SC Award Winners 2025 dope.security’s Kunal Agarwal – Innovator of the Year

Kunal Agarwal, founder and CEO of dope.security, was recognized as the 2025 SC Awards Innovator (Executive or Practitioner) of the Year, honoring his leadership and reimagined approach to cybersecurity.

Agarwal’s leadership philosophy is rooted in reducing complexity — cutting down on support tickets, manual processes, and inefficiencies across the board. His team-first, “anti-exec” mindset promotes deep technical involvement across all levels of leadership, allowing dope.security to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.

“The 'how' is as important as the 'what,'” Agarwal often emphasizes — a principle exemplified by dope’s Fly-Direct secure web gateway, which eliminates legacy stopover data centers for faster, more reliable protection.

Under his guidance, dope.security launched CASB Neural, the industry’s first cloud access security broker powered by deep learning AI, replacing outdated regex-based detection with intuitive, one-click insight into data exposure. He’s also championed groundbreaking features like instant SSL error resolution and extended Shadow IT protection — game-changers for streamlined operations and stronger security.

Beyond technical innovation, Agarwal plays an active role in educating both customers and the broader cybersecurity community. Through his podcast CISOs in Cars, global speaking engagements, and mentorship of rising founders and CISOs, he’s shaping the next generation of security leaders. He’s helped build referral-driven networks that support career transitions and startup launches, embodying a “pay-it-forward” ethos.

Kunal’s bold rethinking of legacy systems and user-first innovation has helped organizations modernize their cybersecurity posture while enhancing usability and performance. His continued commitment to transforming outdated models and empowering both teams and customers makes him a standout force in the cybersecurity world — and a deserving recipient of Innovator of the Year.