Problem

Agency addresses the security and compliance burden faced by companies that need certifications and mature controls but do not want to build large internal teams. The pain is both operational and economic: compliance work is fragmented across tools, requires specialized security, compliance, and audit expertise, and can delay enterprise sales. Its clearest use case is a venture-backed startup that needs SOC 2, ISO 27001, or another certification to close major customers while continuing to ship product without adding compliance bureaucracy or headcount.

Product / Service

Agency is a vertically integrated AI platform and managed-services model. U.S.-based forward-deployed engineers operate a proprietary cybersecurity and GRC orchestration layer on top of the customer’s existing stack, including Vanta, Drata, CrowdStrike, and other tools. AI systems and engineers execute control implementation, evidence collection, monitoring, vendor-risk management, penetration-testing coordination, and audit preparation across complicated environments such as BYOD and contractor fleets.

The service effectively combines a virtual CISO, compliance manager, and security engineering function without requiring new hires or a rip-and-replace migration. The intended benefit is end-to-end execution rather than another dashboard: Agency runs the program, maintains security and compliance operations, and helps customers obtain the certifications needed to win enterprise business.

Market

Agency competes in the B2B cybersecurity and compliance market at the intersection of GRC automation, managed compliance, virtual CISO services, and AI-enabled security operations. Vanta and Drata are named as GRC integrations, while CrowdStrike is part of the security-tool ecosystem; the available evidence does not identify them as confirmed direct competitors. Agency’s positioning is differentiated by combining those tools with forward-deployed personnel and an AI orchestration layer, targeting startups and enterprises in high-stakes sectors such as AI, defense, aerospace, fintech, and healthcare.

The company was founded in 2020, participated in Y Combinator’s Winter 2022 batch, is listed as active, and is reported to have a 50-person team. Its homepage claims it is trusted by thousands and names a broad set of partners and customers, while a startup database reports $32.5 million raised across three rounds. The available research does not establish revenue or profitability, so Agency should be treated as an active, funded growth-stage company rather than definitively labeled pre-revenue.