Startups

Off the ground fast — without buying the enterprise stack

Early-stage security fails in two directions: teams that buy nothing, and teams that buy everything. We keep you out of both ditches — the handful of controls that genuinely matter at your stage, and a plan for the rest when the time comes.

What actually matters early

Most startup breaches trace back to the same few gaps — and closing them costs discipline, not six figures.

  • Identity done right

    Phishing-resistant MFA everywhere, a password manager the team actually uses, and offboarding that doesn't leave ghost accounts behind when someone moves on.

  • The basics, operating

    Device encryption and updates, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), cloud accounts locked to least privilege, and backups you've actually tested restoring.

  • Just enough paper

    The two or three policies customers and partners will ask for — written to be followed, not framed. Enough to answer a security questionnaire honestly.

  • A plan for when it goes wrong

    A one-page incident plan with real names and real phone numbers. The difference between a bad Tuesday and a lost quarter.

What can wait — and we'll tell you so

A ten-person startup doesn't need a 24/7 SOC, a six-figure SIEM, a GRC platform, or an annual penetration test of a product that changes weekly. Vendors will sell you all of it anyway. Part of our job is being the advisor who says not yet — and putting in writing what the trigger points are: your first enterprise customer asking for SOC 2, taking on regulated data, or the round that puts you on a diligence clock.

When those moments arrive, you won't be starting from zero. The foundation we set early is the same one the audit will stand on — so leveling up is an upgrade, not a rebuild.

How an engagement works

Fixed scope, founder-friendly cadence, plain-English output.

  • Baseline in weeks, not quarters

    A short assessment of where you stand, then hands-on implementation of the essentials — typically wrapped inside a month, without derailing your roadmap.

  • A roadmap tied to your milestones

    Security spend mapped to business events — fundraises, enterprise deals, headcount — so every dollar has a reason and a date.

  • Fractional support as you grow

    A few hours a month of vCISO time to answer questionnaires, vet vendors, and keep the program honest — scaling up only when your risk does.

Scoped to your stage and runway. Contact us for a custom quote.

Building something? Protect the runway.

Tell us your stage and your next milestone. We'll tell you the three things to do this quarter — and the five things to skip.

Book a consultation