What’s between freediving and entrepreneurial life? Few keys for success from an ambitious founder

Roey Eliyahu, CEO and co-founder of the cybersecurity company "Salt Security" - a large API security company that has raised over $280 million from top investors worldwide - enjoys freediving in his spare time and divides his time between Tel Aviv, Manhattan, and the Valley. Today, he is 30 years old, but he founded his startup at the age of 22.

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At the core of Roey's success lies the critical entrepreneurial Growth Mindset - the ability to approach things with a constant focus on learning and development. Roey drew inspiration from people he encountered during his professional journey. Often, we tend to "wait" for a specific mentor or influential figure to shape our path. In reality, many people become guests on our life's journey, offering opportunities to choose and embrace positive long-term influences. This brings an abundance of diverse abilities, opinions, and worldviews, contributing to personal growth and progress on the entrepreneurial and life journey.

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The story takes an exciting turn when Roey sets out into the world of API security by purchasing a one-way ticket to Silicon Valley. Through his encounters with potential investors and key figures like Sam Altman, Roey illustrates the essence of the entrepreneurial journey: the uncertainty of whom we meet today and the unexpected contributions they can make to our journey. Through Roey's experiences, a profound truth emerges – that every person we encounter along the way can offer important insights and opportunities if we approach them with the right energy and chemistry.

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He emphasizes the transformative potential of diverse connections and relationships, calling on entrepreneurs to approach every encounter with a spirit of extracting value from the meeting and the person standing in front of us – even if our paths will not cross again. By engaging with people who resonate with similar goals to ours and have unique traits, we can propel ourselves towards exceptional destinations.

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During the conversation, we delve deep into topics such as how to manage geographical cultural differences, status, age, and business experience gaps between partners. We also discuss how not to be "dazzled" when big money comes in during the company's founding stages. Finally, Roey and I (Gali) explore one of Roey's greatest passions – freediving – and explain the connection between it and the life of an entrepreneur.

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Roey finds that he expresses the ability to take a deep breath and say everything is okay both when he is freediving and in his day-to-day life. This inner dialogue with ourselves, similar to during a dive, is important for dealing with many things in life. The ability to accept the situation and understand what to do with it, with composure and inner calm, is a meaningful tool that helps us navigate difficult and complex situations below the sea surface and above it – on the entrepreneurial journey.