Strategic Focus for Your Startup with Robert Stasio

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Robert Stasio leads Dreamit’s SecureTech vertical where he sets overall strategic focus, expands the customer network, and works daily with securetech startups from around the world helping them refine their positioning and go-to-market strategy.  In addition, they assist startups to think through how to scale sales and operations and map out their capital needs along with how to raise their next round.

Robert Stasio – Demand in the Private Sector

During Bob’s educational path he received a BS in Mathematical Physics and holds a Master’s degree in Intelligence Studies.  He also completed numerous U.S. Department of Defense professional education courses focusing on intelligence operations. Bob holds various technical certifications, including CISSP, a globally recognized standard of achievement in the cybersecurity industry.

Bob joined the Army in 2001 during ROTC in college.  He then branched into Military Intelligence as an officer.  Bob new they would be deployed to Iraq during 2004-2005 so they trained Korean linguists and turned them into Arabic linguists for deep intelligence.  After they returned, General Alexander and his team plucked him out and Bob then helped NSA stand up one of the Army’s first dedicated cyber units.  It was then that he knew there was potential and demand in the private sector.

“I saw the need to take this skill set and go into the private sector.” – Robert Stasio

Before joining Dreamit, Bob held multiple roles at IBM Security, leading efforts in Cyber Operations and Threat Hunting. Prior to IBM, Bob worked in the private sector, leading threat intelligence programs at Bloomberg and global financial firms.  He also has deep government experience having held positions at NSA’s Cyber Center, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Army’s Signals Intelligence Corps, the FAA, and NASA. Bob served as a U.S. Army officer and is a recipient of numerous military awards, including the Bronze Star and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Bob is also a Truman National Security Fellow, Brookings Institution Council on U.S. and Italy Fellow, and serves on the advisory boards of multiple startups.

Lessons Learned

Many lessons were learned when Robert Stasio started his own venture.  He had the skill set, a great idea, the demand and knew technologically how it would work.  Bob had no experience in running a company and did not have a MBA.  Therefore he reached out to others who had previously started their own business for advice and help when he started his company.  Bob started with a service only business.  He learned quickly that the hockey stick approach and trying to scale your business through a service only mindset is almost impossible to do.

“Services only can take you so far.  In that type of mindset it can only scale so much. It is not a venture backed business model. It is not a scalable business model from a scalability perspective.” – Robert Stasio

Vision of Excellence and Profitability

The goal should be to run a good company and be profitable.  In Bob’s business they are looking for market validation and revenue of the product or offering you are trying to scale not the services revenue.  His advice to entrepreneurs is to grow your company by getting customers and by getting revenue.  Bob recommends getting feedback and quickly and cheaply as possible during the startup process.

“Most startups fail because they run out of revenue.”-Robert Stasio

To hear the rest of Robert Stasio’s transition from the Army to civilian entrepreneur, download and listen to the rest of the episode.

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Check out these links for Robert Stasio

• Dreamit.com
• LinkedIn
• Robert Stasio: bob@dreamit.com

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