Sandeep Kamble discusses the long path from a failed first company to building SecureLayer7 into a recognised security-testing business. He explains how an engineering-minded founder learns leadership, how company structure must change at each growth stage, and why curiosity, commitment, and evidence-based decisions matter more than the glamour often associated with startups.
Sandeep became involved in security communities such as Garage4Hackers while he was a student and had long expected to start a company rather than enter a conventional job. His first venture, F9pix, was outside security and failed. He then returned to his area of expertise and founded SecureLayer7 with people who shared an interest in solving difficult cybersecurity problems.
The company began with security consulting and assessment services. By the time of the interview, Sandeep described a portfolio of about 650 customers across the United States, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, as well as recognition from CREST and CERT-In. The team was also developing products including the penetration-testing platform BugDazz and a fraud-prevention solution.
Sandeep did not begin with a grand plan to build a large enterprise. Around 2011–2012, he saw organisations seeking cybersecurity assessment services and decided to test whether he could win that work independently. His initial financial ambition was modest: create a sustainable monthly income and learn whether the market had traction.
The business grew from that focused service. Instead of treating “cybersecurity startup” as a sufficient idea, he began with a particular customer need, delivered the work, and allowed the organisation’s ambition to expand with evidence.
An early founder must handle many functions, but the correct focus depends on the company’s current stage. Sandeep says the initial challenge is building trust with colleagues, team members, and family. From there, the founder should solve one major organisational problem at a time rather than attempting to master every function simultaneously.
Once an area stabilises, the next step is to hire someone better equipped to lead it. That person can develop the function beyond the founder’s own ability. As SecureLayer7 entered a growth phase, functional heads reported to Sandeep and owned teams of their own. Trust and psychological safety became more important than personally controlling all decisions.
The transition between stages is rarely smooth. Sandeep compares it to changing gears: sometimes the mechanism resists or makes noise. A founder with an engineering mindset must learn what people need, communicate more effectively, and approach problems through leadership rather than technical reasoning alone.
When Sandeep reaches a point where he cannot move forward, he steps away instead of forcing a decision. After several days, revisiting the issue can produce a better answer. He also emphasises using data rather than copying another company’s “best practice.” A process should be adopted because the organisation’s evidence supports it, not because a well-known business uses it.
Cybersecurity changes continuously, so the organisation needs a stable vision and management routines that communicate strategy throughout the team. The vision can remain aspirational while tactics adapt to new threats and customer needs.
SecureLayer7’s product initiatives reflected that approach. BugDazz aimed to make penetration testing easier by reducing delays and communication gaps between customers and testers. The fraud work addressed account takeover and revenue loss, including risks on channels such as WhatsApp. Both initiatives started from operational problems the company believed technology could improve.
Sandeep asks people to understand their own priorities and fit. A fast-moving startup and a large company offer different environments, and neither is automatically right for everyone. He looks for communication, commitment, initiative, and curiosity—qualities visible not only in work but also in how consistently someone pursues other interests.
Curiosity drives initiative and is particularly important in a dynamic security field. Commitment turns that curiosity into sustained action rather than a collection of unfinished intentions.
