The Mint Recap: Fireside Chat with Christina Cacioppo of Vanta

We had the pleasure of hosting Christina Cacioppo, Co-Founder of Vanta, as a special guest at The Mint. 

In 2018, Christina calculated the TAM for SOC 2 compliance to be $100M. Many, many people thought that this just wasn’t an investable company or category. But, 6 years later, Vanta has 9k+ customers and is generating over $100M in ARR 🤯

Christina shared lots of valuable insights about founding and growing Vanta. Here are some key takeaways:

1. How you say it > what you say. 
2. Be thoughtful about pricing, even in the early days.
3. Validate, then build.
4. You’re only as good as the last thing you shipped. 
5. The best way to raise money is to not need to.

Let’s break each of these down…

1. How you say it > what you say. 

Be mindful of how you communicate. 

Christina shared that when Vanta was launched, startups didn’t prioritize SOC 2 compliance unless a customer demanded it. If they lacked customers, SOC 2 compliance didn’t really feel urgent. For many startups, finding product-market fit (PMF) was more important than security features. 

So, Vanta flipped the script, turning SOC 2 compliance into a tool for startups to unlock new market opportunities and drive revenue growth — especially when selling to enterprise customers. It worked.

2. Be thoughtful about pricing, even in the early days.

Christina emphasized the importance of pricing from the outset. Six years later, Vanta charges the same price for startups as it did in the early days. 

Raising prices can be difficult, so founders should carefully consider initial pricing strategies.

3. Validate, then build. 

Before developing the software, Vanta validated demand using spreadsheets to prototype. Early customers received results through these prototypes to gauge interest. 

Once demand was confirmed, the team began building the product — ensuring people wanted the solution before investing in coding.

4. You’re only as good as the last thing you shipped. 

In a competitive market, continuous improvement is essential. Past successes don’t guarantee future ones, so it's critical to keep enhancing the product to stay ahead.

5. The best way to raise money is to not need to.

Investors are most interested in companies that don’t need funding. Building a strong business first makes a company more attractive to investors, who are eager to back businesses that are already successful and sustainable.

Fun fact: Vanta raised its Series A at $10M in ARR!