Q&A with Laird Wilton, Carbide’s COO & Co-Founder
What’s your company’s origin story? What brought your team together?
Carbide was born out of experience and frustration.
Years ago, our co-founders — Darren Gallop and Laird Wilton — lost a six-figure deal because their previous company couldn’t meet enterprise security requirements. That deal-breaker sparked a more profound realization: if security gaps could derail growth for one fast-moving company, how many others were at risk?
As we built a stronger security strategy internally, it became clear that early and growth-stage companies needed a better path that was scalable, accessible, and didn’t require building a security team from scratch. So, we founded Securicy (now Carbide) to deliver just that.
Pitch your company to us as if we’re an individual or organization that thinks cybercrime is “someone else’s problem.”
If you think cybercrime is someone else’s problem, attackers are counting on it.
Today’s threats don’t wait for your company to become a household name. Small and medium-sized businesses and startups are targeted because they hold sensitive data and connect to larger enterprise ecosystems. That’s why we built Carbide: a hybrid solution combining intelligent automation with expert guidance to help businesses build security maturity and earn trust, from day one.
Given that cybersecurity risk is global, where do Canadian companies fit in? What can we do better than anyone else?
Canada is seen as a stable, neutral, and dependable partner in a world where trust is currency. That’s a reputation that Canadian cybersecurity firms proudly carry into every client relationship.
Canada punches well above its weight in the global cybersecurity landscape, and that’s no accident. Canadian companies bring together world-class technical talent, a strong culture of innovation, and a regulatory environment that is adapting to modern challenges in privacy and responsible data stewardship. Our diverse, globally connected workforce offers unique perspectives, driving Canada’s cybersecurity approach.
What’s the best question you’ve ever been asked about what you do?
The best question we’ve been asked is: “So, what makes you different from a compliance automation tool?”
It’s a great question, because it gets to the heart of what makes Carbide unique. Tools can help you tick boxes, but they can’t help you make decisions, navigate gray areas, or win trust with customers who want to know you’re serious about security.
We answer by explaining that we’re not just a platform. We combine intelligent automation with hands-on expert guidance. That means we don’t just help you get compliant; we help you stay secure, scale responsibly, and turn security into a competitive advantage.
Where and how do you want to see your product or service make an impact in the next five years?
Over the next five years, we want Carbide to be the reason more companies win deals, rather than lose them because of a weak security posture.
