Stages 1-2 (pre-seed and seed through Series A)
Enter the enterprise sideways, not through the CIO
A founder at S1 or S2 selling into large companies must decide how to reach decision makers because cold outreach to CIOs gets no response.
Options
Cold outreach directly to CIOs and CISOs
Sell to business units and IT operations directors first
Target twenty companies deeply rather than two hundred
What mattered
- Deals close in rooms the founder never enters
- Proactive security documentation beats certification logos
- Enterprise buyers work in thirty-minute blocks
What was done
Founders in the sessions led decks with price and deliverables, sent a security document unprompted, and armed internal champions to close on their behalf.
ClaimArm an internal champion with one-pagers, evidence, and security answers; they close the deal, not the founder.
FAQ
- Which stage does this apply to?
- Stages 1-2 (pre-seed and seed through Series A).
- Where does this come from?
- Synthesized from FounderNexus founder sessions, with speakers abstracted.
FounderNexus convenes stage-matched founder groups around decisions like this one.