Product Advisory
Sell to the CSOs who actually buy your product.
GTM and positioning advisory for cybersecurity product companies — ICP validation, roadmap pressure-testing, and warm introductions across the Fortune 500 CSO and PE/VC network.
-
15 years as CSO at Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the innovation economy
-
$200B+ in assets defended at enterprise scale
-
Design partner to Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, FireEye, and Eclypsium
-
Author of Cyber War and Peace; board member, Bay Area CSO Council
-
Trusted advisor to PE/VC firms, cyber product companies, and enterprise boards
-
15 years as CSO at Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the innovation economy
-
$200B+ in assets defended at enterprise scale
-
Design partner to Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, FireEye, and Eclypsium
-
Author of Cyber War and Peace; board member, Bay Area CSO Council
-
Trusted advisor to PE/VC firms, cyber product companies, and enterprise boards
-
15 years as CSO at Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the innovation economy
-
$200B+ in assets defended at enterprise scale
-
Design partner to Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, FireEye, and Eclypsium
-
Author of Cyber War and Peace; board member, Bay Area CSO Council
-
Trusted advisor to PE/VC firms, cyber product companies, and enterprise boards
What’s Included
Positioning validated by real CISOs. Roadmap pressure-tested by a buyer. Intros that actually convert. Enterprise readiness that doesn’t blow up the deal.
Validate positioning with real CISOs
Theodolite-accelerated ICP and competitive review. Where you win, where incumbents beat you, which messaging actually lands in a buyer committee.
Pressure-test the roadmap
Quarterly roadmap review from a buyer’s seat. Features that close deals vs. features that get demo applause. Pricing and packaging that survive procurement.
Activate the CISO network
Warm, intentional introductions to Fortune 500 CISOs, design-partner candidates, and PE/VC security partners. Every intro is context-matched, not spam.
Prepare for enterprise scrutiny
Security posture review, SOC 2 / ISO readiness, reference program design, and RFP-grade documentation so you’re not scrambling when the enterprise deal closes.
Typical program: 8–20 hrs/month on retained cadence, starting with a 30-day Sprint A market review.
The Proprietary Differentiator
Powered by Theodolite™
Theodolite is our proprietary AI security intelligence platform. It compresses competitive analysis, buyer-committee research, and ICP mapping into hours instead of weeks — giving you a CSO-grade read on where your product wins, where incumbents beat you, and which buyer signals actually move deals.
Every Product Advisory engagement is Theodolite-accelerated. Messaging validation, differentiation mapping, and enterprise-readiness scoring happen faster because the platform does the heavy lifting — and our senior operators do the thinking.
Learn more about Theodolite →How It Works
-
Sprint A — 30-Day Market Review
Theodolite-accelerated assessment of your positioning, ICP fit, and competitive landscape. Where real buyers are landing you vs. the incumbents, what messaging resonates with CISOs, where friction kills deals.
-
GTM & Roadmap Advisory
Ongoing product, GTM, and partnership strategy on a retained cadence. Roadmap validation from a buyer's seat, pricing and packaging review, sales-motion support, and direct introductions through the CISO and VC networks.
-
Scale & Partnership Activation
Design-partner programs, reseller and integration opportunities, and board-level storytelling as you approach fundraising, acquisition, or IPO. We stay through the milestones that shape the outcome.
Who This Is For
Built for cybersecurity product companies where the next milestone — enterprise deal, fundraise, design partner, acquisition — depends on landing the right buyer with the right story.
-
Early-Stage Founders
Seed or Series A. You've got signal with a handful of customers and need a CSO-side read on what will scale and what won't.
-
Scaling Enterprise GTM
Series B/C moving up-market. You're hitting enterprise buying committees and need positioning, packaging, and references that clear procurement.
-
VC & PE Portfolio
Sponsor-backed companies where the investor wants CSO-level operator input on strategy, hiring, and product-market fit.
-
Design-Partner Candidates
Vendors looking to secure credibility through lighthouse customers, analyst relationships, and structured design-partner engagements.
Leadership You Can Trust
Most advisors diagnose. Operators prescribe.
vCSO.ai is led by Nick Shevelyov — 15-year Chief Security Officer at Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the innovation economy. Design partner to Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, FireEye, and Eclypsium. Author of Cyber War and Peace. Board member, Bay Area CSO Council.
Across two decades, Nick has served as a design partner and advisor to early-stage cybersecurity companies that went on to become category leaders — including Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, FireEye, and Eclypsium. The Product Advisory practice extends that work, helping today’s emerging cybersecurity companies refine product-market fit, GTM strategy, and CSO-level positioning at the stages where it matters most.
Achievements
- Defended Silicon Valley Bank’s cyber posture for 15 years (2007-2021), through every major crisis from the 2008 financial collapse to SolarWinds.
- Design partner and advisor to category-defining cybersecurity companies including Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, FireEye, and Eclypsium.
- Forbes Technology Council member, NASDAQ board director (AuthID), author of Cyber War…and Peace.
- Founder of the CISO Supper Club, convening Bay Area cybersecurity executives twice a year.
Who You’ll Work With
Led by Nick, supported by specialists in assessment, compliance, and operations — one relationship, full bench.
Andrej
CISSP, ethical hacker (assessments and pen testing)
Berk
GRC specialist (compliance frameworks)
Nicholas
Operations and Website
Sonija
Operations and Accounting
FAQ
Questions founders ask before signing.
I already have a GTM advisor. Why add this?
Most GTM consultants don’t understand security. Most security advisors don’t understand markets. You get both in one advisor — someone who’s lived the buyer side AND shaped the products that became category leaders (Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, FireEye, Eclypsium).
How is this different from a fractional CMO or advisor?
Most advisors bring sales or marketing lens. This is a CSO-side lens — I tell you how your product lands with the people who actually buy it, what their internal decision process looks like, and which objections will surface in procurement.
Do you invest or take equity?
Yes, in select cases. For most engagements we work on a retained advisory basis so the relationship stays optimized for your outcome, not exit alignment. Equity-paired engagements are handled separately with standard terms.
What’s the time commitment?
Typically 8–20 hours per month after Sprint A, scaled to milestone cadence (fundraise, GA launch, enterprise push). We work in board cycles, not retainer hours.
Can you help with introductions?
Yes. The CSO network spans Fortune 500 security leaders, PE/VC security-focused partners, and design-partner pipelines across the major platforms. Every intro is warm and context-matched — never spam.
What if we’re pre-product or pre-revenue?
We do work at that stage — especially on ICP definition, founding design-partner strategy, and narrative development. The work is tailored; Sprint A adjusts to meet you where you are.
Ready to see your product from a CSO’s seat?
Sprint A compresses a 30-day ICP, positioning, and competitive review into a GTM memo and warm-intro shortlist. From there, we scale cadence to your milestone rhythm.
