CASE STUDY
ÉTUDE DE CAS
How Bonafi achieved ISO 27001, 27017, and 27018 certification in 6 weeks to unblock early deals
.webp)
"We did not just want to promise our clients security, we wanted to deliver on that promise and prove it."
TL;DR
- Challenge: Bonafi wanted ISO 27001 certification to add credibility to discussions of its security posture with high-net-worth individuals who treat security as a prerequisite.
- Solution: Bonafi used Vanta alongside implementation partner Workstreet and certification body Prescient to compress a process that typically takes 3–12 months into a 6-week sprint across three ISO frameworks.
- ROI: Certified across ISO 27001, 27017, and 27018 in roughly 6 weeks with zero nonconformities; deals are now closing.
The company
Building wealth tech for high-net-worth clients
Bonafi is a Rotterdam-based fintech startup building an AI-powered wealth management platform for high-net-worth individuals, single-family offices, and multi-family offices in the Netherlands. The company's platform is designed to bring transparency and digital sophistication to a segment where discretion and security are non-negotiable.
The challenge
Earning customer trust required verifiable proof
Bonafi's target clients conduct thorough due diligence before entrusting anyone with their wealth data. "Data security is the first thing that about 90% of our clients ask about," says de Boon.
Bonafi could answer security questions sent its way, but only with its own word as backing. ISO 27001 certification would replace that with independent, verifiable proof. It was also table stakes in Bonafi's market: Some competitors already held the certification, making it a go-to-market prerequisite in addition to a customer-confidence measure.
What Bonafi tried first: Bonafi first evaluated traditional Dutch compliance consultants to get the company audit-ready before its go-live date.
Bonafi's pivot point: Consultants quoted 5-6 months and 8 hours per week of founder time, a timeline that would blow past the company's go-live deadline and pull the team away from building the product. For a 4-person startup in launch phase, that tradeoff wasn't acceptable.
Why Bonafi chose Vanta: Vanta offered a path to audit readiness in 4–6 weeks, not months. Vanta's team also made warm introductions to implementation partners who could match Bonafi's pace. Bonafi chose Workstreet and Prescient because both could move immediately. The Trust Center added a further advantage: Rather than point-in-time certification, Bonafi could give prospects continuous, live proof of its security posture during in-person sales conversations.
{{quote-2}}
The Vanta impact
From compliance kickoff to certified across three frameworks in 6 weeks
With Vanta, Bonafi worked on simultaneous certification across three frameworks, implemented with Workstreet and audited by Prescient, turning what traditional consultants framed as a 5-6 month project into a 6-week sprint that unblocked deals.
Here’s how Bonafi deployed Vanta:
Compliance is now built into Bonafi's weekly operating rhythm. de Boon checks Vanta daily to review open controls, policy updates, vendor changes, and employee onboarding and offboarding. For a 4-person company competing against established players, that continuous posture is a structural competitive advantage.
{{quote-3}}
