Consulting for Startups: SOC 2, Security, and AI Strategy
The compliance that unblocks your first enterprise deal, security foundations that scale instead of needing rebuilding, and the AI architecture decisions that are expensive to reverse later.
Most startups call us at one of two moments: an enterprise prospect sent a security questionnaire that stalled the deal, or a term sheet is close and diligence is next.
We sequence SOC 2 so the report lands when your first enterprise contract needs it, Type 1 for speed and Type 2 running behind it. A fractional CISO owns the technology calls that are hard to walk back: identity, tenancy model, and data architecture.
Industry
01
Startups
Experience
02
15+ years on the market
Expertise
03
Industry specific mastery
Projects
04
200+ projects
Experience
We have taken early-stage companies from empty policy folder to SOC 2 report while they kept shipping.
Expertise
SOC 2, ISO 27001, security questionnaires, and the cloud architecture underneath them.
The Team
Practitioners who have sat in the CISO seat, run audits, and answered enterprise procurement teams directly.
SOC 2 matters when a buyer asks for it, and buyers ask at the worst time: mid-procurement. We work backward from your sales pipeline. If a deal needs a Type 1 this quarter, we scope to that. If renewals ride on a Type 2, we build the evidence habit months ahead.
02
Security reviews that stop stalling deals
A stalled security review is usually a missing artifact, a policy, a pentest report, a SOC 2, rather than a real gap. We build the artifact set once, keep it current, and answer questionnaires from it, so each new enterprise prospect costs you days instead of weeks.
03
One bench across security, privacy, and audit
A fractional CISO sets the roadmap and answers for it in board language. Privacy advisors handle DPAs and the state privacy laws your customers ask about. Pentesters test what you actually shipped. And SOC 2 examinations run through our CPA attest arm, so the readiness team knows exactly what an auditor will accept.
Certificates
Our accreditations
At BD Emerson, we believe that our team's extensive certifications not only set us apart but also ensure that we provide the highest level of service to our clients.
A startup funded by leading venture firms was building a new application and needed its security program to grow up alongside the product. The goal was set early: SOC 2 Type 1 first, Type 2 behind it, and security embedded in the development process rather than retrofitted after launch. The constraint was just as clear, since none of it could slow the product team.
Challenge
The Appsec Challenge
Build a secure application from a blank repository while standing up the enterprise architecture SOC 2 expects, at the same time, with the same engineers. Every control had to live inside the development workflow, because a separate compliance track would have slowed both.
Solution
The Appsec Solution
BD Emerson trained the development team on the OWASP Security Knowledge Framework and ASVS, then built those requirements into the development process itself rather than bolting on a review at the end. By the time the audit window opened, secure development was how the team already worked, and the evidence existed because the process produced it.
Security Challenge
The SOC 2 Challenge
Reach SOC 2 Type 1 in 60 days, then move straight into the observation period for Type 2 without losing momentum.
Security Solution
The SOC 2 Solution
BD Emerson implemented Vanta as the control plane and ran the whole program against it. The BD Emerson Legal Group drafted the policies, procedures, and agreements the audit would test, while the security team onboarded the required tooling and worked directly with the auditors, so evidence requests were answered from the system rather than assembled by hand. Type 1 landed inside the 60-day target, the startup moved straight into Type 2 monitoring, and after a three-month observation window it had its SOC 2 Type 2 report in hand.
Benefits
Benefits
Client Profile: A startup backed by leading venture firms, building a new application with SOC 2 on the critical path.
Client Requirements: Application security built into development, a secure enterprise architecture, and SOC 2 on a compressed timeline.
Deliverables: OWASP SKF and ASVS training, security integrated into the build process, and SOC 2 support through Type 1 and Type 2.
Client Testimonial: "Partnering with BD Emerson transformed our approach to cybersecurity for startups. Their expertise ensured that our application was secure from the get-go, and their guidance was instrumental in helping us achieve SOC 2 compliance in record time." - Founder at VC Backed Startup.
All Industries
Healthcare
Financial Services
Retail
Education
Technology
Manufacturing
Government
Energy
Legal (Law Firms)
Software Development
Marketing Agencies
Industries
Industries
Our diverse range of solutions ensures that we can address the specific needs of your business, whether you are a startup or an established enterprise.
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