The Google for Startups and Wiz session was one of the places where meeting people in person added something different to my usual online learning.
I met the Wiz team and had a great discussion with Nadia Malik. The session added perspectives on AI and cloud security to the questions I was hearing from founders throughout the week.
Bring the founder’s problem into the conversation
My broader lesson from the week was to listen before offering a solution. In an AI and cloud security conversation, I want to start with what a team is building, what is getting in its way and what it has already tried.
Connect security with production questions
The official program included security, trust and scaling into production as themes. Those themes are useful prompts for thinking about how a startup grows. They describe the program, rather than a claim that I attended every talk on its agenda.
Keep learning through direct discussion
Meeting Wiz and speaking with Nadia gave me another perspective to carry into future conversations. The value of the week was not just collecting topics; it was finding better questions to ask the next founder I meet.
My takeaway
Make room for direct conversations about AI and cloud security. Start with the team’s actual situation and use that context to understand what support would be useful.
Thank you to Nadia Malik, the Wiz team and the Google for Startups organizers.
Questions from this recap
What did I take from Google for Startups and Wiz?
I valued meeting Wiz and discussing AI and cloud security with Nadia Malik. It added to my broader lesson about listening to founders before proposing solutions.
Which themes were in the official program?
Security, trust and scaling into production were program themes. This recap does not imply that I attended every scheduled talk.
Explore further
What changes in your security conversation when you begin with the founder’s immediate challenge?