The Challenge of First Customers in Cybersecurity Startups

The “first customer” question comes up in every early-stage startup, whether it is SaaS, AI, or cybersecurity. ⁣

And honestly, it is one of the hardest parts of the 0 to 1 journey.⁣

Not because founders do not want customers.⁣

But because in the early days, everything is still forming:⁣

– The product is evolving⁣

– The ICP is fluid⁣

– The website is not perfect⁣

– Budgets are unclear⁣

– Messaging is still being tested⁣

– And everyone, including the marketer, is learning on the go⁣

I have spent 6+ years in and around early-stage and Series A to C startups. Cybersecurity has been a new learning curve for me, and here is what I have realized so far.⁣

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1. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝟏𝟎𝐱 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲:⁣

In SaaS, you can experiment, hypothesize, and iterate quickly.⁣

In security, assumptions do not carry the same weight.⁣

People want real threat patterns, real risks, and real validation.⁣

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I have spent weeks diving into threat data, reading reports, analyzing breaches, and understanding attacker behavior because that is what shapes customer empathy in this industry.⁣

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2. 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟; 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

Especially in security.⁣

People will not trust you if they do not know you exist.⁣

And you cannot build trust overnight with cold outreach or paid tools.⁣

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3. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬.⁣

It is about your ability to:⁣

articulate the pain⁣

show relevance⁣

speak the customer’s language⁣

Cybersecurity buyers are skeptical, and rightly so.⁣

They need clarity, not cleverness.⁣

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4. 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐆𝐓𝐌 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲⁣

In typical SaaS, you can run fast experiments, pivot ICPs quickly, and ship content daily.⁣

In cybersecurity, you need more rigor, more proof, and a deeper understanding of the human behavior behind threats.⁣

The grind is still real, but the lens is completely different.⁣

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5. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭⁣

This space forces you to think deeply, move intentionally, and respect the complexity of the ecosystem.⁣

I am still connecting with experts, reading frameworks, exploring the buying journey, and asking the questions that help me grow.⁣

Early-stage marketing is always a balancing act between chaos and clarity.⁣

And you grow the fastest when you step into something you have never done before.⁣

If you are a PMM exploring cybersecurity too, what is something you struggled with early on?⁣

⁣Would love to hear your experiences.