Between Two Founders Between Two Founders (Episode 002) - Christina Cacioppo
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Sep 6, 2024 
Join Jeff Seibert as he chats with Christina Cacioppo, CEO & Co-Founder of Vanta, a startup revolutionizing trust management. Christina reveals her tough lessons from securing a whopping $150 million Series C round and emphasizes the dangers of hasty hiring. She shares insights on automating security compliance and the importance of customer engagement in achieving product-market fit. The conversation also touches on maintaining work-life balance in the high-stakes world of startups. Tune in for valuable lessons and candid stories!
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Fundraising Is a Numbers Game
- Fundraising at late stages relies heavily on data and metrics, making it more of a numbers game.
- Investors prefer to see progress over time, not just a single impressive meeting or pitch.
Pitching Vanta's Early Vision
- Christina initially pitched Vanta as automating SOC 2 compliance for startups, a market that didn't exist then.
- Most investors expected them to pivot, investing more in the founders' potential than the original idea.
How Security Became a Focus
- Christina learned about security compliance challenges at Dropbox, experiencing delays and product pivots.
- Later, client interactions revealed urgent demand for security solutions, triggering Vanta’s founding.