After spending years bootstrapping my startups, I’ve seen the sheer determination it takes to build a business without external financial backing. That’s why I always find stories like Saporo’s, closing a €7 million Series A round, fascinating, not just for their success, but for the lessons hidden in their journey. Saporo, a Swiss cybersecurity startup, specializes in graph-native identity security. From what I’ve read, they’re not just scaling; they aim to transform how companies address identity-based cyber threats. For entrepreneurs in Europe, particularly women looking to break into tech and build impactful products, there’s so much to unpack here.
Saporo’s Breakthrough: A Look at Their Graph-Native Platform
Saporo developed a platform that tackles a growing issue for enterprises, identity-based attacks make up 80% of all cyber incidents today. Their platform maps billions of attack paths within hybrid identity systems, including Microsoft Active Directory, AWS, and Okta. Why is this relevant for founders? Complexity. If you’re positioning yourself in a niche market, showing the ability to simplify it and solve real pain points is critical.
What stands out about Saporo is their efficiency in reducing risks. By addressing the highest-impact issues, their platform eliminates 80% of risky attack paths within a year. It’s a results-driven approach, something investors obviously loved. As a founder, this reinforces the importance of clearly demonstrating your solution’s measurable impact when pitching to investors.
The Backers: Who Believed in Saporo
Securing funding often means teaming up with investors who align with your vision. Leading their Series A round was TIN Capital, joined by other notable VCs like G+D Ventures and CDP Venture Capital. What’s fascinating is how each investor offers strategic value. For example, TIN Capital supports expansion in Northern Europe, while CDP Venture Capital focuses on opportunities in Italy.
For female entrepreneurs, the takeaway here might be the importance of choosing investors who bring something beyond money. Their networks, experience, or specific markets could be game-changing for your growth.
Lessons in Scaling: What Female Entrepreneurs Can Learn
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Target Problems That Keep Customers Awake at Night
Saporo builds its solution around a simple idea: let businesses understand their vulnerabilities as cyber attackers would. They address a specific pain point, weak identity systems, and provide companies with actionable insights. For emerging entrepreneurs, this is a reminder to focus on problems your audience urgently needs solved. -
Data-Driven Proof for Big Claims
Saporo mentions not just how their platform works but its outcomes: 80% fewer attack paths, continuous monitoring, and compliance alignment. When pitching your startup, communicating your value proposition through measurable success stories resonates more than abstract promises. -
Strategic Expansion Matters
Saporo plans to use its funding to expand into key European markets and dip its toes in the U.S., making calculated moves instead of scaling recklessly. For women founders, building a solid customer base in well-researched regions could make or break your startup’s growth. -
Build Long-Term Relationships
The mix of VCs supporting Saporo shows that they didn’t just chase after funding; they built strategic connections within their industry. Look to join incubators and accelerators where you can refine your approach and access knowledgeable investors.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Scaling
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Overlooking Implementation Costs
While Saporo can boast about solving hybrid identity issues effortlessly, implementing a complex solution in an established market requires careful planning. If you’re scaling a product, don’t underestimate onboarding challenges or implementation timeframes for your customers. -
Ignoring Early Market Expansion Techniques
Too many founders expand without fully exploring nearby, accessible markets. Saporo’s focus on European countries and neighboring regions demonstrates a strategic first step. As a solopreneur, double down on localized engagement before venturing too far. -
Falling for Vanity Metrics
While growth rates or social media followers can boost your confidence, investors care about results tied to revenue or customer retention. Saporo’s 140% retention rates show their platform delivers recurring customer value, something every founder should strive for.
How You Can Use Saporo’s Approach
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Start by Building Trust in Technical Spaces
Like Saporo, who used graph theory to develop unique solutions, you might have expertise in an undervalued area. Leverage your technical knowledge to offer something specific, rather than aiming to be everything for everyone, own a niche you understand deeply. -
Break in Through Regulations
Saporo’s platform adheres to specific security standards, letting them sell to companies in highly regulated fields. This is important for startups catering to healthcare, financial, or government sectors. Position your product as compliant, and doors can open faster. -
Take Time to Create Strategic Proposals for Funding
Remember that investors want both vision and planning. Before pitching, nail down how you’ll use funds, for team growth, market entry, or product updates, and stick to timelines.
Final Thoughts for Entrepreneurs
As someone who has built both for-profit startups and educational ventures, I can relate to the challenges companies like Saporo face when trying to scale. Their success isn’t just in the €7M they secured, it’s in how they’ve made identity security understandable and actionable for huge corporations. Female founders in Europe, let’s draw inspiration here: choose your battles, work smartly within your area of expertise, and find partners who elevate your journey.
Whether or not cybersecurity is your arena, Saporo’s story reminds us of the value in identifying systemic issues and solving them at scale. It’s not about chasing the flashiest trends; it’s about consistent innovation, clear results, and creating trust. What part of your product or mission resonates with your long-term audience? If you’ve got that clarity, you might just be the next success story I’ll want to write about.
FAQ
1. What is Saporo, and what does it do?
Saporo is a Swiss cybersecurity startup focused on graph-native identity security. Its platform maps and analyzes attack paths within hybrid identity systems, helping organizations understand vulnerabilities from an attacker’s perspective and reducing identity-based risks. Discover Saporo – Identity Security Posture Management
2. How much funding has Saporo raised in its Series A round?
Saporo raised €7 million in its Series A round, led by TIN Capital with participation from G+D Ventures, CDP Venture Capital, XAnge, Lightbird VC, and Session VC. Learn more at TechFundingNews
3. How does the Saporo platform improve cybersecurity?
Saporo’s platform reduces identity-based attack paths by mapping billions of paths within hybrid identity systems like Active Directory, AWS, and Okta, and eliminates 80% of risky paths in the first year through proactive monitoring and actionable recommendations. Read about this at TIN Capital
4. What technological approach does Saporo use?
Saporo leverages graph theory to provide insights into identity security, enabling companies to see vulnerabilities as attackers would and prioritize risk mitigation accordingly. Learn about Saporo's platform
5. Who led Saporo’s Series A funding round?
The Series A funding round was led by TIN Capital, alongside other strategic investors like G+D Ventures and CDP Venture Capital. Discover investors at Tech.eu
6. Which industries does Saporo focus on?
Saporo’s platform is widely used in regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare, government, manufacturing, and technology due to its compliance-ready identity security approach. Explore industry adoption at SecurityWeek
7. How will Saporo use its Series A funding?
The funding will be utilized to support product development, expand geographical reach in Europe and the U.S., and strengthen R&D, sales, and marketing efforts. Check details at TechFundingNews
8. What results has Saporo achieved so far?
Saporo’s platform helps customers eliminate approximately 80% of risky attack paths in the first year and achieve a 140% customer retention rate. Learn more at Saporo
9. What do investors find attractive about Saporo?
Investors were drawn to Saporo due to its innovative technology, which presents a significant improvement in addressing identity-based cybersecurity risks with measurable results. Read more at Techcrunch
10. How is Saporo positioned in expanding its market reach?
Saporo is planning a strategic expansion into key European markets including France, Germany, Switzerland, Benelux, and Italy, with selective growth in the United States. Details available on Tech.eu
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.
