Securanova was born of frustration familiar to anyone who has navigated the cybersecurity market: too much generic advice and too little meaningful improvement in security. The Newport-based company was built on a different premise: that testing and assurance should be delivered by trusted, elite consultants, supported by an AI-enabled platform that can scale without compromising quality. Within its first year, Securanova achieved ISO 9001, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus and CREST accreditations and secured major clients including global law firm Freshfields. Here, CEO and co-founder Nathan Jones explains how support from the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme helped them turn that founding vision into a fast-growing, credible business.
What gap did you see in the market, and how did Securanova set out to fill it?
The cyber market was fragmented, with too many organisations receiving tick-box testing and compliance-driven outputs that didn’t meaningfully improve their security. Meanwhile, critical services like penetration testing had been commoditised, often delivered inconsistently by anonymous teams. We built a model centred on assurance, consistency and outcomes, delivered by expert consultants supported by rigorous governance. Our AI-enabled platform underpins that model, but the real value comes from our people and methodology.
How has AGP supported your growth journey?
AGP has been a genuine growth partner. The biggest impact has come through one-to-one coaching, which helped us refine our go-to-market strategy and sharpen how we position and sell our services. AGP specialists also supported us in developing a structured partner sales playbook, critical in a market where over 90% of cybersecurity services are sold through channel partners. The combination of practical guidance, strategic challenge and specialist input has helped us make better decisions more quickly and avoid many of the common pitfalls faced by early-stage, high-growth businesses.
You achieved four major certifications within your first year. Why was that such a priority?
We made a deliberate decision to prioritise ISO 9001, ISO 27001, CE+ and CREST accreditation from day one, even as we bootstrapped and scaled simultaneously. These certifications are critical for winning enterprise contracts and onboarding channel partners. They provide independent assurance around quality and information security and demonstrate that Securanova operates to the standards expected by large, regulated organisations. Achieving all four within 12 weeks set the tone for everything that followed.
How did you build commercial traction so quickly?
We built credibility before we built scale. A carefully assembled advisory group of respected industry leaders validated our model and opened early doors, while referrals quickly became our strongest growth driver. A channel-first approach allowed us to grow geographically while staying operationally lean. By the close of year one, we had our first customer, first repeat engagement, first international client, first channel partner and our first profitable year. The model worked.
What advice would you give other tech entrepreneurs breaking into established sectors?
Prioritise your go-to-market strategy as much as innovation. Understand how organisations actually purchase and who influences decisions. Define your ideal customer profile rigorously: that focus will drive traction. Plan financially for the early stages, choose your co-founders and early hires with care and be patient. Building a credible brand takes time. Sustainable growth comes from doing the right things consistently, even when progress feels incremental. The work you put in early, particularly around quality and trust, compounds over time.
What are your ambitions for the next five years?
We want to scale regionally and internationally, growing our customer base, channel partnerships, and consultant network while maintaining the quality standards that define our model. We currently have 100 consultants on our waiting list and will expand capacity deliberately as demand grows. We see AGP continuing to play an important role as we enter this next phase, providing strategic guidance and specialist insight to ensure our growth is sustainable and aligned with our long-term vision.
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