ABOUT THIS EPISODE
"A lot of times, founders are very close to their babies and don't see things the way they should from an outside perspective after 10 years of building something." - Ramin Lamei
Ramin started as an electrical engineer with no clear plan.
His first job was physical security projects for airports and universities.
He liked the controls and governance side, so he steered toward cybersecurity and spent 13 years at one corporate company, trying every role in security and moving closer to the business each time.
Three and a half years ago he founded Tech Compass to bring enterprise-level security to small and mid-sized companies.
SMBs wouldn't pay enterprise rates, so he pivoted. Now he goes deep rather than wide, working in regulated spaces and with partners who can add his capability to their portfolios.
That's why he talks to both sides of a deal.
Founders have put 10 years into the company. Buyers see the investment still needed to reach their five-to-seven-year thesis. Ramin connects the two.
The gaps he finds are rarely about technology. They're structural, and security is often a symptom.
His approach is to make the work doable, he doesn't tell a company everything is broken, because people shut down.
He picks three priorities for three months, builds momentum, and pays down risk step by step.
In every assessment he's done, he's never told a buyer not to buy.
"Security should be beyond controls. It should be a feedback loop to the technology decisions that you're making and how you operate."
