Where Security Startups
Meet Silicon Valley
A focused accelerator for early-stage GRC and Cybersecurity startups, powered by one of the world’s largest and longest-running ISACA chapters, right where the industry is built.
About the Accelerator
Built by practitioners.
Designed for founders.
The ISACA Silicon Valley Accelerator is a chapter-led program designed to help early-stage founders build, validate, and scale security and compliance products with direct access to the people who buy, audit, and govern them.
Built on top of ISACA Silicon Valley’s four-decade network of CISOs, auditors, risk leaders, and digital trust professionals, the program gives founders the one thing most accelerators cannot: a room full of practitioners who actually use your product.
Sector Focused
We focus strictly on Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) and Cybersecurity. From AI risk and agentic governance to application security, third-party risk, audit automation, and cloud compliance—if your product helps enterprises trust their digital systems, you belong here.
Why ISACA Silicon Valley?
Founded in 1982, we sit at the intersection of Silicon Valley’s engineering culture and ISACA’s global professional standards.
- 40+ years of chapter history serving the Bay Area’s security community
- 3,000+ members across Fortune 500 enterprises, hyperscalers, and banks
- Two flagship annual conferences plus monthly events
- A volunteer-driven board of CISOs and audit partners
- Direct ties to ISACA Global’s 165,000-member network across 180+ countries
Target Audience
Who Should Apply
The Accelerator is built for Pre-seed to Series A founders building solutions for the modern enterprise security and risk stack.
Stage Requirements
You should have at least a working prototype or MVP, a clear ICP, and a founding team ready to engage with design partners.
What You Get
Four Benefits That Move the Needle
This is not a generic startup program. Every benefit is designed around what GRC and cybersecurity founders actually need to win their first ten customers.
01 The ISACA Mentor Network
Get matched with senior ISACA members, including CISOs, Heads of GRC, audit partners, and security architects, who provide structured 1:1 mentorship. These are the practitioners who write the RFPs, run the audits, and sign the procurement orders for products like yours. Mentorship is hands-on across product strategy, go-to-market, technical architecture, and enterprise sales motion.
02 Showcase at ISACA SV Conferences
Selected startups get a stage at ISACA Silicon Valley’s flagship Spring and Fall conferences, plus visibility at monthly chapter events. You will demo to an audience of buyers and influencers, not just other founders, with dedicated startup pavilions, lightning-talk slots, and curated 1:1 meetings with CISOs and audit leaders in attendance.
03 Partner Programs & Cloud Credits
Tap into our partner ecosystem for the infrastructure and tooling that early-stage startups burn budget on. Cohort members get access to cloud credits from major providers, security tooling discounts, legal and compliance services, design partner introductions, and preferred pricing from ISACA SV’s corporate sponsors.
04 Founder Training Program
A structured curriculum built specifically for security founders, covering enterprise security sales, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 readiness for your own product, navigating procurement and vendor risk reviews, pricing and packaging for the CISO buyer, fundraising for security startups, and building a defensible technical moat. Delivered by chapter leaders and guest operators who have done it before.
How to Apply
Submit the online application with your team, product, traction, and target ICP.
Shortlisted teams are invited to a 30-minute video screen with our selection committee.
Finalists present to a panel of ISACA SV board members and partner CISOs.
Selected startups are notified and onboarded within two weeks of final interviews.
Eligibility
We accept founders globally, but the program is optimized for teams able to engage with the Silicon Valley ecosystem (in-person or hybrid). There is no equity taken by the chapter. This is a community program, not a fund.
Frequently Asked Questions
Program Lead
Krutik Poojara
Lead, ISACA Silicon Valley Startup Accelerator
The ISACA Silicon Valley Startup Accelerator is led by Krutik Poojara. For any questions about the program, eligibility, partnerships, or mentorship, please reach out directly.
Ready to Build with Us?
Learn. Connect. Secure. Now with a launchpad.
Applications for the next cohort are open. Join the network that has been defining digital trust in Silicon Valley for over 40 years.
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