#11 - Paul Vann: Cybersecurity, Entrepreneurship, and Burnout

This week I spoke with Paul Vann, a 2023 UVA alumni who’s now the Co-Founder of Validia, a cybersecurity company combatting deep fake attacks.

The Rundown:

• COLD OPEN: Conference speaker at 13 years old

• STEAL THIS: The “why” behind the person

• TURNING POINT: Investors and warm connections

• INDUSTRY INSIDER: Take 5% of all advice

• IF I WERE YOU: Take a break, burnout is real

COLD OPEN
How Did You Get Your Start?

My story goes back a pretty long way. I was 11 or 12, learning software development – trying to figure out what all the hype was around coding.

I went to a cybersecurity conference in D.C. and learned about honeypots, which is the ability to put something online to lure hackers. I thought it was the coolest thing, and went home to build one.

I made a fake NSA login portal and got hackers from China and Russia hacking it.

After that, I figured I’d go speak at a conference. I spoke at DerbyConn in 2015, and then gave 3 talks the next year on cyber and the US energy sector. As a result of one of the talks, I got my first job at ThreatConnect when I was 14 doing research.

I ended up getting into UVA when I was 16, and bounced around 4 startups part-time. Towards the end of my fourth year, ChatGPT came out and I did a lot of research on how adversaries could use it to stage more advanced cybersecurity hacks, and spoke at the RSA Conference (one of the biggest cyber conferences in the U.S.).

I then took a full time role at a company called Cyberreason, and also began mulling over Validia and how deep fakes could be used negatively.

I spent 6 months to a year working on the product, raised some money last year, went full time, and now Validia is set to raise another round here soon.

STEAL THIS
What’s A Question You Love Being Asked (Or Asking)?

I like to ask people “why?”. 

Why they’re doing what they’re doing. It’s so unique and personal, and I think it’s really revealing as to that person's likelihood for success.

I like to know how people think and that's the #1 tell for me.

I love to answer it as well.

TURNING POINT
Thoughts On Building Relationships?

Every investor has forms on their website where you can submit your idea. Those forms exist because maybe they’ll find the needle in the haystack, but frankly, the world operates on warm connections.

The more people you know and that like what you’re doing, the better. Even if those people can’t help you, they probably know someone who can.

It’s crazy to see how networks can grow if you grow in your career and in your passion.

For example, someone who invested in Valida came through 3 points of network connections.

They worked in healthcare their whole life, and wanted to invest in protection and authentication in the healthcare space.

The other thing I've learned is the best way to advance yourself and get ahead is by helping other people.

When you do that alot, you establish a good reputation for yourself.

INDUSTRY INSIDER
What Do People Misunderstand About Being An Entrepreneur?

A lot of people think there’s a clear cut path to do a startup, when in reality there are so many ways to do it. You can take 5 years or a few days to get your product to blow up. You can win on marketing or tech – there’s no “one” way.

Additionally, you’ll get lots of advice along the way, and you may feel all of it’s important.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of people who can give you great advice, but my rule is, take 5% of it. The other 95% you should absolutely scrap.

Now, I can’t tell you what the good 5% is – it’s for you to figure out, but that’s the beauty of it, and successful founders are the ones who can differentiate.

IF I WERE YOU
Do You Have Any Advice For Students?

My biggest piece of advice is to know when to take a break.

Especially in the startup space, I'll be honest, you do need to do more work than the people around you.

I’m very dedicated to my work and excited about what I’m doing. Sometimes I sit down for a week straight and barely get any sleep because I’m just working, working, working.

I used to think this was funny when people talked about burnout, but it’s real, and it's happened to me multiple times. I wish I was a lot better at taking breaks because it would save me a lot of time and I'd feel better, honestly.

CLOSING TIME
You’re Not Behind – This Is What Figuring It Out Looks Like.

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