The Importance of Team Culture in Startups – Brian Carbaugh – FS #4
In this conversation, Brian Carbaugh, CEO and co-founder of Andesite, shares his unique journey from the CIA (and beore that the Marines!) to the world of cybersecurity. He discusses the challenges and rewards of being a founder, the importance of setting a positive tone for the team, and the necessity of resilience in a startup environment. Brian emphasizes the value of building a supportive team culture, the multi-hat lifestyle of a startup CEO, and the critical role of sales and marketing in a competitive cybersecurity landscape. He reflects on why he chose cybersecurity and the excitement of being a founder, highlighting the opportunity to create a lasting legacy.
This segment is sponsored by Andesite. Visit https://founderstories.tv/andesite to learn more about them!
00:00 Welcome and Introduction 01:08 Guest Introduction: Brian Carbaugh 02:15 Founders' Work-Life Balance 04:41 Encouragement for New Entrepreneurs 06:58 The Value of Design Partnerships 08:07 Building a Low-Ego, High-Humility Culture 09:06 The Multi-Hat Lifestyle 11:52 Selling and Marketing as a Founder 14:20 Evolving Marketing Strategies 17:21 Why Cybersecurity? 19:41 Why Founding a Company? 21:01 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Guest
Brian Carbaugh is the Co-Founder & CEO at Andesite, as well as the Chief of Staff at Red Cell Partners and a Senior Advisor to Red Cell’s Cyber and National Security Practices. Mr. Carbaugh is a former CIA senior executive who most recently served as the Director of CIA’s elite Special Activities Center (SAC) where he provided leadership, oversight, and management of CIA’s worldwide paramilitary and special operations. With multiple business units, thousands of employees, and multi-billion dollars in infrastructure, Mr. Carbaugh set the strategic vision for SAC and served as the senior paramilitary and special operations advisor to three different Directors of CIA (DCIAs). Mr. Carbaugh synchronized strategic intelligence and policy initiatives with the White House, the US Armed Forces, the intelligence community, and foreign partners.
Prior to leading SAC, Mr. Carbaugh served as Chief of Staff to two recent Directors of the CIA, where he served as the DCIA’s senior advisor and was part of the CIA’s senior leadership team. With over 32 years of experience in the US Marines and intelligence community, Mr. Carbaugh assisted the DCIA in executing, managing, and overseeing the CIA’s global intelligence enterprise. Mr. Carbaugh has forged deep relationships with US cabinet-level, Defense Department, Intelligence Community, and Congressional counterparts to advance America’s vital national security needs. He has served in war zones and foreign posts around the world and is the recipient of the CIA’s Intelligence Star for Valor, the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the CIA’s Donovan Award, and the federal service Presidential Rank Award.
Mr. Carbaugh holds an MA in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and a BS in Political Science from the US Air Force Academy. He is a co-founder of the Third Option Foundation, a non-profit entity dedicated to supporting the operators and families of CIA’s special operations community.