startups

10 articles · newest first

Photograph of two blank grey-green cloth binders side by side on a dark wooden desk in warm late light, one with a small teal ribbon bookmark

ISO 27001 vs SOC 2 (2026): Which Your Customers Will Ask For, What Each Costs, and Whether You Need Both

A US buyer sends a SOC 2 request. A German buyer sends an ISO 27001 one. Here is what each proof is, who asks for which on the auditors' own pages, what sellers publish for the cost, and when one control program can feed both.

Aliteq Team · Oct 3 · 12 min

Hand-drawn editorial illustration of a hand holding a magnifying glass over a house of cards, one card carrying a small teal padlock, on a near-black background in indigo-violet and off-white

Security

Penetration Testing Cost (2026): Web App, API, Cloud, AI Features and SOC 2

Sellers publish $5,000 to $30,000 for a web or SaaS app test and $9,500 and up for an AI chatbot. Many firms print nothing at all. Here is what each firm's own page says, what moves the quote, and what a SOC 2 auditor looks for.

Aliteq Team · Oct 3 · 13 min

Flat vector illustration of a person at a fork in a path, reaching toward a slim pink folder instead of an overstuffed black briefcase

Business Software

Attio vs HubSpot pricing: the 3-year bill at 5, 20 and 50 seats

At list price Attio Pro is cheaper at every seat count. It flips when you need SSO, and again when both startup programs apply, because Attio's discount stops at 10 seats.

Aliteq Team · Oct 3 · 9 min

Flat vector illustration of a founder resting their chin on one hand while studying three identical shield badges lined up on a table, a teal scarf as the accent, against a saturated indigo-violet background

Security

Vanta vs Drata vs Secureframe vs Sprinto vs Thoropass (2026): Price, Is the Audit Included, Who Fits

Four of the five hide their price behind a demo, and none of them sells you the SOC 2 opinion. What each platform publishes about cost, the audit, frameworks and the tools a vibe-coded stack uses, read on each vendor's own site on 3 October 2026.

Aliteq Team · Oct 3 · 12 min

Hand-drawn editorial illustration of an old balance scale, a small potted seedling in one pan and a tall skyscraper in the other, with a small figure looking up at the tilted beam

Business Software

HubSpot vs Salesforce for startups: the 3-year bill at 5, 20 and 50 seats

Both repriced in the last month. At list, HubSpot is cheaper at every matched tier, and its startup discount cuts three years of Enterprise to $60,200 at 20 seats. Salesforce has a startup program too, but doesn't publish its discount.

Aliteq Team · Oct 2 · 10 min

Flat vector illustration of a founder holding open a huge envelope sealed with a teal padlock against a saturated indigo-violet background

Security

Your First Enterprise Customer Asked for SOC 2: A 90-Day Plan, a Budget, and What to Send Them This Week

The email just landed and you have no report. What to send the buyer this week, the questions that buy you time, a week-by-week plan to a Type 1 audit start in about 90 days, and what it costs. Including the one document founders reach for that doesn't exist yet.

Aliteq Team · Oct 2 · 13 min

Hand-drawn editorial illustration of three ornate boxes in a row, each bigger than the last, the largest tied with a pink ribbon and a padlock, while a small figure kneels to open the smallest

Business Software

Salesforce Core vs Advanced vs Max: what the new 2026 editions cost at 5, 20 and 50 users

Salesforce replaced Enterprise, Unlimited and Agentforce 1 on 3 September 2026. Core costs $20 a user more than Enterprise did, Advanced $45 more than Unlimited, and Max nothing more than Agentforce 1. Here is what each step adds, and the bill at 5, 20 and 50 users.

Aliteq Team · Sep 27 · 10 min

Flat vector illustration of an auditor holding up a large balance scale with a stack of invoices on one pan and a teal padlock on the other

Security

SOC 2 Audit Cost 2026: Real Ranges by Company Size and Auditor Tier (Calculator)

An auditor just sent you a quote, or you're about to ask for one. What a SOC 2 audit fee really runs for a company your size, Type 1 against Type 2, boutique against Big Four, what moves the number and what the quote quietly leaves out.

Aliteq Team · Sep 27 · 12 min

Hand-drawn editorial illustration of office chairs pouring through a giant funnel and landing as a tall stack of invoices, while a small founder looks up at it

Business Software

Best CRM for AI startups selling to enterprise: the real cost at 5, 20 and 50 seats

Your first enterprise buyer sends a security questionnaire, and line one asks about single sign-on. We priced eight CRMs at 5, 20 and 50 seats over three years, found which plan each one needs for SAML SSO, and worked out what HubSpot's startup discount is really worth.

Aliteq Team · Sep 27 · 13 min

Illustration of a teacher pulling teaching-resource tiles from a glowing on-screen library

Software

Who Is Kumubox? The 'Netflix for Teachers' That Won La Nave's Demo Day

A Spanish EdTech startup took the top prize at Madrid's La Nave Demo Day — and it's built something teachers actually use. What Kumubox does, its AI angle, and why this unglamorous win is worth a look.

Aliteq Team · Sep 22 · 7 min