SOC 2 for Startups
We grow with you. We scope the first examination to the company you actually are today. Audits can be tough, but it doesn't need to be stressful. Have a free conversation with us and we can share our thoughts with you.
Are You SOC 2 Audit Ready?
Startups rarely struggle with SOC 2 because their security is weak. Your teams are engaging in other work. Compliance can be seen as an afterthought. You may have the controls in place, but the documentation and processes are not consistent. Having clean timing and documentation is hard when competing priorities happen. This is why audit readiness matters. Ask us about the audit readiness phase and how that differs from the actual attestation engagement phase.
Not sure anyone will even ask this year? Our free two-minute assessment gives you a straight answer, and the interactive checklist shows exactly what an auditor would request from your team.
Not sure if you need a SOC 2?
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The First-Audit Path
SOC 2 Reports include different Trust Services Categories for their scoped criteria. A default range of controls in the framework is known as the common criteria, which is used to handle the Security category. Whether any of the other Trust Services Categories belong in your first report depends on what your customers are worried about, how your product is built, and what your customers should be looking to gain trust over.
Readiness Assessment, 4 to 8 Weeks
It's a gap analysis against the criteria while nothing is on the record yet: what would pass today, what needs fixing first, and when your observation period should start. Details on our SOC 2 readiness page.
Type I, 1 to 2 Months
A signed opinion on how your controls are designed as of a single date, issued fast enough to answer a procurement review that's open right now while the Type II window runs in the background.
Type II, a 6-to-12-Month Window
An opinion on whether your controls actually operated across the whole period, not just how they looked on one day. Most of the fieldwork happens near the end of the window; you'll see a draft within 2 weeks of fieldwork wrapping up and the final report 5 to 7 weeks after the period ends. How the two report types differ is on our SOC 2 reporting page.
Small Teams
Built for Lean, Engineering-Led Teams
No Compliance Hire Required
A founder or engineering lead can own the program when the evidence requests are structured for them. Most of what we test already lives in your identity provider, cloud console, code host, and ticketing system.
One Fixed Fee, Known Before Kickoff
The fee is fixed and quoted before work begins, with no hourly meters. What moves the number is explained on our pricing page.
A Compliance Platform Is Optional
Vanta, Drata, Secureframe, or a well-kept spreadsheet all work. We audit in whatever you already run and we do not resell software, so the tooling decision stays yours.
Partner-Led Throughout
At our size every engagement is run by a partner, which matters most when your team is small and questions need answers the same day.
The People Behind the Report
We specialize in systems, infrastructure, and technology. We are a firm built intentionally small so that standard never slips.
Jordan Novak
Managing Partner
Tasya Novak
Managing Director
Intentionally Small, By Design
We don't scale by adding junior staff to your engagement. We stay involved because that's the only way to consistently deliver work worth standing behind. Meet the team.
Auditing Technology with Technology
We use modern tools to streamline evidence collection and reduce back-and-forth. Faster timelines, fewer disruptions. See how we avoid audit pain points.
A Process Built Around Your Engagement
No two audits run the same way because no two environments are the same. Learn about our process.
Startup Questions, Answered
The four questions founders ask us before a first examination.
Talk to a PartnerWhen enterprise deals start asking, which for most startups is around the first mid-market or enterprise sales cycle. Before that point, security questionnaires usually suffice. Honestly, a SOC 2 is not right for every startup yet: the report has an ROI to budget, weighing your team's time against your industry, the data you hold, and your growth plan.
Once a prospect's procurement team requests a report, a readiness assessment takes 4 to 8 weeks and a Type I examination runs 1 to 2 months, so starting a quarter before you expect the ask keeps the audit off the deal's critical path. The step-by-step timeline is on our SOC 2 reporting page.
If a deal is waiting on a report, a Type I is the fastest credible answer: it examines whether your controls are suitably designed at a point in time and takes 1 to 2 months from kickoff to issued report. Start the Type II observation window immediately after, since most buyers eventually expect one.
If no deal is pressing, some teams skip straight to a Type II with a shorter observation window.
We quote one fixed fee before work begins. The main cost drivers are the number of Trust Services Categories in scope, Type I versus Type II, the complexity of your environment, and how much readiness support you need.
A first report scoped to the Security category keeps all four drivers small. Our pricing calculator gives you an estimate in a few minutes.
Yes. Founders wear many hats, and the program becomes one of them: it takes real time and resources, but it is possible. A founder or engineering lead can own it when the audit firm structures the evidence requests, which is how we run early-stage engagements.
Most of the evidence comes from tools you already use: your identity provider, cloud console, code host, and ticketing system.
A readiness assessment runs 4 to 8 weeks and a Type I about 1 to 2 months. The Type II observation window typically covers 6 to 12 months, with a draft within 2 weeks of fieldwork completion and the final report within 5 to 7 weeks of period end.
The step-by-step timeline is on our SOC 2 reporting page.
Get Your
Custom Quote
Our pricing is structured and fixed-fee. What drives it is the complexity of your environment, the key vendors that support your system, and the commitments you have made to customers, along with how you want those aligned to the Trust Services Categories you put in scope. Share a few details about your situation and we will follow up personally, usually with a quick call, to walk through scope and get you a clear fixed quote you can plan around.
Real numbers, a real conversation with a qualified CPA. No obligation.
Start Before the Deal Needs It
Tell us where your pipeline stands and we will lay the readiness, Type I, and Type II dates against it, with a fixed fee for each step.
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