Top 3 things we learned since winning the RSA Innovation Sandbox

When Apiiro won the RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox Contest in May, it was in many ways a turning point for the company. We had been experiencing massive growth since our launch in October of 2020 and were building a strong stable of not only customers but advocates. 

At the same time, there are many strong security startups with capable executives, all vying for the attention of potential customers. Here is what we’ve learned from the experience:

1. Your message is out there – big time! 

Apiiro is pioneering the category of Application Risk Management (ARM). With the independent validation we received by winning the RSA contest (and were named Gartner Cool Vendor for DevSecOps), organizations moved to a POV after one call. And this has had a material impact on our business.

Many Fortune 100 companies don’t have the bandwidth to hear from a 60-person startup, no matter the previous success of its founders. But following the RSAC Innovation Sandbox win, we’ve found ourselves to be on the “must engage” list of the world’s largest companies.

2. Fundraising is a new ballgame

Apiiro launched a year ago with $35M from Greylock and Kleiner Perkins. It was an enviable position to be in, having investments from the sharpest minds in the business, including Saam Motamedi, Asheem Chandna, Ted Schlein and Rakesh Loonkar.

With our RSAC win, the volume of prospective investors has increased 100-fold, from both top-tier VCs, technology companies, and the venture arms of top multinationals.

3. Prospective employee interest will explode

It’s always difficult to hire top-tier talent. It’s even harder in a current red-hot job market. The most important parts to selling your company as a potential employer are to:

1. Build a vibrant culture, help each other and growth fast together
2. Have a compelling vision that will make a difference in your customers’ lives
3. Prove that you can execute on that vision

More than even compensation, people want to join winning teams. Everyone claims to have all three components, but the validation we’ve received by winning an award like the RSAC Innovation Sandbox has made all the difference. Top-notch people are reaching out to us more than ever before.

Submissions are now open for the 2022 contest. Competing takes a lot of time, thought, and energy, but if you have the drive to challenge the way things are done, we encourage you to give it your best shot!