Tentacle Notes (April 2022)

Life has a crazy way of getting in the way sometimes and stopping you from doing some of the more creative activities that truly bring you enjoyment.?This past year alone, I've had to press pause on my "Thank You" project, photo album, and even these newsletters.?And for no good reason, just that—well—life got in the way.?Nevertheless, I’m trying to reignite these project—starting with my first Tentacle Notes of 2022.?What started as a project has grown to be so much more.?And just about one-year since the launch of our product, I thought it only made sense to send around a quick update!?

ONE YEAR LATER?

Despite being lost in the time warp (also known as the pandemic), Tentacle has now had its product in the market for a year now!?Even as I write this, I find it a bit hard to believe—yet I am very proud of the growth of our team, our product, and market presence in that time.?As we welcome our 200th organization onto Tentacle, our product is now a formidable player in the Information Security sector and is getting some attention from The "who’s who" in the space. We’ve stuck with our overall strategy, made the pivots as we’ve seen necessary, and continue to focus on our core values in everything we do (effort, innovation, and execution).?The timing of our one-year (in the market date) happens to also coincide with the new phase that we are entering.?Tentacle is closing out an additional investment in our business, our product is rich in functionality, and we are focusing in on marketing, sales, and overall business development.??

I’M LOOKING FOR THE BRAVE

Over the course of the past two years, I’ve realized that it won’t just be the amazing software that Tentacle is building that will address the problems of inefficiency, ineffectiveness, and insecurity that are ever present in the industry. Although a major (and valid) contribution to solving the problem, software alone isn't the answer. My research and experience has uncovered the sad truth that every security professional that I have ever spoken to admits that there are flaws in the current system. More importantly, they acknowledge that change will only happen when organizations finally say “enough is enough,” and are BRAVE enough to put their foot down and play an active role in contributing to the transformation of this space. I just wrote a blog on this topic, so those who might be interested in geeking out and learning more about it… have a look!

Read here:?https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/im-looking-brave-matthew-combs

INDUSTRY DISRUPTION OR COURSE CORRECTING??

Now that we have our product in the market and are making new sales pitches every day, I'm constantly chatting with industry targets about our mission and the intent of what we’re trying to accomplish.?I have thought a lot about whether Tentacle is doing the classic “industry disruption,” as is so common with many startups and what is often asked of me on my calls.?I’ve concluded that what we’re aiming to do is better characterized as a massive course correction for an industry that has fail to evolve its methods and processes.?With Tentacle, we truly are seeking to improve the overall level of security for ALL organizations, by tackling the fundamentals of how security is measured, communicated, and assessed.?The longer the world continues with the existing system, the more susceptible we all are to breaches, attacks, unwanted disclosures, and other major disruptions.??

NEVER GO IT ALONE?

Nothing at Tentacle has been accomplished alone. I have been lucky to have partnered with a truly unique organization that has been instrumental in getting Tentacle to where we are.?To say that PSG takes a unique approach would be a huge understatement, and perhaps even offensive to them.?PSG has not only been an amazing financial partner, but also an incredible supporter of our focus on equality and dedication to building a class A organization.?They defy the stereotype so often bestowed unto private equity firms and continually leave me in awe of their trust, support, and belief that they have in me, my team, and what we’re doing at Tentacle.??

ALWAYS LEARNING LESSONS?

Since launch, our time building Tentacle has come with its fair share of lessons—most of which are a result of mistakes made or missteps taken.?And like everything, it all seems clear as day in hindsight.?The product has landed at its current spot as a result of feedback, usage analytic, and overall performance data—and no, we did not get it right the first time. Our equality plan has morphed and evolved, and likely will continue to do so as we learn more and more about what does and does not foster equality and diversity—and no, we didn’t get that perfect out of the gate.??

The list goes on and on: our financial model, hiring plan, marketing and outreach efforts, etc.—pretty much nothing has gone perfectly to script.?Yet we find ourselves here, roughly two years later with a market leading product that is being adopted by some of today’s best companies, and a team and operations that are truly first-class.?All of this points to the power of being open to the countless lessons we can learn along the way.

RECRUITING MORE HELP?

We’re always looking for as much support as we can get—from anybody and everybody willing to provide it.?Know a contact at a company that might know someone who knows someone else that might be a good opportunity for us??… We’d love an introduction!?How about someone that might be interested in joining our team and helping us out in our mission??Or how about just going to our website and helping our search ranking??(hint: www.Tentacle.co)?I’ve never been bashful about asking for support and am ALWAYS grateful for the support we get.??

?KEEP READING

I think I hinted towards this in my last note, though as a quick refresher, I have fully jumped into the sport of Trail/Ultra Running.?As such, and as a way of passing large swaths of time alone in the middle of the woods, I have fully embraced the world of blogs and audio books - while also reigniting my appreciation and exploration of the world of music.?I thought I would share some recommendations from what I have tackled in 2022.?

“I Am Still Alive: A Novel” - Kate Alice Marshall (Read by Amy McFadden)

A gripping story of a young woman’s survival in the wilderness after escaping death from the ambush of her Father, whom she recently was re-united with after having been absent throughout her childhood.?A gripping story that has you perpetually asking yourself “what would I do if I were in that situation.”?For those who see challenges as exciting (vs. stressful), this book is ideal while running, flying on the plane, or cranking out long virtual rides; not sure how enjoyable it would be on the beach this summer!??

“Born to Run” - Christopher McDougall?

I finally got around to reading this book, which seemed to make sense in light of my upcoming plans to run the Leadville 100.?Born to Run is an essential read for anybody who runs, enjoys pushing themselves with their physical fitness, or who is seeking some motivation to start tacking more miles onto your runs.?I found all sorts of valuable insights, tips, and data from this book that I am already applying to my own running program.??

“Stamped” - Ibram X. Kendi?

The book was too short.?Actually, the book felt to be a great synopsis of what should have been a much broader class in history, racism, and all the intersections that we both know and don’t know about.?The book moved so quickly that there were so many instances where I found myself either going back to review specific parts again, or wishing that there was somehow a pause/discussion session function built into the book to discuss some of the more profound points.?Much like most books of this genre, I found this to be eye-opening/popping, saddening, disheartening, yet informative and motivating—all at the same time.?

“Digital Minimalism” - Cal Newport

In the spirit of the message of this book:?“I am yet again reminded of the dangers I am taking each time I fail to resist the designed and intentional temptations from my phone”????????????

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WRAP UP

As I draft this in my word document, I realize I am now at the bottom of three pages – and I still haven’t even put any of the images in!?Again, every newsletter rule is being unapologetically broken!?So, if you made it this far?- a super big thanks.?Thanks for the support.?Thanks for keeping up to speed with what we’re doing.?And thanks to all those that sent me over little nudges to get back to writing my newsletter.?Greatly appreciated!??

Stay safe.?Safe healthy.?Stay/be/get happy!

Matt Combs

Founder & CEO

Support:?(424) 400-4840

Work:?www.tentacle.co

Life: www.project-safehouse.org