dnsUNFILTERED28 Apr 2025

Competing with Giants, Building DNSFilter from Scratch - Ken Carnesi

What does it take to build a cybersecurity company that actually competes with OpenDNS?

In this episode of dnsUNFILTERED, Mikey sits down with Ken Carnesi, CEO and co-founder of DNSFilter, for an unfiltered conversation on entrepreneurship, DNS filtering, company culture, competition, and what it means to protect real people from real threats.

From solving sketchy hotel Wi-Fi problems with DNS to acquiring threat intelligence tools like Webshrinker, Ken shares how DNSFilter went from startup to one of the fastest-growing players in cybersecurity.

🔥 Sound bites:

"I want everybody to like our product."

"You have to work really, really hard."

"Timing is definitely important."

Whether you're an MSP, tech founder, or just want to hear how a remote-first company takes on the giants—this one's for you.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

02:14 – Ken's Journey

05:30 – Competing with Giants

08:20 – Starting DNSFilter

11:21 – Acquisitions + Innovation

17:20 – Why Threat Identification Matters

30:37 – How Customer Feedback Drives Product

36:36 – Remote Culture Done Right

41:17 – Advice for Entrepreneurs

49:03 – The Future of Cybersecurity

👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and drop a comment. Got questions for Ken? We’re watching the replies.

#DNSFilter #KenCarnesi #Cybersecurity #DNSFiltering #Entrepreneurship #ThreatIntelligence #CompanyCulture #TechPodcast #AIinCybersecurity

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