Drumroll, please! Today, we’re launching the second season of Humans Behind the Hoodie — this time, starring Luis Valenzuela! Read on to learn more about the Humans Behind the Hoodie campaign.
Luis Valenzuela never thought he’d end up in cybersecurity.
After growing up in Colombia and immigrating to the United States, he worked in hospitality. One day during his shift at a hotel, a guest offered him a job opportunity in tech. He decided to take it — and he’s never looked back.
Now the Director of Data Governance and Data Protection at InComm Payments, Luis has been in the cybersecurity field for over a decade. What keeps him motivated amidst all the stress and complexity that come with being a cyber professional is his “why” — which is serving and helping others.
When we were identifying who to feature in the second season of Humans Behind the Hoodie, we felt it was important to highlight a customer's story. Intrigued by Luis’ early life experiences and unconventional route into the tech industry, we knew he’d be the perfect fit.
As the face of Humans Behind the Hoodie: Season 2, Luis will cover his background, what motivates him, the ways he adapts to the ongoing complexities of the industry, the importance of never-ending learning and growth, and so much more.
Watch this sneak peek of the first episode now — then watch the full video here. And keep reading to learn more about Humans Behind the Hoodie.
Why Humans Behind the Hoodie
Human connection — emotional connection — is the underlying motivation for everything we do to build the Axonius brand.
Too often, though, we see the exact opposite of emotion in cybersecurity. Mechanical robots. Matrix-style numbers falling from the sky. Military-grade encryption and endpoint protection designed for protecting against the bad guys and battling hackers in hoodies.
It’s just… not accurate to what cybersecurity is really about.
Cybersecurity is about people. Both the people being protected, and the people doing the protecting.
In Humans Behind the Hoodie, we took it as our responsibility to flip the hacker-in-a-hoodie stereotype on its head — and tell real stories from real people in the industry, sharing how cybersecurity plays a significant role in their lives.
Season 1: Lenny Zeltser
Now, let’s quickly throw it back to Season 1.
If you’re in cybersecurity, you’ve probably heard of Lenny Zeltser. When we were identifying who to feature in Humans Behind the Hoodie, Lenny immediately came to mind. Now CISO at Axonius, Lenny’s also a long-time SANS instructor — and he’s certainly made the rounds throughout his career.
To some, Lenny’s path to CISO could be considered unconventional. Like Luis’ experiences, Lenny’s story felt like the perfect parallel to Humans Behind the Hoodie and our mission to use the campaign as a vehicle to flip preconceived notions on their heads.
As the focus of Humans Behind the Hoodie: Season 1, Lenny details what led him to cybersecurity in the first place — and what keeps him there decades later.
Catch up on all three episodes in Season 1 now — or jump right into Season 2!
