't clear, but the path to failure is well lit and well traveled.

Bruce Potter is the founder of The Shmoo Group, one of the organizers of ShmooCon, and the CTO at the KEYW Corporation. Bruce has participated in a number of startups and recently sold his company after years of blood, sweat, and mistakes. Bruce's lack of degrees and certifications hasn't stopped him from discussing infosec in numerous articles, books, and presentations. Bruce has been in the computer security field for nearly 2 decades which means he is getting old and increasingly jaded. His primary focus areas are trusted computing, cyber security risk management (yikes!), and large scale vulnerability analysis. Bruce believes that while attackers have the upper hand, we can still do better with the tools we have than most people realize. Bruce also believes in using fake names when ordering coffee but occasionally uses his real name to throw people off his scent.

@gdead

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