In Episode 61 of the Cybersecurity Matters Podcast, Austin Gadient—CTO and Co-Founder of Vali Cyber—shares the real-world experiences that led him from competitive hacking at the U.S. Air Force Academy to securing national satellite infrastructure, and ultimately to building a company focused on protecting the most overlooked layer in modern environments: Linux and the hypervisor.
Austin’s story is rooted in firsthand exposure to critical security gaps; places where traditional, Windows-centric security tools failed outright. Those gaps didn’t just create risk; they forced a rethink of how infrastructure security should actually work.
This conversation explores how those lessons shaped Vali Cyber’s founding, culture and team building, technical philosophy, and why hypervisor security is rapidly becoming a frontline concern for defenders.
In this podcast, you’ll learn:
- How real-world military and satellite security exposed gaps traditional tools couldn’t cover
- Why Linux and hypervisors have become prime targets for modern attackers
- What led to the founding of Vali Cyber, team building, and why the problem demanded a new category
- How strong technical culture and psychological safety drive better security outcomes
- Why hypervisor security is moving from “niche” to “mission critical”
Featured Insights from Austin Gadient, CTO & Cofounder, Vali Cyber