Deon Nicholas, CEO & Co-Founder of Forethought: $92 Million Raised to Power the Future of Customer Support with AI

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Dan Lorenc, CEO & Founder of Chainguard, a software supply chain security platform that has raised $250 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Focus on Open Source Security: Chainguard aims to provide a secure source for open source code, addressing the risks associated with the widespread use of open source software in modern applications. Industry Recognition Post-SolarWinds: The importance of software supply chain security became mainstream after the SolarWinds breach in December 2020, highlighting vulnerabilities in the software development process. Founding Story: Inspired by the increasing attention on software supply chain security, Dan and his co-founder Matt decided to leverage their experience at Google to address these challenges, officially launching Chainguard in October 2021. Initial Funding and Market Timing: Chainguard was founded during a peak period for venture capital investment, enabling them to secure initial funding quickly and focus on exploring market needs. Strategic Pivot: Early on, Chainguard experimented with multiple products before pivoting to focus on the one with the greatest demand, resulting in a successful transition and growth in revenue. Marketing and Awareness: Chainguard invested heavily in brand awareness through social media, PR, and content creation, aiming to be recognized as a leader in the software supply chain security space.