07.11.2024 Today's Inspiration from Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport, in the Wall Street Journal
Dear Students,
Are you excited about cloud security? Wiz is. CEO Assaf Rappaport and his fellow co-founders left Microsoft in 2020 to launch this startup (a competitor of Cisco), backed by high-powered investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital and even Howard Schultz (of Starbucks fame). While currently nearing $2B in funding (as of May), the venture, recently valued at $I2B is "not rushing into an IPO"?yet.
Rappaport's measured words indicate an appreciation of the need to continually adapt to an entrepreneur's changing landscape, while taking initiative?and demonstrating innovation. The scope of his plans quickly took shape as being broader than he and his team had initially expected. The company's Chief Technology Officer, Ami Luttwak?put it this way: “If you start breaking it out, you understand that in order to provide a platform that provides security for the cloud, you actually have to cover the entire supply chain...”?
As the middle child among five, growing up far in the Middle East, and "a self-described introvert," according to IndexVentures, Rappaport is also reportedly a master of key power skills surrounding teamwork, leadership, working with diverse stakeholders, time management (though reputedly not as a student!)?and most likely also?inquisitiveness, influence, collaboration, negotiation and a host of others. Musing about his team, Rappoport shared that, “I think part of the magic of the relationship is how different we all are. Each co-founder has a distinct personality. It allows us to bring out the best in each other.”
While there is no doubt that startup environments can be chaotic, as noted below, Rappaport and his team are moving as thoughtfully as possible, while seeking to deploy organizational skills, humor?and?resilience. Following 7 rounds of funding, they - and their competitors - don't expect them to be going anywhere but up, for the foreseeable future.
For candidates like you, who are seeking to build global careers, acquiring the types of power skills exemplified by Rappaport will provide a "valuable" foundation.
While good luck always seems to be present on the deck of the Good Ship Success when startups strike it big, that’s never the whole story. There are many patterns that can be discerned from the experience of top venture-backed companies, according to Index Ventures partner Martin Mignot, who led a research project on 200 standout examples.?
Wishing you a fast-start-up evening that doesn't "whiz" by too quickly!
Best,
Amy-Louise
For more on Rappaport and Wiz, please see also: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cyber-startup-wiz-raises-1-billion-on-path-to-ipo-500f9145, https://tracxn.com/d/companies/wiz/__0_Kx95xaiSB73CwWWX4eX30Hl2H-TOJESrvj3mzx1UE?or https://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/cloud-captains-how-assaf-rappaport-and-his-extraordinary-co-founders-built-the-worlds-fastest-growing-company/.