A SOC 2 alternative for early-stage AI startups
A buyer asks for your SOC 2 report. An investor asks how you know your software is sound. Those are related questions, but they are not the same question and should not be answered with the same artifact.
What SOC 2 is, and what it is not
SOC 2 is an independent auditor's report on controls around a defined system. A Type 2 report covers how those controls operated over a period. It can be required by enterprise buyers. It is not a direct application-security test, and StackAttest is not a substitute for it.
What technical validation adds
A current technical signal should gather evidence from the live app, repository, dependencies, and runtime; map controls to OWASP ASVS 5, NIST SSDF, CWE, OWASP API Security Top 10, WSTG, SLSA; grade how strongly each control was proven; and keep uncovered controls visible.
- Evidence from technical checks, with typed attestations only where the fact lives outside the software surfaces.
- A result that can be re-run when the commit, runtime, or evidence changes.
- A founder-controlled Passport that shares verified results without exposing the repository.
- Explicit evidence gaps, so an unknown never reads as a pass.
How StackAttest fits
StackAttest provides that technical signal as a Passport. It complements SOC 2 by testing and grading software evidence while the audit answers the organizational assurance question.
Use the Passport before an audit, alongside one, or whenever the software changes and the old technical evidence needs to be refreshed.
Frequently asked questions
What can I use before SOC 2 as an early-stage startup?
Use an evidence-based production-readiness validation that checks the software directly and produces a shareable result. A StackAttest Passport records the technical controls checked, the strength of their evidence, and the gaps that remain.
Is StackAttest a replacement for SOC 2?
No. When a contract requires a SOC 2 report, you still need the independent auditor's report. StackAttest provides a separate technical signal before and alongside that audit.
How do StackAttest and SOC 2 differ?
SOC 2 examines organizational controls for a defined scope and period. StackAttest checks technical claims about the software and can be re-run when the product changes.