Rom Carmel (Apono): From Nigeria to Series B. The Journey of Apono

Rom Carmel, CEO & Co-Founder of Apono, shares a deeply personal founder story from running his first business at age seven in Nigeria to leading a $54M, post-Series B cybersecurity company today.

In this conversation, Rom reflects on how growing up in Lagos shaped his adaptability, how Israeli intelligence changed his leadership style, and how he evolved from perfectionist founder to empowering CEO.

He also reveals the story behind meeting his co-founder Ofir, getting stuck together in Seychelles during COVID, and spending nine months speaking with 100 CISOs before building Apono.

This is a masterclass in founder psychology, co-founder alignment, and what it really takes to scale a company without losing yourself.

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