Anna: We keep saying "we'll sort compliance after launch" but the enterprise pilot is already asking for controls.
Greg: Exactly why this session exists—let's map what "good enough" looks like so we stop sprinting blind.
Anna: Why this matters before Series A focuses attention on a concrete part of the work. Contracts, audits and enterprise pilots die quickly if you cannot evidence basic compliance hygiene, Regulators and investors expect intent documented early, even if your stack is still duct tape and shared logins, and Getting ahead of obligations keeps trust intact with customers sharing sensitive data and engineers shipping fast.
Greg: In practice, ask who owns the work, what evidence proves it happened, and what handoff comes next. Use the supporting details as a checklist: Regulators and investors expect intent documented early, even if your stack is still duct tape and shared logins; Getting ahead of obligations keeps trust intact with customers sharing sensitive data and engineers shipping fast.
Anna: SOC 2 feels mythical—people say it takes years and a room full of consultants.
Greg: Type I can land in a quarter if we assign an owner, reuse templates and rehearse evidence pulls monthly.
Anna: And Type II?
Greg: Plan on nine months because auditors watch controls run; automation for access reviews and logging keeps it sane.
Anna: Making audits survivable for small teams focuses attention on a concrete part of the work. Start with a single owner (often COO, security lead or fractional CISO) plus one project manager or chief of staff, Use lightweight tooling: ticket queue for control tasks, password manager exports, MDM screenshots and change logs, and Rehearse evidence pulls monthly so nothing lives only in someone's inbox or head.
Greg: In practice, ask who owns the work, what evidence proves it happened, and what handoff comes next. Use the supporting details as a checklist: Use lightweight tooling: ticket queue for control tasks, password manager exports, MDM screenshots and change logs; Rehearse evidence pulls monthly so nothing lives only in someone's inbox or head; Automate what you can early—cloud security posture tools, HRIS-to-IdP sync, log retention policies—before the audit gap list grows.
Anna: We're pulling in GPL, Apache and MIT libraries without thinking—what's the real risk?
Greg: Licences travel with your code; at minimum we owe attribution, and GPL triggers source disclosures if our product distributes binaries.
Anna: So we need a log of what we're using?
Greg: Yes, a lightweight SBOM and approval step keep surprises out of vendor questionnaires and customer audits.
Anna: Our product team wants to ship a new analytics feature tomorrow—privacy review feels like a blocker.
Greg: Run the 15-minute DPIA template, strip optional personal fields and document consent flows now; it's faster than rewriting code post-incident.
Anna: Do we loop legal in on every tweak?
Greg: Bring them in for cross-border data moves or sensitive categories, but empower squads with reusable checklists for the routine cases.
Anna: Who actually owns this when we're only twenty people?
Greg: A fractional CISO or ops lead can captain it, with a privacy counsel on retainer and an engineer automating the evidence pulls.
Anna: What's the growth path for someone who loves this work?
Greg: Start as compliance coordinator, step into trust and safety leadership, and grow toward head of risk once the company scales.
Anna: Quick-start checklist for founders focuses attention on a concrete part of the work. Appoint a single compliance captain with a documented backup, Centralise policies, risk registers, DPIAs and SBOMs in a shared drive or GRC tool with version control, and Schedule quarterly control walkthroughs with engineering, product and legal stakeholders.
Greg: In practice, ask who owns the work, what evidence proves it happened, and what handoff comes next. Use the supporting details as a checklist: Centralise policies, risk registers, DPIAs and SBOMs in a shared drive or GRC tool with version control; Schedule quarterly control walkthroughs with engineering, product and legal stakeholders; Budget for at least one external audit readiness review per year.