Fractional CISO retainer
Senior security leadership a few days a month: priorities, policies, supplier oversight and board reporting sized to your stage.
Services · Fintech Start-ups & Investors
Security for Fintech Start-ups & Investors
Security that stands up to investors, banking partners and the regulator.
Arrange a meetingWhy it matters
Fintech founders reach the same moment sooner than they expect: an investor's due diligence questionnaire, a sponsor bank's onboarding review or an FCA authorisation application asks how the business manages cyber and operational risk. Whether you are bootstrapped, venture-backed, private-equity owned or crowdfunded, we give you senior, financial-sector security leadership that is proportionate to your stage, and give investors an independent view of the cyber risk in the businesses they back.
Questions this engagement answers
- 01Will our security position survive an investor's or sponsor bank's due diligence?
- 02What will the regulator expect to see on cyber and resilience in our application?
- 03How much security leadership do we need now, and what can wait until we scale?
- 04As an investor, how exposed is this portfolio company, and is its board asking the right questions?
What the engagement can include
Investor-ready security pack
A concise, evidence-backed account of your controls, risks and roadmap for data rooms, due diligence questionnaires and banking partners.
Pre-authorisation readiness review
Assess cyber, operational resilience and third-party arrangements against what supervisors expect before you apply.
Founder & board briefing
A focused session for founders, investor directors or portfolio boards on the cyber risks and questions that matter.
How we work
- 1
Understand
Learn the business model, funding stage, regulatory path and the scrutiny you are about to face.
- 2
Assess
Review controls, suppliers and evidence against what investors, banks and supervisors will ask.
- 3
Prioritise
Agree a proportionate plan: what must be in place now, and what can follow as you grow.
- 4
Lead
Provide ongoing fractional leadership, or support through the round, review or application.
What you receive
- Stage-appropriate security roadmap with clear priorities
- Investor and partner security pack ready for data rooms
- Readiness findings mapped to regulatory expectations
- Board-level summary of cyber risk for founders and investors
Illustrative scenario
Example: a term sheet and a 120-question questionnaire
A payments start-up agrees a Series A term sheet, then receives the lead investor's security due diligence questionnaire alongside a sponsor bank's onboarding review. Most answers exist only in the CTO's head. A short readiness exercise, a clear security pack and a credible roadmap let the founders answer with evidence, rather than delaying the round.
Buck's view
“Start-ups do not need a bank's security function. They need to show investors, partners and regulators that someone senior understands the risk, has a plan, and can evidence progress against it.”
Professor Buck Rogers, Poro Advisory