"Assumption-Led Growth" Is Killing Your Cybersecurity Company - Dani Woolf, CyberSynapse

“We don't need more tactics in cybersecurity. We have enough tactics. We need strategy." CyberSynapse founder Dani Woolf joins the Cyberwhyze “Off Script” podcast to dissect why Series B+ companies are hemorrhaging millions on unvalidated growth strategies while their buyers evaluate vendors on completely different criteria.

Chapters:00:19 - 01:09 - RSA 2025 conference setting and introductions01:45 - 03:06 - Dani's selective approach to industry events03:42 - 05:53 - Using podcasts as buyer research tools06:24 - 08:28 - Series B+ companies investing in research validation09:12 - 11:54 - Research as premium fuel for growth engines12:15 - 14:28 - Beyond features: what cybersecurity buyers actually evaluate17:46 - 19:29 - Vulnerability as competitive advantage in leadership23:55 - 25:19 - $1 bank account entrepreneurial origin story26:34 - 28:19 - The strategic partnership deficit in cybersecurity29:07 - 30:44 - 80/20 framework for business decisions33:07 - 34:44 - Advanced client qualification beyond traditional metrics37:24 - 42:43 - Series B company buyer research methodology breakdown43:20 - 47:27 - ROI measurement and implementation challenges

Dani's buyer research methodology serves as insurance for expensive campaigns, revealing that most cybersecurity vendors solve the wrong problems for the wrong people. Her expert network of enterprise security practitioners grows 20-30% monthly, providing access to authentic buyer feedback that traditional market research misses.

The conversation exposes critical industry blind spots: why companies obsess over net new acquisition while ignoring cheaper retention strategies, how vulnerability in leadership builds more credibility than corporate messaging, and why most strategic partnerships are tactical execution in disguise.

What You'll Learn:- How buyer research prevents million-dollar campaign failures- Why buying committees evaluate vendors on post-sale experience over features- The difference between tactical execution and true strategic partnerships- How to target the real decision influencers (hint: not always the CISO)- Advanced client qualification strategies to avoid toxic relationships

This episode is essential for cybersecurity founders, marketers, and sales leaders who want to build growth strategies based on buyer intelligence rather than internal assumptions.