Building a successful startup requires more than just a great idea—it takes execution, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to understanding your customers. This was the key takeaway from the recent Cyber Runway Founders Fireside session with Ashu Savani, co-founder of TryHackMe, a cybersecurity training platform that has grown into a 20-million-dollar revenue business without any external investment.

TryHackMe has grown from a small learning platform to a widely used cybersecurity training tool. In a Cyber Runway: Scale session, Ashu Savani, co-founder of TryHackMe, shared how the company navigated early-stage growth, community engagement, and business monetisation. Hosted by Plexal in collaboration with the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, the session highlighted how cybersecurity startups can leverage gamification, partnerships, and education-focused strategies to scale successfully. I attended on behalf of Cyber Tzar, the Enterprise Supply Chain Risk Management platform, learning how TryHackMe built a sustainable and scalable business model in the cybersecurity training space.

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TryHackMe Session 16th January 2025

This video is publicly available on the Plexal YouTube playlist for the Cyber Runway programme.

The Accidental Success of TryHackMe

TryHackMe started as a side project while Ashu and his co-founder, Ben, were interning at Accenture. Their goal was simple: make cybersecurity training more accessible and engaging. Within three months, they launched a minimum viable product (MVP) and shared it on Reddit and Twitter, where it quickly gained traction.

Key Takeaways:

1. Launch Quickly & Iterate – The first version of TryHackMe was built in just three months, allowing them to validate market demand without over-investing upfront.
2. Use Online Communities – Reddit and Twitter played a major role in their early growth, proving the power of engaging directly with your target audience.

Finding Product-Market Fit Through Gamification

From the beginning, TryHackMe took an engagement-first approach to learning. Inspired by edtech giants like Duolingo and Codecademy, they focused on making training interactive and fun. The cybersecurity industry, notorious for outdated training methods, lacked a platform that blended education with gamification.

Key Takeaways:

• User engagement is a growth driver – By focusing on making the platform engaging rather than just educational, TryHackMe ensured users would keep coming back.
• Data-Driven Product Development – The company instrumented the entire platform early on, using analytics and heatmaps to understand user behavior and improve retention.

Pivoting from B2C to B2B: A Natural Evolution

Initially, TryHackMe was built for individual learners (B2C), but as the platform gained popularity, companies started reaching out. Defensive security teams from banks, armed forces, and insurance companies saw the value in training their teams with TryHackMe.

The shift from B2C to B2B wasn’t a forced decision—it was driven by organic demand.

How They Identified the Opportunity:

• Inbound Interest from Businesses – Cybersecurity professionals were signing up with personal emails but reaching out for business use cases.
• Pull from the Market – Without any B2B sales infrastructure in place, companies were proactively requesting white-label versions and team subscriptions.
• Scalability Over Custom Solutions – Early on, they experimented with fully custom enterprise deployments but quickly realized it was a distraction from their core business.

Key Takeaways for Startups Expanding to B2B:

• Let demand guide your pivots – If enterprise clients are reaching out without outbound efforts, it’s a strong sign of product-market fit.
• Be cautious of distractions – While custom enterprise deals may seem lucrative, they can pull focus away from your scalable core offering.

Building an Inbound-Driven Growth Engine

One of TryHackMe’s biggest advantages is its inbound-driven growth. Unlike many SaaS startups that rely on heavy outbound sales efforts, the company has mastered the art of attracting customers through organic channels.

How TryHackMe Built a Strong Inbound Funnel:

1. Word-of-mouth and referrals – Users who love the product naturally recommend it to colleagues and employers.
2. YouTube & Content Marketing – The cybersecurity community consumes a lot of technical content online. TryHackMe actively creates educational videos to engage this audience.
3. SEO & Organic Search – The brand name itself—TryHackMe—acts as a growth engine, with users discovering the platform via search engines.

Takeaways for Founders:

• Find where your audience hangs out – If your target users spend time on Reddit, Discord, or LinkedIn, focus your efforts there.
• Leverage customer advocacy – Happy users can be your best salespeople.
• Think about long-term brand recognition – A name like “TryHackMe” is both memorable and SEO-friendly, contributing to long-term organic traffic.

Scaling Culture and Leadership

As TryHackMe grew from a two-person startup to a 100+ employee company, maintaining a strong company culture became a challenge.

Lessons in Scaling a Team:

1. Culture Changes Over Time – What works at 20 employees won’t necessarily work at 100 employees. The company had to formalize values and behaviors.
2. Hiring Mistakes Are Costly – Bad hires cost time, money, and productivity. Ashu emphasized that they’ve rushed hiring decisions in the past, only to realize that managing someone out takes even longer.
3. Founders Should Stay Close to the Product – Despite scaling, Ashu and Ben still spend significant time on product decisions—especially for high-risk, high-impact initiatives.

Founder-Led Sales: Knowing When to Step Back

At the beginning, Ashu and Ben handled all B2B sales themselves. As demand grew, they hired a Head of Sales to build out a repeatable process.

However, they still join sales calls at key points in the funnel—particularly for enterprise deals where a founder’s presence can increase close rates.

Key Takeaways for Founder-Led Sales:

• Don’t step away too soon – Founders often have the deepest understanding of the product and can articulate value in a way sales teams can’t.
• Strategic Founder Involvement – Data shows that bringing in a founder or C-level executive late in a deal cycle can significantly increase the chances of closing.

What’s Next for TryHackMe?

Looking ahead, TryHackMe is focused on expanding its B2B presence, refining its certification programs, and continuing to innovate within cybersecurity training.

Ashu remains motivated by:

• The drive to “win” – TryHackMe is competing with legacy players and believes they can offer a better solution.
• The challenge of continuous learning – As a founder, he thrives on solving complex problems and scaling the business further.
• The people – Building a great company is as much about the team as it is about the product.

Final Thoughts: Lessons for Startups

1. Start Small, Validate, Then Scale – TryHackMe’s journey began with a simple MVP and direct user feedback.
2. Stay Close to Customers – Even as the company scaled, Ashu emphasized the importance of staying in the details.
3. Let Demand Guide Pivots – The move into B2B happened organically, rather than being forced.
4. Build an Inbound Engine – By focusing on SEO, content, and community engagement, TryHackMe has avoided the pitfalls of high-cost outbound sales.
5. Hire Carefully & Don’t Rush Growth – Bad hires are one of the biggest risks to a scaling startup.

TryHackMe’s success is a testament to customer-centric growth, strong execution, and an iterative approach to scaling. Whether you’re building a B2C or B2B SaaS company, the lessons from their journey provide a roadmap for sustainable and scalable success.