Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem are you solving?
Tobias Lieberum, co-founder and managing director: Cyberdesk is a fast-growing Munich-based cybersecurity startup. To date, there are very few European solution providers in the cyber sector. We want to change that and are developing a software solution for the biggest security risk: access rights. Hackers typically don’t really hack at all – they simply log in.
Today, companies face the challenge of securely managing a growing number of human identities (employees, partners, customers) as well as non-human identities (machine accounts, AI agents, IoT and OT systems). This complexity increasingly makes it difficult to manage access rights in a traceable and secure manner – a significant security risk: approximately 80 percent of all data breaches are due to compromised identities.
At the same time, over 95 percent of all access rights remain unused, creating a massive – and avoidable – attack surface. This is exactly where our identity-centric data security platform comes in. Cyberdesk brings transparency to the chaos and makes visible who has access to which data – down to the file level. This enables us to provide precise, identity-centric control of data access, helping companies minimize risks and effectively close security gaps. Since AI deployment without a solution like Cyberdesk is hardly justified, we are currently experiencing very strong growth.
Why existing solutions are insufficient – and where Cyberdesk fits in
Munich Startup: But that already exists!
Tobias Lieberum: Access control itself is nothing new. Since the advent of the first enterprise networks, organizations have struggled with permission management. Since then, leading solution providers have repeatedly been overtaken by innovations, and new market leaders have emerged. For example, driven by the SaaS application boom, cloud-first identity solutions like Okta grew large in the 2010s and displaced the old incumbents.
Today, we are at another such turning point: data is now one of the fastest-growing resources. 90 percent of all data globally was created in just the last two years. Most companies struggle with over-provisioning of data access across their identities. Cyberdesk closes this gap: we bring identities and data together and answer the central question: “Who has access to what?”
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Tobias Lieberum: Cyberdesk was founded in 2022 by my co-founder Prabhakar Mishra and myself. In our previous roles – he in banking, me in consulting – we dealt with highly sensitive data on a daily basis. We experienced firsthand how difficult it is to ensure secure data access. Despite numerous tools, there was no solution that really meaningfully brings identities and data together. So we decided: we’ll build it ourselves.
Since then, we have grown steadily. The heart of Cyberdesk is a team of experienced software developers and cyber enthusiasts with prior experience from companies like Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and Palo Alto Networks. It’s a great fortune to work with such talent. We are supported by a broad network of investors whom we managed to win in heavily oversubscribed funding rounds. What makes me particularly proud: our vision is actively supported by many strong voices from the European cybersecurity ecosystem – including CISOs from ADAC, Bilfinger, the Oetker Group, and many more.
Growing pains despite strong demand
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Tobias Lieberum: A real luxury problem: the demand is there, but the capacity is lacking. We have an extensive waiting list with exciting customers from various industries. Our challenge now is to scale our team quickly enough to implement all onboardings and feature requests in a timely manner.
Munich Startup: Where do you want to be in a year, where in five years?
Tobias Lieberum: In a year, we want to be the leading provider of identity-centric data security in Europe with a clear focus on the DACH region and dozens of enterprise customers. Our goal is to help companies manage access to sensitive data in a traceable, secure, and efficient manner. By reducing unnecessary data, we also help save costs and make IT more sustainable.
In five years, we aim to be recognized worldwide as the market leader for secure data access through identity-based control. We are deliberately focusing on artificial intelligence to not only manage permissions statically, but to control them dynamically and adaptively based on context, risk, and user behavior.
Our vision is to make permission management more intelligent: proactive, adaptive, and precise, to identify security risks early and grant or deny access at exactly the right moment. If we succeed in this, we can usher in the end of cyberattacks.
Munich as a vibrant tech hub for cybersecurity
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Tobias Lieberum: Very positively! Munich offers a truly great ecosystem of world-class talent, exciting companies, and great partners. For example, we are currently based at Munich Urban Colab and appreciate the dynamic atmosphere and access to the inspiring network from the UnternehmerTUM environment. At the same time, we also benefit from our location in Berlin and plan to become even more active in both cities in the future.
Munich Startup: Outsource or do it yourself?
Tobias Lieberum: Do it yourself. For us, people and security are at the center. Innovation doesn’t come from outsourced tasks, but from a strong team with a shared vision. We want people around us who share our passion and work with us toward a more secure digital world. And we’re always looking for more talent – feel free to reach out to us!
