Founders on Fire: Managing Security Logs at Scale with Balázs Scheidler

In this episode of the Founders on Fire podcast series, host Rose Ross interviews Balázs Scheidler, CEO and co-founder of Axoflow. Balázs shares his journey in cybersecurity and enterprise software—from creating open-source log management tools during his university days and scaling his first startup over 18 years to founding Axoflow in 2022. He discusses winning both the Male CXO Trailblazer award and a Firestarter runner-up award at the Tech Trailblazers Awards, the evolution of security data operations, and why human decision-making remains vital alongside AI. Key Topics Covered: ● The Evolution of Axoflow: How Balázs and his co-founders built a security data layer to help organizations manage security and operational logs efficiently and cost-effectively. ● Entrepreneurial Journey & Lessons Learned: Transitioning from a tech-focused founder in Hungary scaling an 18-year bootstrapped business (250 employees in 12 countries) to entering Series A growth with Axoflow faster and with stronger strategy. ● Advice for Tech Award Entrants: The importance of showcasing authentic differentiators and grabbing every opportunity to build market momentum against intense competition. ● AI and the Role of Founders: Moving from AI skeptic to advocate, comparing AI to the next "steam engine" for automating repetitive tasks while emphasizing that critical decision-making, accountability, and the human touch cannot be automated away.