Sanjay Kalra

Observer
DISC Type : ic

Founder at Stealth Startup

Saratoga, California, United States

Overview

Sanjay is a serial entrepreneur with deep expertise in the security and networking industry. He founded the cloud security company Lacework and ShiftRight, which was acquired by Zscaler. He holds an MS from the University of Southern California, an MBA from Santa Clara University, and multiple patents.

He is passionate about sharing the lessons learned from his entrepreneurial journey, including reflecting on the failures and risks encountered while building his companies. He frequently speaks to other entrepreneurs about his experiences to help them navigate their own paths.

Unique fact: Sanjay founded two major cybersecurity companies, Lacework and ShiftRight, with the latter being successfully acquired by Zscaler.

Personality Overview

Curious

Assertive

Example Seeker

They are likely to ask many questions and look heavily for supporting information.  They are generally good communicators and can be hard to convince. They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing.

Topics They Care About

AI Security Risks
At Zscaler, he incubated the Zscaler AI Guard. His recent posts and talks focus on AI hallucinations, vulnerabilities, and the need for security guardrails in AI systems.
Entrepreneurial Lessons
He publicly reflects on his startup journey, sharing lessons learned from failures at companies like Lacework and ShiftRight to help other founders.
Cloud Security Platforms
He founded Lacework with a vision to apply machine learning and behavioral analysis to create an end-to-end cloud security experience.

Media Appearances

Sanjay has no verified media appearances

Work History

9-2025
Founder at Stealth Startup
6-2022 - 8-2025
Product Management at Zscaler at Zscaler
10-2019 - 8-2025
Founder & CEO at ShiftRight (Acquired by Zscaler)
12-2014 - 11-2019
Board Member at Lacework
12-2014 - 8-2019
Founder & CPO at Lacework

Education

1993 - 1994
MS from University of Southern California
1999 - 2001
MBA from Santa Clara University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 27 Location : Saratoga, California, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : Founder at Stealth Startup
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Insights For Selling To Sanjay

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Ask them questions to understand their needs better while staying affable
  • Build rapport, it will come handy to handle hard questions later
  • Be prepared for a lot of questions, answer them objectively

DONT's

  • Don’t be too objective but make sure to pad your storytelling with data points
  • Don’t try to rush them into a decision, provide all necessary information first
  • Don’t brush off any concerns, take all questions seriously

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Sanjay is

  • Proven value, strong testimonials are important to them, relationships will have some weightage.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Sanjay

  • They are practical and friendly, don't expect a clear-cut response often.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Sanjay move?

  • They like to perform full analysis and can take time to make any decision.
  • Can Sanjay take some risk or not?

  • They evaluate their decisions systematically and are less likely to take risks.

You And Sanjay

Personality Compatibility


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