vCISO for a scaling fintech startup

Sector

Financial services · fintech startup · 20-40 employees · regulated operations in two European jurisdictions.

Initial situation

The company was closing a funding round and investors required a security lead with demonstrable dedication and a credible compliance plan. Hiring an in-house CISO did not fit the cost structure nor the stage of the business, but regulatory risk was real and growing with every new corporate client onboarded.

Approach

We started with a gap assessment against ISO 27001 controls and the applicable sector requirements, prioritising findings by risk and technical dependencies. We built a 12-month roadmap with measurable quarterly milestones, defining which controls the organisation would own internally and which would be outsourced. We established a governance rhythm with a monthly security committee and quarterly reporting to the board. We supported the selection of a minimum viable toolset and avoided over-engineering.

Result

By the end of the third quarter the organisation was ready for ISO 27001 certification audit, had passed three corporate client due diligence reviews without critical observations and had documented, traceable governance evidence.

Lesson

A startup does not need the best security posture in its sector: it needs a posture that is coherent, sustainable and demonstrable to anyone who asks.

Time and effort

12 months · 8-12 hours of average monthly dedication · monthly committee + quarterly deliverables.