Overview

Build38 built a mobile application security platform protecting enterprises from reverse engineering, fraud, and runtime attacks.

The technology worked.
Customers validated the product.

But as Build38 prepared to scale internationally, a familiar deep-tech gap emerged:

• strong engineering
• inconsistent story
• uneven enterprise perception

In cybersecurity, positioning shapes trajectory.

Build38 needed executive-level clarity before scaling further — and before exit.

When product maturity outpaces GTM maturity

Build38 operated in one of the most competitive enterprise security markets.

Incumbents dominated mindshare.
Challengers crowded the category.
Buying decisions sat with CIOs and CISOs.

Internally, the narrative lacked consistency.

Sales pitches varied by region.
Differentiation blurred in competitive deals.
The company showed up as a technical solution rather than a strategic platform.

This was not just a marketing issue.
It was a go-to-market issue.

Rebuilding the company around one enterprise story

Etienne worked directly with Build38’s CEO and executive team to reset positioning.

The goal was to make Build38 clear and credible to enterprise decision-makers.

Executive positioning architecture

Together, the team rebuilt the GTM narrative:

• clarified category framing
• defined structural differentiation
• identified executive buyers and purchase triggers
• elevated the value story from features to outcomes
• aligned messaging across personas

This became the narrative backbone across sales, partnerships, fundraising, and communications.

Leadership and sales alignment

Strategy only matters if teams use it consistently.

Etienne worked with leadership and sales to:

• align pricing and enterprise conversations
• deploy a unified sales narrative
• install consistent differentiation across markets
• help teams sell at executive level

Founders, sales, and marketing moved in closer alignment.

Enterprise credibility

To support expansion, Build38 also needed stronger institutional presence.

Etienne supported:

• training and alignment with the internal product marketing team
• stronger presentation of the company to enterprise buyers and partners

Each touchpoint reinforced Build38’s strategic position.

Outcome

With a more unified GTM foundation in place, Build38 strengthened its market position:

• leadership aligned around one enterprise narrative
• sharper differentiation in security deals
• clearer CIO- and CISO-level value articulation
• more consistent international execution

This early alignment helped Build38 win key accounts and gain visibility with OneSpan. The resulting narrative clarity and consistency became important steps on the path to acquisition.

Shortly afterwards, Build38 was acquired by OneSpan.

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