Ten years ago, OnDefend made a bet that most cybersecurity startups don’t – to build the company without outside investors calling the shots. A decade, a shelf of awards, and a client list that includes some of the country’s most successful enterprises later, that bet has paid off.
To mark the milestone, we sat down with CEO and co-founder Chris Freedman to talk about the last 10 years, the team that has built OnDefend, and what’s next.
Looking Back on 10 Years of OnDefend
Q: When you think back to that first year, and sit in the chair today reflecting on ten years, what’s that like?
Gratefulness is probably the biggest thing. I’m very grateful for the team that’s done this with us. The entire market has gone through ups and downs, from COVID, to the 2023 drop, to right now, these emerging technologies disrupting everything, to the market we’re in now. We’re the island of misfit toys, but we’ve gone against the trade winds, and I think we’ve succeeded.
I’m proud of our team most of all. I think our founders and I would both say we’re proud that the outcome, besides a deliverable, is a positive impact on the world. That’s the biggest thing. We’re doing good work, and we’re doing it for a good cause.
Q: The awards behind you, Gator 100, Fast 50 Number Two, Ultimate CEO, and now recognition nationally, the number 686 spot on the Inc. 5000 list, what does that mean to you?
The hard work it takes, the team we’ve built, the culture we’ve built, the technology and innovation cultivated here, have created a trust center with some of the largest organizations in the world. We’ve done good work and created outcomes that provided value, and when you do that, it surfaces itself with revenue and awards. Those are the easy things.
The hard work our team has put in is the only reason these are sitting on this table. It comes back to the team every time.
What Makes Us Different
Q: How do we define innovation within our company, in a way that’s different from everyone else who says the same thing?
I think we have the culture and the environment that enables creativity and listens to every team member. When something comes up as a potential innovation, it’s listened to, and everyone is heard, so we try to apply it where possible.
We don’t have venture capital behind us, which means we aren’t in the position of raising revenue at all costs, including at the cost of our customers’ happiness and our team’s happiness. It allows us to shift as we will. As an example, when a customer issue comes up that isn’t solved in the market and when we have team members with ideas on how to solve, we match make, we develop, and we deliver.
I think it really has to do with the culture, and the fact that we define our own destiny at OnDefend. No one else defines our destiny. So, when there’s a demand or a need out there, we meet it where it’s at.
Q: That’s something the founders are genuinely proud of, never taking venture capital or outside money that could sway decisions. What’s the thought process behind that?
We’re not trillionaires, but that’s the cost we’re willing to pay to do a good job, to be ethical, and to deliver value.
Q: What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the team. Through ups and downs, which is Startup 101, the team has stuck with us. It’s a happy team, we feel everyone is heard, and we feel that they hear us, even as founders. We love that this company is a democracy, that we make decisions together and forge them together, and the outcomes are pretty clear.
I’m proud of the perseverance, the resilience, and the dedication of this team, and I’m proud of the final outcome, a positive imprint on the world. That everything we do has a positive effect on the world, that’s what I’m most proud of.
Belief, in One Word
Q: Did you ever think you would not make it to ten years?
Sure, every founder feels that way, ups and downs, ebbs and flows. But I have an unyielding belief in what we do, and an unyielding belief in our team, and we’re just getting started.
Q: What is one word you would use to describe the last ten years?
At the end of the day, this has been a worthwhile journey. Another way to say it is, earned success. This has been earned.
Q: And one word to describe the next ten years?
Rocketship. We’ve been on the pad rumbling for quite a while. The fuel’s in there. The team’s in there. And we’re about to take off, off to the stars we go. We have a North Star, we know exactly where we’re going, and we’re going to achieve it.
What Drives Us
What keeps you up at night?
I’m constantly up at night thinking about how we can innovate and how we can meet the adversary where they are and where they’re going. That’s the same thing that keeps our customers up at night.
I stay awake thinking about how we’re going to help these companies do that, and I think we have that in common with our customers, that we’re worrying about the same problems. The partnership we have with some of the largest organizations in the world, we’re solving them together, with our team and their team working together, innovating the technologies that need to exist.
So, when you ask me what OnDefend is, I think we’re the right company for the right time. That’s what we are, the right company, the necessary organization for the necessary time.
