We are pleased to share that Aleksandr Abalakin, Co-Founder and CMO/CCO of DefendSphere, recently gave an interview to CB Insights discussing cybersecurity compliance, AI, and the direction of the European technology market. The conversation focused on several key topics shaping today’s SaaS and startup ecosystem, including: why cybersecurity compliance is becoming part of the sales process, how regulations such as NIS2 and DORA are changing expectations for startups and SMEs

Artificial intelligence is moving fast and regulation is catching up just as quickly. With the adoption of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act) and the emergence of ISO/IEC 42001 , AI-driven companies now face a new reality: compliance is no longer optional, and “we’ll fix it later” is no longer a viable strategy. For AI startups and SaaS companies operating in Europe, the challenge is clear: How do you build trustworthy, compliant AI systems without slowing down i