What Did Gaurav Keerthi Say on Black Hat Stories?
Black Hat Stories is the conference's own short-form interview series. In this episode, published to the Black Hat channel on 24 July 2026, Gaurav talks about why he keeps going back: the people, the technical depth, and the fact that no two visits have been the same.
Black Hat's own description of the episode puts it this way. "With every Black Hat experience offering something different, Black Hat brings together passionate individuals, innovative companies, and deep technical expertise in one place."
His practical advice for anyone turning up is the least technical thing in the video, and probably the most useful. Put yourself in the room, sit next to people, and talk. The conversations in the hallway and over coffee are worth as much as the ones on stage.
How Can a Small Business Get Security Expertise Without Hiring It?
One remark in the video is the reason we are writing this up rather than just sharing the link. Gaurav points out that the vast majority of companies in the world never get to listen to the conversations that happen at Black Hat.
That is not a complaint about the conference. It is a description of how the industry is shaped. The deepest security expertise gathers where the budgets are, which means it gathers a very long way from a ten-person clinic or a small accounting practice. Those businesses face versions of the same threats, and almost none of that knowledge reaches them in a form they can use.
Closing that distance is the whole reason StrongKeep exists. Not by sending small businesses to Black Hat, which was never the point, but by building the expertise into a product they can run without hiring anyone to interpret it.
Where Can I Watch the Full Video?
The episode runs 1 minute 39 seconds and is on Black Hat's official YouTube channel.
Watch on YouTube: Black Hat Stories | Gaurav Keerthi, CEO and Founder of StrongKeep
Related Reading
- The Great Cyber Divide, on the gap between organisations that can staff security and those that cannot.
- A startup trying to IKEA-ify cybersecurity for SMEs, on building security a non-specialist can actually operate.
- Think you're safe from cyber crooks?, Gaurav on The Straits Times podcast on why so many companies remain exposed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Black Hat Stories?
It is a short-form interview series published on Black Hat's own YouTube channel, in which people from the cybersecurity community talk about their experience of the conference. The episode featuring StrongKeep CEO Gaurav Keerthi was published on 24 July 2026 and runs 1 minute 39 seconds.
Who is Gaurav Keerthi?
He is the CEO and co-founder of StrongKeep. Before that he was Deputy Chief Executive and Deputy Commissioner for Cyber at the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, and Chief Information Officer of the Republic of Singapore Air Force. He founded StrongKeep to build cybersecurity for the businesses the industry never designed for.
What Does StrongKeep Do?
StrongKeep is a self-serve cybersecurity platform for small and medium businesses. It bundles endpoint protection, phishing and malicious-link filtering, credential management, staff awareness training and phishing simulations, all run by the business itself from one dashboard. Compliance tooling is available on higher plans. StrongKeep holds the CSA Cyber Essentials Mark. Built for teams without an IT department. Plans are on the pricing page.
