# Why Engineers Make the Best Entrepreneurs w/ Drata's Co-founder & CTO Daniel Marashlian | Dev Interrupted Powered by LinearB

> Daniel Marashlian, Drata's co-founder & CTO, explains what drove him to become a serial entrepreneur and build a billion dollar company.

_This is a markdown rendering of a live HTML page on linearb.io, generated for AI/LLM consumption — it is not a markdown-only site. To get the full HTML page instead, request this URL with an explicit `Accept: text/html` header (no wildcard, no markdown preference)._


```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "PodcastEpisode",
  "name": "Why Engineers Make the Best Entrepreneurs w/ Drata's Co-founder & CTO Daniel Marashlian",
  "description": "Daniel Marashlian, Drata's co-founder & CTO, explains what drove him to become a serial entrepreneur and build a billion dollar company.",
  "url": "https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcast/why-engineers-make-the-best-entrepreneurs",
  "datePublished": "2022-05-16T15:11:44.000Z",
  "partOfSeries": {
    "@type": "PodcastSeries",
    "name": "Dev Interrupted",
    "url": "https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcasts"
  },
  "actor": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Daniel Marashlian",
    "jobTitle": "Co-founder & CTO",
    "worksFor": {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "name": "Drata"
    }
  }
}
```

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "https://linearb.io/"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Dev Interrupted - Podcasts",
      "item": "https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcasts"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "Why Engineers Make the Best Entrepreneurs w/ Drata's Co-founder & CTO Daniel Marashlian",
      "item": "https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcast/why-engineers-make-the-best-entrepreneurs"
    }
  ]
}
```

[Home](https://linearb.io/)

/

[Podcast](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcasts)

/

Why Engineers Make the Best Entrepreneurs w/ Drata's Co-founder & CTO Daniel Marashlian

# Why Engineers Make the Best Entrepreneurs w/ Drata's Co-founder & CTO Daniel Marashlian

By Daniel Marashlian

|

May 16, 2022

![Daniel_Marashlian_Podcast_Card_0d55e76a7d](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_3840/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Daniel_Marashlian_Podcast_Card_0d55e76a7d?_a=BAVMn6ID0)

There are so many books, videos and workshops on starting your own company. The problem for anyone listening to this podcast is that none of them come from the perspective of a developer.

That’s why we were so excited that the founder & CTO of [Drata](https://drata.com/), Daniel Marashlian – who has previously founded eight companies before hitting a billion-dollar valuation with Drata – was open to talking about what it’s like to build a company from a coder’s perspective.

From the signs you’re an entrepreneur at heart, to filling out your skills gap to leaning in to the edge you have with your background, this episode of Dev Interrupted is essential listening for anyone who can code - or anyone who has dreamed of founding their own company.

### Episode Highlights Include:

* (3:41) Serial entrepreneurship and previously failed companies
* (10:56) Signs you should start your own company
* (14:57) You can start a company with experience, you don't need an idea
* (17:32) Why engineers make good entrepreneurs
* (26:20) Always look right to left
* (31:00) Finding good co-founders
* (40:56) Relentless execution
* (49:56) The moment Daniel knew Drata was a success

## Real conversations with top engineering leaders

Find us on

[](https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dev-interrupted/)
[](https://devinterrupted.substack.com/)

## Your next listen

[![Cover image for Your agents are starving! Airbyte’s Michel Tricot on the data ingestion crisis](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_3840/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Blog_Comprehensive_DORA_Guide_2400x1256_82_5c3d33ade4?_a=BAVMn6ID0)](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcast/airbyte-michel-tricot-data-ingestion-crisis-ai-agents)

Dev Interrupted

[Your agents are starving! Airbyte’s Michel Tricot on the data ingestion crisis](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcast/airbyte-michel-tricot-data-ingestion-crisis-ai-agents)

Airbyte CEO Michel Tricot on the data ingestion crisis starving AI agents of context. Discover why data permissions, entity resolution, and long-term AI ROI...

[![Cover image for NVIDIA acquires Hugging Face, OpenClaw 2.0 goes multiplayer, and the Linux kernel fights back against AI scrapers](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_3840/f_auto/q_auto/v1/_2da0450e5f?_a=BAVMn6ID0)](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcast/nvidia-acquires-hugging-face-openclaw-linux-scrapers)

Dev Interrupted

[NVIDIA acquires Hugging Face, OpenClaw 2.0 goes multiplayer, and the Linux kernel fights back against AI scrapers](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcast/nvidia-acquires-hugging-face-openclaw-linux-scrapers)

This week on the Friday Deploy, Ben and Andrew unpack Nvidia's massive acquisition of Hugging Face and its implications for localized models. They explore...

[![Cover image for Why software factories fail without humans | HumanLayer, Warp & LinearB](https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/c_limit,w_3840/f_auto/q_auto/v1/Blog_Comprehensive_DORA_Guide_2400x1256_80_84a60586cc?_a=BAVMn6ID0)](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcast/why-software-factories-fail-humanlayer-warp-linearb)

Dev Interrupted

[Why software factories fail without humans | HumanLayer, Warp & LinearB](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcast/why-software-factories-fail-humanlayer-warp-linearb)

HumanLayer CEO Dexter Horthy, Warp Head of Product Engineering Aloke Desai, and LinearB COO Dan Lines debate the viability of software factories and why...

## Structured data

_Machine-readable metadata (JSON-LD) embedded in the page for search/AI context — not content rendered on the page itself._

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "LinearB",
  "url": "https://linearb.io/",
  "logo": "https://assets.linearb.io/image/upload/v1715628027/logo-mark-lg.svg",
  "description": "LinearB is the engineering productivity platform that helps engineering leaders prove AI is improving throughput without sacrificing delivery confidence, flow efficiency, or developer experience.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/linearb"
  ],
  "award": [
    {
      "@type": "Award",
      "name": "LinearB is a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Developer Productivity Insight Platforms",
      "dateAwarded": "2026",
      "awardedBy": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Gartner®"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Award",
      "name": "Great Place to Work Certification",
      "dateAwarded": "2025-2027",
      "awardedBy": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Great Place to Work"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Award",
      "name": "America's Best Startup Employers 2025",
      "dateAwarded": "2025",
      "awardedBy": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Forbes Magazine"
      }
    }
  ],
  "hasCertification": [
    {
      "@type": "Certification",
      "name": "SOC 1 Type 2"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Certification",
      "name": "SOC 2 Type 2"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Certification",
      "name": "GDPR Compliance certification"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Certification",
      "name": "ISO 27001"
    }
  ]
}
```

## More on linearb.io

### Top navigation

- [Book a Demo](https://linearb.io/book-a-demo)
- [AI Code Reviews — Catch security risks, bugs, and spec mismatches](https://linearb.io/platform/ai-code-reviews)
- [AI & Productivity Insights — See how AI tools affect cycle time and delivery speed](https://linearb.io/platform/ai-developer-productivity-insights)
- [Measure AI Impact — Track AI adoption and tie it to delivery outcomes](https://linearb.io/use-case/measure-ai-impact)
- [MCP Server — Chat with your data to spot patterns and boost output](https://linearb.io/platform/mcp-server)
- [Resource Allocation — Cost initiatives and shape your investment strategy](https://linearb.io/platform/resource-allocation)
- [Cost Capitalization — Capitalize engineering costs with audit-ready reports](https://linearb.io/platform/cost-capitalization)
- [Dev Team Management — Set targets and tie throughput to business outcomes](https://linearb.io/platform/goals-and-reporting)
- [DevOps Workflow Automation — Policy-based PR routing, approvals, and tests](https://linearb.io/platform/ai-workflow-governance)
- [AI Powered Support — Unify AI and human code delivery in one clear view](https://linearb.io/use-case/ai-powered-support)
- [Optimization — Surface friction with feedback and MCP insights](https://linearb.io/platform/developer-experience)
- [Reporting — Spot what's working and what needs attention](https://linearb.io/use-case/measuring-developer-experience)
- [Surveys — Turn developer feedback into actionable signals](https://linearb.io/platform/developer-surveys)
- [Platform overview](https://linearb.io/platform/overview)
- [Watch now](https://linearb.io/resources/the-great-software-factory-debate)
- [Customers](https://linearb.io/customers)
- [Pricing](https://linearb.io/pricing)
- [Why choose LinearB — Explore your data. Measure performance. Act to improve it.](https://linearb.io/why-linearb)
- [APEX framework — The operating model for AI-era engineering teams](https://linearb.io/resources/apex-framework)
- [Anti-FAQ — The questions other vendors won't answer](https://linearb.io/why-linearb/anti-faq)
- [Security — Enterprise-grade compliance and zero code access](https://linearb.io/security)
- [Build vs. buy — The hidden cost of building it yourself](https://linearb.io/resources/build-vs-buy)
- [Dev Interrupted Podcast — Conversations with engineering leaders](https://linearb.io/dev-interrupted/podcasts)
- [Reports & Guides — Deep dives on productivity and delivery](https://linearb.io/resources)
- [Webinars — Expert sessions on productivity and AI](https://linearb.io/resources?category=workshops)
- [Metrics Benchmarks — See how your engineering org stacks up](https://linearb.io/resources/software-engineering-benchmarks-report)
- [Blog — Product updates and practical insights](https://linearb.io/blog)
- [Help Center — Documentation, setup, and support](https://linearb.helpdocs.io)
- [API Docs](https://docs.linearb.io/api-overview)
- [Status](https://www.linearbstatus.com/)
- [Integrations](https://linearb.io/integrations)
- [LinearB Library](https://linearb.io/library)
- [Engineering metrics](https://linearb.io/library/engineering-metrics)
- [Platform engineering](https://linearb.io/library/platform-engineering)
- [Engineering glossary](https://linearb.io/library/engineering-glossary)
- [Developer productivity](https://linearb.io/library/developer-productivity)
- [AI in software development](https://linearb.io/library/ai-in-software-development)
- [Engineering management](https://linearb.io/library/engineering-management)
- [Developer experience](https://linearb.io/library/developer-experience)
- [DevOps](https://linearb.io/library/devops)
- [Engineering operations and the context layer](https://linearb.io/library/engineering-operations)
- [Engineering efficiency](https://linearb.io/library/engineering-efficiency)
- [Software delivery](https://linearb.io/library/software-delivery)
- [Research and data](https://linearb.io/library/engineering-benchmarks-and-research)
- [LinearB is a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Developer Productivity Insight Platforms](https://linearb.io/resources/gartner-magic-quadrant-dpi-platforms-2026)
- [Sign in](https://app.linearb.io/login)
- [Enterprise](https://linearb.io/solutions/enterprise)
- [Contact](https://linearb.io/contact-us)
- [About us](https://linearb.io/about-us)
- [Careers](https://linearb.io/careers)
- [Service agreement](https://linearb.io/services-agreement)
- [Privacy policy](https://linearb.io/privacy-policy)
- [DPA](https://linearb.io/data-processing-agreement)
- [Security FAQ](https://linearb.io/security-faq)
- [Substack](https://devinterrupted.substack.com/)

### Footer

_Additional links from the site footer, not repeated from the top navigation above._

- [GitHub](https://github.com/linear-b)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/linearb)
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/LinearB_Inc)