The rise of identity-based cyber incidents, making up 80% of cases globally, is a call to action for businesses. Attackers no longer try to break in; they log in. This subtle shift in cyberattack tactics places vulnerabilities within identity systems, such as permission settings or misconfigurations, under the spotlight. Saporo, a Swiss cybersecurity company, has acknowledged this shift and recently secured €7 million in Series A funding to combat such threats. Here’s why this matters and how it changes the game for businesses thinking about digital defense.
What Saporo Brings to the Table
Saporo specializes in what they call graph-native Identity Security Posture Management. Essentially, their platform uses graphs to visualize and analyze all attack paths within an organization’s identity systems, whether that's Microsoft Active Directory, AWS, or modern cloud configurations like Entra ID. The goal? To eliminate risky connections and reduce hacking opportunities before attackers can exploit them. This approach has proven successful, with Saporo’s customers reportedly wiping out up to 80% of attack threats within a year.
Saporo goes further by offering companies a chance to view their identity systems like attackers would. It pinpoints how unauthorized access could spread across systems and devices. Imagine knowing where your weakest connection lies, long before a breach happens, this is what makes Saporo stand out.
5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Saporo’s Success
Saporo’s rise offers practical takeaways for business owners and startup founders looking to disrupt markets or secure funding:
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Find Gaps in Established Systems:
Saporo took a closer look at identity security, an area often overshadowed by flashy firewalls or anti-virus systems. By addressing overlooked vulnerabilities like over-permissions or shadow admin accounts, they tapped into immediate demand. Entrepreneurs in cybersecurity, or any field, can apply this strategy: dig deep into existing issues and fix the blind spots the competition misses. -
Value-driven Proof Over Buzzwords:
During Saporo’s funding negotiations with key investors like TIN Capital, the team focused on measurable outcomes. For example, they demonstrated how their platform reduced exposure to attack paths by 70-90% in test cases. If you’re pitching for funding, data that quantifies your solution’s impact is a stronger persuader than abstract promises. -
Listen to the Problem that Customers Don’t Even Know Yet:
Businesses often accept misaligned identity systems as unavoidable. By redefining that pain point and proving optimization is possible, Saporo educated their market about what’s at stake. Similarly, educating clients about a problem they didn’t fully understand can give your solution a competitive edge. -
Build the Solution with Scalability in Mind:
Saporo designed its platform to function across both on-premises systems and numerous cloud-based ones. In a world growing more decentralized by the day, adaptability makes a solution more market-ready. Entrepreneurs should consider whether their products solve one isolated issue or can organically grow with user needs. -
Get the Right Strategic Partners:
While raising their Series A, Saporo brought in seasoned backers like G+D Ventures and CDP Venture Capital, who provided access to broader European markets. Smart investors do more than just write checks, they open doors. When considering funding sources, always evaluate the influence, network, and expertise that potential investors bring.
How Your Business Can Improve Cybersecurity
No matter what stage your business is at, taking cybersecurity seriously should sit high on your list of priorities. Start with identity security, as that is now the most frequent entry point for cybercriminals. Here is a quick guide:
1. Audit Permissions Regularly:
Review what permissions are granted across your digital stack. Old user accounts, poorly set access controls, and redundant admin accounts leave you wide open to attacks. Don’t let inactive roles hang around. If Saporo’s approach teaches us something, it’s how quickly over-permissions snowball into a major threat.
2. Invest in Monitoring Tools:
If you can’t afford solutions tailored to enterprises just yet, look into budget-friendly tools that monitor login attempts or flag unusual access patterns. Tools like Okta or LastPass offer credible starter options.
3. Educate Your Team:
Hackers often target employees with phishing attempts to snag login credentials. Make sure your teams understand the role they play in maintaining security.
4. Adopt Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):
As simple as it sounds, MFA adds an extra roadblock for attackers. Enabling MFA is one of the easiest ways to enhance defenses.
Mistakes to Avoid
Failing to address cybersecurity early can cost startups both reputation and revenue. Here are common errors to skip:
- Ignoring Small-Scale Threats: Startups often believe they aren’t large enough to draw attackers’ interest. Unfortunately, many cybercriminals target smaller setups specifically because they expect defenses to be weaker.
- Delaying Investments Until Growth: Security measures should scale with your business from day one. Retro-fitting defenses once you're bigger is cumbersome and risky.
- Overcomplicating Policies: Security procedures must be user-friendly, or your team may struggle to follow them, creating more vulnerabilities. Keep it structured but simple.
Strategic Insight for Startup Founders
Beyond solving a real and pressing issue, Saporo is reaping the benefits of being proactive in the identity security space, especially as enterprises rush to protect themselves from costly breaches. This mirrors a larger trend where risk-reduction services are being prioritized in nearly every industry.
One aspect of their positioning that really impressed me is their emphasis on showing businesses exactly where the risks sit on their map. This transparency feels less daunting than reports drowning in data, which many solutions rely on.
Beyond cybersecurity, this approach, giving customers clarity over complexity, can work wonders in any SaaS or tech product offering. Always ask yourself whether your customer clearly understands what they gain by using your platform.
Bringing it Home
Saporo's success shows how identifying and addressing neglected yet high-demand problems can position a business for rapid growth. While cybersecurity might not be your field, the principles behind Saporo’s rise cut across industries. Staying proactive, focusing on clarity, and demonstrating measurable impact are strategies as valuable for a small eco-conscious brand as they are for a tech-based enterprise.
Cyber threats aren’t going anywhere, and they’re growing more targeted annually. Whether you have 10 employees or a 200-person team, cybersecurity needs to be part of your strategy now, not after something goes wrong. If you’re already exploring how to tighten identity controls, watch companies like Saporo, they’re carving the future path in security solutions.
FAQ
1. What percentage of cyber incidents are now identity-based?
Identity-based attacks now account for 80% of cyber incidents globally, as noted in Saporo's focus on tackling this rising threat. Read more about Saporo and identity-based incidents
2. How does Saporo address identity-based vulnerabilities?
Saporo uses a graph-native Identity Security Posture Management platform that visualizes all attack paths within an organization, helping to reduce hacking opportunities proactively. Learn about Saporo’s cybersecurity platform
3. What results have Saporo’s customers seen?
Saporo’s customers reportedly eliminate up to 80% of attack threats within a year through their platform. Explore more about Saporo’s success
4. How does Saporo make businesses view their identity systems?
Saporo provides insights from an attacker’s perspective, helping businesses identify and reduce vulnerabilities like risky connections before they can be exploited. Read more on Saporo’s approach
5. What were the key strategies behind Saporo's Series A funding success?
Saporo focused on measurable outcomes, like reducing attack paths by 70-90%, to secure €7 million in funding. Learn how Saporo secured its Series A
6. What industries is Saporo targeting for their solutions?
Saporo targets industries like financial services, government, healthcare, and technology that rely heavily on hybrid setups such as Active Directory and cloud platforms.
7. What investors participated in Saporo’s €7 million funding round?
Key investors include TIN Capital, G+D Ventures, CDP Venture Capital, XAnge, Lightbird VC, and Session VC, each playing a strategic role in Saporo’s growth, such as market expansion. Discover more about Saporo’s investors
8. Why are identity security systems becoming a primary focus in cybersecurity?
With attackers opting to “log in” instead of “breaking in,” identity systems like AWS, Entra ID, and Active Directory present a significant target due to over-permissions and misconfigurations.
9. What is Saporo’s approach to scalability?
Saporo built its platform to be adaptable for both on-premises systems and cloud configurations, allowing it to scale with user demands.
10. How can businesses start improving identity security?
A good starting point includes auditing permissions, using monitoring tools, educating employees, and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA). Discover additional cybersecurity tips
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.