FREE EBOOK • 56 PAGES

Security for Founders: Build Secure Products from Day One

The essential security playbook for startup founders. Learn how to build secure products, avoid costly mistakes, and prepare for enterprise sales without slowing down your development velocity.

56 pages
15,000+ downloads

Security for Founders

Build Secure Products from Day One

2025 Edition

What's Inside the Guide

56 pages of practical security guidance designed specifically for non-technical founders building their first product.

1

Security Fundamentals for Founders

Non-technical introduction to security concepts every founder must understand. Authentication, encryption, access control, and why security is a competitive advantage, not a cost center.

2

Building Secure from Day One

Essential security practices to implement from your first line of code. Secure authentication, password management, API security, data encryption, and secure development workflows.

3

OWASP Top 10 Vulnerabilities Explained

The most common security vulnerabilities and how to prevent them: SQL injection, XSS, broken authentication, security misconfigurations, and more. Real examples and fixes included.

4

Cloud Security Best Practices

Securing AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure deployments. IAM configuration, network security, secrets management, database encryption, and monitoring. Avoid costly misconfigurations.

5

Preparing for Enterprise Customers

What enterprise buyers expect: security questionnaires, penetration testing, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and vendor risk assessments. How to prepare for security reviews that close deals.

6

Incident Response & Breach Handling

How to respond when things go wrong. Incident response plan templates, breach notification requirements, customer communication, and lessons from real startup breaches.

7

Security on a Startup Budget

Free and low-cost security tools for startups. What to invest in at each stage (pre-seed to Series B), avoiding expensive mistakes, and when to hire your first security engineer.

Who Is This Guide For?

Written specifically for founders and early-stage startup teams.

Non-Technical Founders

You're building a product but don't have deep technical experience. You need to understand security enough to make informed decisions and guide your team.

Developer Founders

You can code but security isn't your specialty. Learn industry best practices, common pitfalls, and how to build secure applications from the start.

Early Engineering Teams

Small engineering teams (1-5 people) building an MVP. You need practical security guidance that won't slow down your development velocity.

Startups Pursuing Enterprise

You're moving upmarket and enterprise buyers are asking about security. Learn what they expect and how to prepare for security reviews.

What You'll Learn

Practical security knowledge you can implement immediately.

Essential security concepts in plain English

Understand authentication, encryption, access control, and security architecture without technical jargon. Make informed decisions about your product's security.

How to prevent the most common vulnerabilities

Learn about OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities with practical examples: SQL injection, XSS, broken auth, and more. Code snippets show how to fix each issue.

Cloud security configuration for AWS, GCP, Azure

Secure your cloud infrastructure from day one. IAM policies, network security, secrets management, and monitoring. Avoid the misconfigurations that lead to breaches.

What enterprise buyers look for in security

Prepare for enterprise sales. Security questionnaires, pen test requirements, compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001), and vendor risk assessments demystified.

How to respond to security incidents

Incident response plan templates, breach notification timelines, customer communication scripts, and lessons from real startup breaches. Be prepared before something happens.

Cost-effective security for each startup stage

What to invest in at pre-seed, seed, Series A, and Series B. Free tools, when to upgrade, avoiding expensive mistakes, and when to hire your first security engineer.

What Readers Are Saying

15,000+ founders and early-stage teams have downloaded this guide.

"As a non-technical founder, I was completely lost on security. This guide gave me the confidence to have intelligent conversations with my engineering team and make the right decisions. We passed our first enterprise security review!"

EM
Emma Martinez
Founder & CEO, DataFlow (YC W24)

"I'm a developer but security isn't my background. This guide helped me identify and fix 10+ vulnerabilities before our first customer. The cloud security section saved us from a potentially massive AWS bill due to misconfiguration."

RK
Raj Kumar
Founder & CTO, SecureAPI