Episode 77 — Bruno Lecoq

Bruno Lecoq is the Co-Founder, CEO, and CISO of BEMO, a Microsoft-focused cybersecurity and compliance firm serving small and mid-sized businesses across the United States. Before founding BEMO in 2010, Bruno spent nearly 20 years at Microsoft, where he worked on MS-DOS, Windows NT, Exchange, Xbox, and finished his tenure in HR. Born in a village of 1,200 people in France, Bruno moved to Seattle at 22 with a $10,000 loan, a backpack, and a dream he had announced to his mom at midnight after watching a late night TV show about two young American millionaires, one of which was Bill Gates. Today BEMO manages over 470 companies and is one of approximately 50 MSSPs in the United States that is CMMC Level 2 compliant.

In this episode, Bruno traces his unlikely path from a French village to the Microsoft campus, through MS-DOS, Windows NT, Exchange, Xbox, and eventually HR, before launching BEMO in 2010 and pivoting to cybersecurity in 2018. He breaks down why CMMC compliance is like having a child, why most SMBs believe they are immune to cyberattacks, and why running AI agents inside your company without governance is a recipe for chaos.

Jack Clabby and co-host Kayley Jerrell talk with Bruno about the day Bill Gates walked into his shipping party and canceled the product he had spent a year building, what it was like watching Microsoft decide to eat his lunch in 2012, and what he learned from eight years of working alongside his son Brandon before he left to start his own company.

In the Lifestyle Polygraph, Bruno reveals his favorite French pastry is the éclair, explains how he got involved in owning a French bakery in Seattle, shares the story of watching France beat Brazil (his wife is a die-hard Brazil fan) at the 1998 World Cup two months before his wedding, tells us about the family intervention that ended his flying lessons, and explains why soccer will never be at the level of football in Seattle and he has accepted that.

Follow Bruno on LinkedIn and learn more about BEMO at bemopro.com.