No Sales Call Required: Roeland Delrue on Scaling Aikido to a Cybersecurity Unicorn

Akido, a European cybersecurity company founded in 2022, specializes in securing developer code in the cloud through a Product-Led Growth (PLG) model. It achieved a $1 billion valuation in under 3.5 years by offering a freemium product with instant onboarding via GitHub, bypassing traditional sales processes like qualification calls and credit card requirements. The company critiques the industrys reliance on sales-driven security tools, which impose lengthy sign-up delays, intrusive outreach, and poor user experiences with false positives and manual triage. Instead, Akido prioritizes user-centric solutions with seamless onboarding, transparency, and no hidden charges, aiming to replace human tasks with AI-powered penetration testing and streamline security workflows. The founders, drawing from SaaS and HR tech backgrounds, identified gaps in existing tools that hinder developer adoption due to poor integration and complexity, prompting their focus on creating a no-nonsense, developer-friendly platform.

Akidos rapid growth to 40 million+ enterprise accounts and its $40 million ARR stem from a hybrid PLG approach that balances self-service access with selective sales support to address trust barriers in the security sector. The company emphasizes modular platform capabilities, building world-class modules like AI pen testing and SAST while avoiding overly broad offerings that could dilute quality. It targets SMBs, focusing on standardized needs and fewer edge cases compared to large enterprises, and leverages compliance, social proof, and open-source accessibility to build credibility. Challenges include resistance to AI adoption in security, where deterministic methods remain critical for high-stakes tasks, and the complexity of displacing entrenched, sales-led competitors. Despite these hurdles, Akito envisions a $100 billion valuation long-term, driven by its scalable PLG model, AI integration, and focus on solving core usability issues in cybersecurity for developers.

• What if you embedded AI-driven real-time code vulnerability detection directly into GitHub's API for instant, no-fuss feedback?
  Move: Integrate your AI pen-testing models into GitHub's webhook system to flag security issues as developers commit code.
  Why now: Developers prioritize immediate feedback; this eliminates the need for post-commit triage and aligns with Akido's "start for free" ethos.
  Expected upside: Boost PLG adoption by reducing friction, increasing retention, and positioning your product as "developer-first" (as Akito's case studies highlight).

• What if you launched a self-serve enterprise trial using Akidos existing compliance tools to bypass procurement delays?
  Move: Create a no-strings-attached 30-day trial for SMBs, leveraging Akidos ISO/SOC 2 compliance proof to skip traditional procurement hoops.
  Why now: SMBs are Akidos focus market, and enterprise buyers often abandon trials after initial success (as noted in the procurement challenges).
  Expected upside: Accelerate enterprise adoption without sales overhead, mirroring Akitos $40M ARR growth by targeting under-served SMBs.

• What if you built a modular SAST (Static Application Security Testing) tool as a standalone open-source plugin to piggyback on Akidos developer trust?
  Move: Release a lightweight SAST plugin for VS Code that integrates with Akidos API, offering free basic scans and paid advanced features.
  Why now: Developers resist non-integrated tools (as Akidos founders observed), but open-source plugins can drive adoption faster than sales-led models.
  Expected upside: Tap into Akidos existing network effect, expand your product ecosystem, and create a revenue channel via premium scans.

• Adopt a freemium model with zero-friction access: Remove credit card requirements and enable immediate product access via GitHub integration or instant onboarding, allowing users to trial the product without sales interactions.
• Design self-serve onboarding and pricing transparency: Eliminate mandatory sales calls by offering clear pricing directly on the website and allowing customers to self-serve demos or trials, respecting preferences like "never talk to sales."
• Prioritize seamless user experience and transparency: Focus on minimizing setup complexity and avoid sneaky trial tactics (e.g., hidden charges, unwanted follow-ups) to build trust from day one.
• Establish compliance and trust through early certifications: Implement ISO/SOC 2 compliance early, even pre-certification, and create a transparent trust center detailing architecture, privacy practices, and client case studies to validate credibility.
• Build modular, developer-centric features with world-class quality: Focus on 1-2 high-impact modules (e.g., AI pen testing, SAST) with exceptional performance, avoiding overextension, and align them with developer workflows to drive adoption.