Faced with resource-heavy US competitors in the direct market, uSecure identified the Managed Service Provider (MSP) channel as an underserved green space. They executed a hard pivot, rebuilding their product and licensing specifically for MSPs, which created a key differentiator that fueled their growth.
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To master the channel model without prior experience, uSecure's team attended MSP-focused educational sessions at industry events, rather than just working the vendor booth. This immersion, combined with monitoring online communities like Reddit, provided deep, firsthand insight into partner pain points and desired vendor behaviors.
Founders can waste time trying to force an initial idea. The key is to remain open-minded and identify where the market is surprisingly easy to sell into. Mercor found hypergrowth by pivoting from general hiring to serving the intense, specific needs of AI labs.
Startups often fail to displace incumbents because they become successful 'point solutions' and get acquired. The harder path to a much larger outcome is to build the entire integrated stack from the start, but initially serve a simpler, down-market customer segment before moving up.
Prepared realized it couldn't win against GovTech incumbents on their terms of sales relationships and lobbying. Their strategy was to fundamentally shift the competition. By offering a free, easy-to-use product, they forced the purchasing decision to be about technology quality, an arena where they could excel.
A common vendor mistake is attempting to apply a direct sales model to the channel. uSecure found success by truly adapting its business model, citing specific examples like moving from annualized to flexible monthly billing and eliminating minimum purchases. These concessions signal a genuine, partner-first commitment rather than just paying lip service.
uSecure initially underestimated how resource-constrained MSPs are. Their breakthrough came when they moved beyond simple PDF guides and built a white-labeled sales prospecting tool. This tool helped partners automatically build a data-driven business case for their own clients, proving uSecure understood their challenges and driving scale.
Rather than making an abrupt turn, Sure managed its pivot from a B2C app to a B2B platform gradually. They kept the original mobile app running while they built and validated the new B2B distribution model, only sunsetting the app once the new strategy proved viable and began to ramp up.
uSecure supports 1,800 partners with few account managers by focusing on scalable systems, not headcount. This includes a product designed for automation, deep initial training for repeatable processes, and shifting from constant hand-holding to strategic quarterly check-ins supported by a robust knowledge base.
A bifurcated GTM strategy can de-risk entry into different market segments. For large enterprises with entrenched systems, lead with AI agents that integrate and augment existing workflows. For the more agile mid-market, offer a full-stack, AI-native replacement for their legacy tools.
Snyk combined bottom-up adoption with top-down sales in a 'pincer movement.' They leveraged existing developer usage within an organization as a powerful entry point for their outbound sales team to engage security leaders, turning user love into a compelling conversation with the economic buyer.
