Fewer than 1 in 5 companies make it through.
Every company in the index is reviewed by former CISOs, CTOs, and VPEs on the four things a track record would normally prove: architecture, scalability, financials, and leadership. The companies are young. The standard isn't.
ATICO vetting in numbers
- 150+
- companies reviewed
- 4
- dimensional evaluation
- 27
- represented today
- 1
- company per problem
The four questions
We answer what a track record would normally prove.
Before we represent a company, it has to answer the four questions you'd ask if it had ten years of history.
- 01 · Architecture
Will it hold up in my environment?
- Scalability limits under stress
- API & SDK maturity
- Failure modes and disaster recovery
- Architectural integration points
- 02 · Enterprise fit
Can it grow with us and clear procurement?
- Deployment architecture & multi-tenant isolation
- SOC 2, ISO 27001 & compliance readiness
- Support tiers, SLAs, and customer success
- Enterprise pricing & contract structure
- 03 · Financials
Will they be here next year?
- Runway & cash burn rate
- Investor quality and follow-on appetite
- Customer retention & revenue quality
- Acquisition risk and valuation trajectory
- 04 · Leadership
Can this team deliver on the roadmap?
- Founder pedigree & past execution
- Engineering talent density
- Reference calls with early customers
- Clear technical roadmap
The process
From a long list to the one we'd bet on.
Step 01 · Source
Source
We scan 150+ emerging companies across security and IT, screened from VC portfolios, incubators, and industry networks. We're looking for companies solving a specific problem well: not chasing a category.
The funnel
We run the bakeoff. You meet the winner.
Most enterprise tech evaluation takes months. We run it ahead of a specific problem, find the best vendor for the job, and bring you the result.
- 01Sourced
150+ companies scanned
- 02Screened
64 passed the deep-dive interview
- 03Tech Evaluation
38 went through architectural review & reference checks
- 04Represented
27 are live in the index today
- 05You meet
The one that fits your problem
One company per problem. We never represent two companies that compete. When multiple solve the same problem, we take only the one we believe in most. You meet the winner: not a shortlist you still have to sort.
Integrity
The caveats come with the company.
We don't hand you a logo and a thumbs-up. Every company we represent comes with the honest read: what's strong, what's thin, and what we'd want to see improve. No vendor presents to you without us naming its trade-offs first.
- 01Reviewed by practitioners who have run the systems
- 02No pay-to-play or hidden fees
- 03Re-evaluated as the technology and the company evolve
Company A
Scores on four points
- Architecture4/5
- Scalability3/5
- Financials4/5
- Leadership5/5
Where it is still early
- Early customer base: 12 enterprise accounts.
- Largest rollout is 5,000 seats so far.
Scored by 3 advisorsNext review Oct 2027
Request a briefing
See what's next before it's on every shortlist.
Tell us what you're working on this year. We'll match you with the company built to solve it.
FAQ
Questions about how we vet
Still unsure? Ask an advisor how a company in your space would be reviewed.
Do companies pay to be reviewed?
No. Companies can't pay for a review or a listing. We're paid by our enterprise customers to represent emerging technology: not by vendors looking for distribution.
Who does the reviewing?
Former CISOs, CIOs, CTOs, and senior operators who've held the budget and made these calls themselves. The people reviewing the company are the people who'd have to deploy it.
What happens after a company is represented?
We track the roadmap against what was promised, re-evaluate as the company evolves, and pull a company if it stops meeting the standard. Representation isn't a lifetime badge.
Can I see the full vet report?
Yes. Enterprise customers can request the full evaluation: the reference calls, the financial read, and the architectural notes.