<p>Welcome to another episode of Behind the Category — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're talking with <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/boughtnotsold'>Eric Olden</a>, CEO and Founder of <a href='https://www.strata.io/'>Strata Identity</a>, an identity orchestration platform that has successfully raised over $42 Million in funding.</p> <p>Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:</p> <ul> <li style="font-weight:400;">The Genesis at Berkeley: Eric reflects on starting his entrepreneurial journey in 1995, amidst the burgeoning internet era, identifying security as the web's most critical missing ingredient.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">The Dot-com Bubble: Eric provides an insider's view of Silicon Valley during the dot-com bubble, highlighting the rapid rise and fall of many startups, including his own brush with an IPO before the market crash.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Creating Categories: Eric talks about his experience in creating new market categories, emphasizing the importance of solving substantial problems and distinguishing between category creation and product innovation.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">The Importance of Analyst Relations: Eric underlines the role of analyst and media relations in building and defining new categories, stressing the necessity for founders to invest time and resources in this area.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Identity Orchestration: Eric explains how Strata Identity is pioneering the category of identity orchestration, addressing the challenges of managing identity across multiple cloud environments.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Content and Thought Leadership: Highlighting strategies for building authority and generating interest in a new category, Eric shares insights into producing valuable content and engaging with thought leaders to amplify their market presence.</li> </ul>