Building Safe From Day One With Harshini Carey

Written By xavi umeh

Most founders think cybersecurity is something to worry about later. But in this episode of Ace Founder, Harshini Carey—a 25-year cybersecurity veteran and founder of Huge in Tech—explains why that mindset is one of the most dangerous mistakes an early-stage founder can make.

From growing up amid conflict in Sri Lanka to building a consultancy that cuts through the jargon and complexity that plagues the industry, Harshini brings a rare blend of deep technical experience and genuine human empathy to the world of cyber. Whether you're collecting patient data, processing payments, or using AI-powered tools, this conversation will change the way you think about protecting your business.

📚 What We Talk About:

  • 00:46 Harshini’s background and how growing up in a war zone shaped her drive to protect people

  • 04:10 How AI has transformed cybersecurity—and why even your 70-year-old mum uses ChatGPT

  • 07:20 Deep fakes, voice cloning, and the new frontier of social engineering attacks

  • 10:05 Why simplifying cybersecurity is Harshini’s core mission—and why complexity often protects consultants, not clients

  • 14:30 The hidden risks of AI tools: insecure APIs, GitHub vulnerabilities, and blind spots founders miss

  • 18:00 When should a startup think about cyber? (Hint: day one)

  • 21:15 The merger and acquisition spaghetti problem—and how to untangle it

  • 26:40 Geopolitical risk and its under-appreciated connection to your supply chain and business security

  • 31:00 Why quantum computing is the game-changer nobody is talking about yet

  • 35:20 How fractional cybersecurity makes expert help accessible for early-stage startups

💭 Key Quotes:

  • "Cyber isn't something you need in five years or after you have lots of clients—you need to think about it from day one."

  • "When someone gets hacked, the first thing you need is empathy. Not a lecture about what framework they should have had."

  • "Reports and software don't show you the bigger picture. Only when you actually break things do you figure it out."

  • "AI has enabled startups to build things they never could have before—but the blind spots in those AI tools are things people simply don't see."

  • "Quantum is going to be the game changer. We're all excited about AI, but no one's talking about quantum."

🔗 Connect With Our Guest:

xavi umeh
Next

Building MVPs That Scale with Angelo Zanetti