Founders often have an appetite for risk that’s bigger than most. David O’Brien from ARGOS bucks that trend somewhat. He’s happy to put himself in a risky situation, but only if he’s well positioned to reduce that risk. In some ways, that makes him an ideal person to be crafting a cyber security solution. A pilot in his spare time, he’s comfortable with an uncertain path ahead because he’s confident in his ability to navigate it. It’s that same preparedness he brings to ARGOS.
In Greek Mythology, Argos is all-seeing. David explains, “Argos sees everything and knows everything. We bring those same insights, information and focus into cloud security. People need to know what’s happening in their clouds.”
“Just the other week there was a Melbourne recruiting company that had a cloud misconfigured and consequently private information was leaked. When it comes to cloud basics and cloud configuration we’re still getting it wrong.” And the cloud keeps changing — there’s no “done” when it comes to the cloud. This is a risk for those businesses who don’t realise they need to care about it. “They’re in the business of being a travel agency or supermarket or tax account; they’re not in the business of knowing how to “do” cloud. Important companies are not aware of these changes or the cyber security space. What was deemed secure last year is not necessarily best practice this year. But if you’re not aware then you don’t know, and you’re at risk.”
Being a founder when you’re risk averse
Driven by honesty and transparency, David is supremely reliable. “I like predictability. I myself am quite predictable, both in actions and in outcomes.” Those values extend beyond building a startup.
“This is why I like flying so much. I like reducing risk. Obviously I have no control over the engine suddenly stopping, but there are mitigating things I can put in place. I think ahead. I’ll always be in distance to a field I can land on. Truth be told, I probably over-prepare for my flights. There was recently a Twitter poll asking pilots how much time they spend preparing for a flight. The average response was 10 to 20 minutes, but I take 40. I’m risk averse.” David isn’t a typical founder. He’s not driven by the need to just “go and try something”. He is driven by mitigating risk. “For aviation, I probably know more about physics than the average pilot. I apply the same keenness to learn deep tech and theory. All of this effort is to mitigate risk.”
A love for learning
There’s a classic founder trait that David has in spades, and that’s a love for learning. “My parents tell me I’ve always asked “why?”. I’m the first person and only person in IT in our family and the first and only person to get into aviation. That curiosity has always been there, I guess.” Pair that with David’s honesty, and it’s understandable he finds himself frustrated at times. “It’s frustrating to me when things that are obvious don’t happen, or when people brush it off as unimportant. I can be one-tracked about it too — very determined to have things done right.”
“I believe learning is important. I see organisations make a decision to move to the cloud and not necessarily empower employees to understand what that means. That’s a huge benefit to being a consultant — I was in a position to spend time learning and educating myself, without having to worry about being on call or keeping the lights on. I bring that accelerated learning to ARGOS now.”
More than a solo founder
Embarking on building a startup when you’re a solo founder is challenging. Stepping from consulting to startups opened David’s eyes to a few things.”Being a sole founder you see your weaknesses quickly, especially when you’re part of an accelerator program. I get frustrated quickly, but I also get frustrated with myself quickly.” Initially there was naivety in his approach, operating under the assumption that he’d start a company and it’ll just all work out. “I’ve experienced more growth in the 10 weeks I’ve been in the accelerator than in 10 years as a consultant. As a consultant people are interested in your knowledge, but as a founder you’re still selling a product. Language, conversation and approach is very different between consulting and selling a product. It’s been an adjustment.
“Experience has taught me that it’s very valuable what I’ve learnt — I’ve made a lot of progress, more than I expected to make — when I started I thought I didn’t need any of this. But conversations put me firmly back on the ground. Feedback from early adopters is great, too. We know that Argos is actually helping. That’s rewarding and a lot of fun.” David’s journey will no longer be solo. He’s now found a co-founder who shares his vision for building Argos, and is delighted to welcome Lakshan Satkunalingam to his team as co-founder and CEO.
Focussing on the future
The pace is fast, and for someone who is efficient, focus is key. “I have a million thoughts that are running around in my head, fighting for attention. Am I doing enough? Am I doing the right things? Should I do more? The important lesson I learnt is focus. Again, this is something that comes from aviation. You can’t do everything at once. If the plane is on fire, you fly the plane. As a founder, focus on the things that are important right now.”
