# Two schools of security positioning

By [Doug Lane](https://paragraph.com/@axalane) · 2022-03-30

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Once you [find the right wave](https://mirror.xyz/axalane.eth/AaKwzgNPAKyyOLTwVnAdODkRbllbTN81tRTCA5SDVlk) for your security startup, the real fun with positioning can begin. There are (at least) two schools of thought right now on the best way to position a company for growth.

*   School 1: You need a far-reaching narrative that speaks to things like societal impact and culture in order to inspire customers and attract top talent.
    
*   School 2: You need a narrative that puts immediate buyer pain points and desired outcomes front and center.
    

Most branding agencies and storytelling gurus will advise startups to join School 1. And I do think most companies should strive for this as they grow and mature. But the percentage of startups that are well-positioned to succeed with School 1 is very low.

This is especially true for security startups. The security space is extremely noisy, and when you get down to it every company is doing variations of the same thing: reducing business risk. So as soon as you start taking your positioning into the clouds, it quickly sounds the same as every other security company. And when you're competing for mindshare with security buyers who are getting bombarded from every direction, a lofty narrative – however inspiring – will not gain traction.

If you survey the security startup landscape, the evidence supports School 2. For example, let's look at how a couple of high-profile security "unicorns" are communicating their story.

Snyk – $8.6B Valuation
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![Synk homepage](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/7efe53f45eab9e2641f906f9cb8eef3e3922c2d8005325fb5b74f0e23050ad89.webp)

Synk homepage

Wiz – $6B Valuation
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![Wiz homepage](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/19f882ad47f898337bbfd307500015c76ce3e5e3fd95c03cffcd4f91213f569a.webp)

Wiz homepage

Obviously, the homepage hero isn't the entire narrative. But you can see very clearly that pragmatism and clarity are winning the day in security right now. So if you're at a security startup that isn't yet anywhere close to the traction and valuations of companies above, be very wary of "expert" advice that you need to speak to "making the world safer" or similar platitudes.

\-Doug

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*Originally published on [Doug Lane](https://paragraph.com/@axalane/two-schools-of-security-positioning)*