The Digital Executive | Ep 1082

Guest: Charlie Thomas, CEO of Mitiga
Host: Brian Thomas (Coruzant Technologies)
Date: July 11, 2025
Episode Title: Charlie Thomas on Building Billion-Dollar Startups and the Future of Cyber Resilience

Overview

This episode features Charlie Thomas, a seasoned technology executive now leading Mitiga, as he shares insights on what it takes to build billion-dollar startups, foster successful teams and cultures, and drive innovation in cyber resilience. The conversation dives into the critical traits of enduring startups, Charlie's mentorship philosophy, Mitiga’s differentiators in cloud-based cybersecurity, and the rapidly evolving influence of AI on the threat landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The DNA of Successful Startups

[01:34]

• Exceptional Management Teams:
  Charlie emphasizes the foundational role of assembling a highly skilled and complementary management team.

  “I always make it a priority to recruit either as co-founders or as senior executives, people around me that have great skills and talents that I don’t, that complement mine.” (Charlie, 01:42)

• Timing & Market Opportunity:
  Success requires recognizing and acting on market or technological shifts (e.g., deregulation in broadband, the rise of managed detection and response).

  “You could see it coming for several years so you could anticipate and then launch at the appropriate time.” (Charlie, 02:23)

• Evolution of Managed Security:
  Advances were driven by automating formerly manual security processes, delivering better outcomes more efficiently.

2. Philosophy and Impact of Mentorship

[04:25]

• Company Culture & Go-to-Market Excellence:
  Nurturing winning mindsets and rigorous go-to-market strategies is as vital as product quality.

  “No matter how great your technology is, without the proper go to market plan, it’s difficult.” (Charlie, 04:46)

• Mentorship = Ecosystem Growth:
  Satisfaction comes from seeing protégés build their own companies, some exiting at over $1B valuations or running thriving “lifestyle” businesses.
• Growth Within Teams:
  Developing internal talent is as gratifying as mentoring external entrepreneurs.

  “It’s fun to see these people on our team evolve and advance … I have no doubt that we have in the ranks at Mitiga today, people in the future [who will] have their own company.” (Charlie, 06:19)

3. Cyber Resilience at Mitiga

[07:28]

• Draw to Mitiga:
  Initially reluctant to jump back into a CEO role, Charlie was enticed by Mitiga’s promising technology and visionary founders after a connection was made via investor Jay Leak.
• Addressing Modern Complexity:
  The platform’s ability to detect attacks across multiple clouds and SaaS apps, and consolidate identity and threat data into a single real-time view, fills a critical gap.

  “They had really built an impressive product … the ability to detect attacks or anomalous activities across multiple clouds, but also do it across hundreds of SaaS applications … in real time and stitch all of that together … is something that just didn’t exist in the market.” (Charlie, 08:51)

• Market Timing:
  Mitiga’s innovations were ahead of their time, with the industry now “moving toward us as we speak.”

4. The Future of AI and Cybersecurity

[10:44]

• Cybersecurity as a Math Problem:
  Enterprises face mounting data complexity, creating a “math problem” ideal for AI approaches.
• AI’s Dual Role:
  AI and machine learning excel at finding anomalies within huge datasets, increasing speed and accuracy for defenders.

  “Cyber is about analyzing significant volumes of data and finding needles in haystacks, finding the anomalies. And that’s what AI and machine learning do extremely well.” (Charlie, 12:01)

• Human-AI Partnership:
  Despite automation, a human-in-the-loop approach remains essential—AI preps and surfaces issues, while security analysts apply expertise and judgment.

  “A SOC analyst can do the same thing [as a surgeon] when they’re backed by AI. AI can do all the prep, all the setup, and then the SOC analyst can come in and use their expertise and their mastery to decide what is really legit and needs attention.” (Charlie, 14:30)

• Attacker Sophistication & AI:
  Threat actors also harness AI for deepfakes, phishing, and credential attacks, heightening the stakes of the defender-attacker “arms race”.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The common trait across the board was each of the companies I’ve been involved in, we’ve had an exceptional kind of founding team, if you will.” (Charlie, 03:38)
• “[Mentorship is] an ecosystem that keeps producing new companies … now we have a big footprint in Israel that is a real hotbed of startups, particularly in cybersecurity. So I anticipate this trend will continue.” (Charlie, 06:31)
• “The market is moving toward us as we speak.” (Charlie, 08:41)
• “You have to be more vigilant than ever. AI definitely helps in that battle. Again, you will always have a human in the loop, but just they are a lot more effective.” (Charlie, 13:54)

Important Timestamps

• [01:34] – Key traits of successful startups
• [04:25] – Mentorship philosophy and approach
• [07:28] – Mitiga’s approach to cyber resilience and Charlie’s excitement
• [10:44] – AI’s growing role in cybersecurity, risks and opportunities

Conclusion

Charlie Thomas offers a concise masterclass on building enduring tech companies, emphasizing leadership, timing, culture, and product-market fit. He shares firsthand observations on organizational growth, mentorship’s ripple effect, and navigating the complexity of modern cyber threats—with Mitiga’s one-platform approach as a prime example. The episode closes with a sharp look at the AI-powered future of cyber defense, the persistent human edge, and the ever-evolving threat landscape.