Laurent Halimi (Heelr) discusses the cybersecurity access gap facing startups and SMEs, why the sector needs a dedicated marketplace, and who the platform is building for next.
What’s the everyday headache Heelr is meant to fix for its users?
For a lot of businesses, particularly startups and SMEs, the problem is access to cybersecurity expertise. They know they need help, but they might not know what kind, who to trust, or what it should cost. Traditional cybersecurity services can also feel designed for much larger organisations and much larger budgets.
That’s becoming more important as AI makes it faster and cheaper to build companies and products. Businesses can reach the market incredibly quickly, without necessarily having security expertise internally.
Heelr helps them understand what they need and connects them with verified cybersecurity professionals and providers who can help.
Why does cybersecurity hiring need a dedicated marketplace instead of generic freelance platforms?
Cybersecurity has a very different trust requirement from most freelance work. You could be giving somebody access to your systems, applications, sensitive data, or information about your vulnerabilities. Identity, credentials, experience, and reputation really matter.
At the same time, the cybersecurity job market is shifting. There are highly skilled people available who are moving into consulting, fractional work, and independent careers.
So you have growing demand from businesses that struggle to access cybersecurity expertise, alongside a growing pool of experienced people able to provide it. Heelr connects the two, with the trust and cybersecurity context a generic freelance marketplace wasn’t built for.
Who are you building this for next?
Startups and SMEs are a major focus.
AI is lowering the barrier to building companies and launching software, but those businesses still face the same security expectations. Customers send security questionnaires, enterprise buyers want evidence, and applications need testing.
For an early-stage business, building an in-house security team often doesn’t make commercial sense. But the need for serious security expertise is already there, and increasingly it’s a condition of winning customers and growing the business.
We want to make it much easier for those businesses to access trusted cybersecurity expertise, without needing the budget, buying power, or internal knowledge of a large enterprise.
