Productizing SOC 2 through Automation
Christina Cacioppo, CEO of Vanta, on the value of SOC 2 compliance for startups
The key insight is that SOC 2 was productizable because most companies are being asked to prove the same small set of security habits in slightly different wrappers. Vanta turned a consulting project into software by reducing audits to repeatable checks, like MFA on employee accounts, encryption settings, and access reviews, then wiring those checks into APIs and dashboards that both companies and auditors can use.
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Before automation, founders and auditors handled SOC 2 with PDFs, screenshots, office visits, and spreadsheet trackers. That made the work feel bespoke, even though the underlying controls were often the same across companies.
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Competitors arrived at the same core idea. Secureframe describes SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI DSS as overlapping checklists, and Laika built shared controls that map one security action across multiple frameworks.
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That standardization is what unlocked the business model. Once controls became machine readable, Vanta could sell annual software instead of one off prep work, then expand from SOC 2 into adjacent frameworks and security workflows. By July 2025, Vanta reached $220M ARR.
This points toward compliance platforms becoming broader trust operating systems. The same integrations that prove a company is ready for an audit can also monitor vendors, test controls continuously, and support new frameworks, which is why the market is moving from yearly certification software toward always on security infrastructure.