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Today, as Netskope becomes a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: NTSK), we are re-sharing the founder’s letter from CEO and Co-Founder Sanjay Beri.
In 2012, I saw the future unfolding before my eyes: a digital cloud-driven world exploding with possibilities, yet teetering on the brink of chaos – an unsecured, wild west environment defined by escalating complexity, limited visibility, a lack of control, and mounting challenges in delivering a consistent, high-quality secure digital experience at scale. I knew then that something entirely new needed to be created – something designed not just to keep up, but to lead the way in a rapidly evolving digital world.
I began my journey to bring a lifelong vision into reality – to build a generational company that redefines security and networking for a new era. This has never been just about launching a business; it’s been about creating a meaningful, lasting impact and leaving a professional legacy rooted in purpose, GRIT, and values that have guided me every step of the way.
In many ways, I felt my whole life had prepared me for this path – from my early days helping my mom sell lipsticks door to door as a kid, and watching my dad, a nuclear reactor quality engineer by trade and the kindest soul I’ve ever known, live with unwavering integrity in everything he did. My high-tech career, the majority spent in security and networking – spanning small startups to global enterprises, and roles across product, go-to-market, and general management – also gave me the experience, perspective, and resilience to take on this passion with clarity and conviction.
Netskope – Born for the Cloud & AI Era
At that point in 2012, I could see that a digital revolution was coming, not just evolution – from the internet era to a digital world that would become a complex mesh of global connections that spanned continents and industries, linking employees, partners, customers, and even machines in an intricate dance of data exchanges and dynamic interactions. This wasn’t going to be about websites anymore; it would be about cloud applications, mobile devices, IoT sensors, and the early inklings of AI systems, all communicating and exchanging information at an unprecedented scale. Add to that an ever-increasing torrent of data, and cyber threats morphing faster than anyone could track.
But what truly struck me was the disconnect. I could see that the internet would evolve into a dynamic, data-rich ecosystem, speaking a new ‘language’ based on APIs and JSON that legacy security and networking simply couldn’t understand, let alone protect. This language wasn’t going to be spoken just by users; it would be the chatter of devices, the pulse of apps, and now, the emerging voice of AI agents, all engaged in a constant stream of digital interactions. And I truly believed at the heart of it all would be data, the lifeblood of modern organizations, needing protection more than ever. We were facing a seismic shift – one that was breaking the foundations of traditional security and networking systems.
That’s why Netskope was born – to architect the future of secure, high-performance digital interactions. Netskope One isn’t just a platform; it’s the key to unlocking the full potential of the cloud, AI, and ultimately organizations. I envisioned a world where organizations could innovate fearlessly, where productivity soared, and where teams – human and non-human alike – could collaborate securely from anywhere, on any device, with anyone or anything.
To truly realize this vision, we built the Netskope One platform to shatter the legacy security and networking trade-offs. It ensures that users and data, two of an organization’s most valuable assets, remain protected at every turn, and that organizations themselves are actively defended against ever-evolving threats. Through the Netskope One platform, we bring advanced security right to the edge via our lightning-fast global private cloud. We designed it to understand the new ‘language’ of this modern internet, to leverage AI for superior insight and control over every digital interaction, whether from a user, a device, an app, or an AI agent, and to safeguard data and organizations against both threats and data leaks, in real time. We are not just building a platform; we are building the foundation for the next era of secure high performance business.
Our Innate Desire to Make the Digital World Better
There’s a battle raging and constantly escalating in the digital world, and on one side are some of the most depraved and destructive people and groups in the world – cybercriminals, relentless and evolving, driven by greed and malice. They exploit every weakness – gaps in visibility, outdated infrastructure, siloed systems, human error, and the lack of real-time insight and control – holding businesses hostage and stealing the very lifeblood of modern enterprises: data. I’ve seen firsthand how organizations, eager to embrace innovation, are forced to slam on the brakes, their progress stalled by legacy security and networking systems that cannot keep pace with the speed and complexity of the modern digital landscape and cloud and AI era.
It is not just businesses suffering; it is end users, the individuals just trying to do their jobs, constantly frustrated by clunky security and networking that sacrifices performance and makes their digital experience a nightmare. That’s why this isn’t just a job for me; it’s a mission. We built Netskope to fight back, to empower businesses to fully embrace technology without compromise, and to ensure that everyone, everywhere, can have a fast, seamless, and secure digital experience. We’re here to unleash data, to enable its use in the right way, and to ensure that innovation thrives, not just survives, in the face of relentless cyber threats. Ultimately, we’re not just building a company; we’re contributing to a more secure, productive, and seamless digital world, one that empowers individuals and organizations to reach their full potential.
Innovate or Die
I have always believed in the phrase ‘innovate or die’; it’s a core principle at Netskope. In the relentless battle against cybercriminals and navigating the constantly changing digital landscape, remaining stagnant and failing to evolve simply isn’t an option. That’s why we pour unwavering commitment into research and development, relentlessly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We’re not content with incremental improvements; we’re driven by a burning desire to disrupt, to redefine, to create breakthroughs that will fundamentally change the game.
I was fortunate to have met my co-founder and CTO Krishna Narayanaswamy in 2006, and when I decided to build Netskope I knew I had to call him to join me. A humble, kind soul who combined such immense intellect and experience in networking, security, and analytics with a deep passion for innovation, while exemplifying the culture we both believed in. We and Team Netskope will never stop innovating, never stop questioning, and never stop investing in the future. We know, deep in our core, that our ability to stay ahead, to protect our customers, and to shape the next era of business depends on our unwavering commitment to innovation.
GRIT & Doing it the Right Way
I have always believed that true success isn’t measured by titles or milestones, but by the quiet moments – when I lay my head on the pillow at night, look myself in the mirror, or share time with my wife, my daughter, the rest of my family, teammates, friends, and those who believed in us and the company now and over the years. In those moments, I want to know – in my heart and soul – that I did it the right way. That definition of ‘the right way’ was instilled in me early on by my parents. They may not have understood modern technology, but they deeply understood GRIT. And GRIT has become the foundation of who I am, and the core of Netskope and our Team – in our culture, in how we lead, and in how we show up every single day.
Guts to stay true to a vision others may not yet see, to challenge the status quo with purpose, even when the current pulls hard the other way. Resolve to build patiently, brick by brick, knowing that anything worth doing is never easy. Integrity to walk what is sometimes the harder path – the right path – with our values intact. And Tenacity to seek out the hungry, the driven, the hunters who chase impact – not just those who wait for it to arrive. Guts. Resolve. Integrity. Tenacity. Grit.
Go Long & Our Commitment to Enduring Success, Innovation, and Positive Impact
At the heart of our philosophy at Netskope is a fundamental belief in ‘going long’ and delivering consistent long-term growth, innovation, and positive impact. Becoming a public company is not the destination, but rather another significant milestone on our journey – one that we hope will amplify awareness of our groundbreaking Netskope One platform. Our high win rate (our ‘batting average’ as I like to call it) speaks volumes about the platform’s strength. Going public, in our view, is about getting us more ‘at bats,’ and expanding our awareness, reach, and hence positive impact.
I am deeply thankful to our customers and partners for putting their trust in us, to our Team of Netskopers for the passion and heart they bring to our mission every day, to our Families who have been our rocks along the way, and to our current and future shareholders for believing in what we’re building together.
We are still in the early innings of a market we’ve re-imagined and helped define. This is just the beginning, and we are incredibly energized to lead this space for decades to come. I’ve always believed in ‘skating to where the puck is going,’ but on a grander scale and timeline. We will continue to prioritize long-term success over short-term gains. This principle has been at the core of our philosophy, shaping everything from the investments we make to the success we achieve and the impact we have. We’re committed to delivering long term shareholder value, driving innovation, leading with purpose, and showing relentless GRIT – for decades to come.
Sanjay Beri
Co-Founder and CEO
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