I profiled the Palo Alto Networks CEO for our latest issue. A tech veteran leading the only pure-play cybersecurity company in the Fortune 500, Arora has a “tell it to you straight” posture that has made him a sought-after mentor. Case in point: When he needs advice, Sam Altman has for years turned to Arora.
“I think it’s hard to get direct, actionable advice,” Altman told me. “Most people aren’t sure, aren’t confident, are busy, or aren’t going to spend enough time. Maybe they don’t want to offend you.”
Arora doesn’t mind. He’s been known for that hard-driving rigor since his days at Google (he joined months after the company’s IPO, rising to chief business officer under Eric Schmidt). As I write in the story:
At Google, Arora developed a reputation for tear-inducing toughness, and he doesn’t deny it. “If people show up in this room unprepared, they’ll leave the room knowing they were unprepared,” he says. “I say to the people who come into this room, ‘If you have a lot going on, give it to me, and I’ll deal with it—but don’t show up here looking dazed.’”
An exacting attitude is necessary, Arora says, when the work has such high stakes.
“Would you want to get on that rocket that was built by somebody who was hungover and decided to not tighten the screw?” he asks rhetorically. “Would you ever excuse the person who didn’t do all the checks on a plane before it took off with 200 lives at stake? You expect that from these people. You expect them not to screw up. So why is it tough that I expect my team to not screw up? In every business we work, there are life-threatening or life-ending things that can happen if people don’t pay attention.”
It’s intense, yes. But that sort of intensity is perhaps warranted in the seat Arora occupies: AI has upended the cybersecurity landscape, with escalating stories of “agents gone rogue” and the looming prospect that there may be more cyberattacks than ever. Arora—also one of cybersecurity’s omnipresent acquirers—is right in the center of a generational moment, for cyber, for AI, and by extension for us all.
See you tomorrow,
Allie Garfinkle
X: @agarfinks
Email: alexandra.garfinkle@fortune.com
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Joey Abrams curated the deals section of today’s newsletter.
VENTURE CAPITAL
– Valon Technologies, a New York City and San Francisco-based developer of AI-powered mortgage servicing software, raised $150 million in Series D funding from Ribbit Capital, a16z, and others.
– Namespace, a Zurich, Switzerland-based provider of software development infrastructure, raised $42 million in Series B funding. Scale Venture Partners led the round and was joined by 20VC, NEA, Essence, Burst Capital, and angel investors.
– Clockwork.io, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based developer of software designed to keep AI workloads running through infrastructure failures, raised $31 million in funding. Premji Invest, Wing Venture Capital, and Seligman Ventures led the round and were joined by existing investors NEA and e& Capital.
– Reuse, a Santiago, Chile-based refurbished electronics company, raised $21 million in funding. At One Ventures led the round and was joined by Coppel Ventures, ALIVE Ventures, Endeavor Catalyst, IGNIA, and Dalus Capital.
– finmid, a Berlin, Germany-based provider of software designed to let businesses offer financing to their customers, raised €17 million ($19.1 million) in a Series A extension from Big Pi Ventures, Mainset, Earlybird, and others.
– Buntar Aerospace, a Kyiv, Ukraine-based developer of recon drones and mission-planning software, raised $16 million in funding from Freedom Fund and others.
– SafeWorld, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based developer of simulation tools for testing robot safety, raised $12.2 million in seed funding. Shine Capital and a16z Speedrun led the round and were joined by Box Group, Carnegie Mellon University Endowment, Innovation Endeavors, SV Angel, and others.
– HyperLink, a New York City-based prime broker for the decentralized trading platform Hyperliquid, raised $2.5 million in funding from Alliance, North Island Ventures, Reverie, Node Capital, Breed VC, and SmartestMoney.
EXITS
– KKR agreed to acquire Gen II, a New York City-based private capital fund administrator, from Hg, General Atlantic, and others for more than $5 billion.
IPOs
– DayOne Data Centers, a Singapore-based data center company, filed to go public on the Nasdaq. The company posted $845 million in sales for the year ended June 30. Coatue Management, Hillhouse, GDS, and Achi Capital Partners back the company.
FUNDS + FUNDS OF FUNDS
– Niobrara Capital Partners, a New York City-based private equity firm, raised more than $1.1 billion for its Niobrara Founders Fund and more than $1.5 billion, including related co-investment vehicles focused on business-to-business technology companies.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: fortune.com
