How to Win Lighthouse Deals in a New Market - Felix Knoll COO/CRO Cranium
Tue Feb 03 2026
Send me a text (I will personally respond)
Are you navigating the challenge of landing enterprise deals before you even have market traction? Wondering how to build pipeline without SDRs and endless cold emails? Curious if targeting Fortune 500 clients from day one is smart, or suicidal? This episode dives into a truly unconventional path to cybersecurity startup success that defies industry norms.
In this conversation we discuss:
👉 Incubating a cybersecurity startup inside KPMG and the unique advantages (and hurdles) it brought
👉 Strategies for securing lighthouse enterprise customers and building trust-driven communities
👉 Lessons on managing founder-led sales, lean teams, and prioritizing scalable product development
About our guest:
Felix Knoll is the Co-Founder, COO, and CRO of Cranium, which was spun out from KPMG’s incubator. Felix blended enterprise sales expertise with startup agility to pioneer a new category in AI governance.
Summary:
This episode reveals how Cranium went from a consulting giant’s incubator to closing six-figure deals with leading global banks by leveraging relationships, rapid product pivots, and building industry "Trust Hubs." If you're ready to rethink your go-to-market playbook for faster growth and better enterprise engagement, tune in now!
Links:
Connect with Felix Knoll on LinkedIn.
Learn more about Cranium at their website.
Book a 30-minute meeting with host Andrew Monaghan here.
----------If you are a sales leader, you are probably under pressure right now to use your headcount on quota-carrying positions BUT you intuitively know you need to invest in the team to help them succeed. Unstoppable.do gives you the capabilities of a world-class enablement team without having to use precious headcount AND with a pricing model that makes sense for startups. If this is intriguing, get in touch at andrew@unstoppable.do
Support the show
Follow me on LinkedIn for regular posts about growing your cybersecurity startup
Want to grow your revenue faster? Check out my consulting and training
Need ideas about how to grow your pipeline? Sign up for my newsletter.
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Send me a text (I will personally respond) Are you navigating the challenge of landing enterprise deals before you even have market traction? Wondering how to build pipeline without SDRs and endless cold emails? Curious if targeting Fortune 500 clients from day one is smart, or suicidal? This episode dives into a truly unconventional path to cybersecurity startup success that defies industry norms. In this conversation we discuss: 👉 Incubating a cybersecurity startup inside KPMG and the unique advantages (and hurdles) it brought 👉 Strategies for securing lighthouse enterprise customers and building trust-driven communities 👉 Lessons on managing founder-led sales, lean teams, and prioritizing scalable product development About our guest: Felix Knoll is the Co-Founder, COO, and CRO of Cranium, which was spun out from KPMG’s incubator. Felix blended enterprise sales expertise with startup agility to pioneer a new category in AI governance. Summary: This episode reveals how Cranium went from a consulting giant’s incubator to closing six-figure deals with leading global banks by leveraging relationships, rapid product pivots, and building industry "Trust Hubs." If you're ready to rethink your go-to-market playbook for faster growth and better enterprise engagement, tune in now! Links: Connect with Felix Knoll on LinkedIn. Learn more about Cranium at their website. Book a 30-minute meeting with host Andrew Monaghan here. ----------If you are a sales leader, you are probably under pressure right now to use your headcount on quota-carrying positions BUT you intuitively know you need to invest in the team to help them succeed. Unstoppable.do gives you the capabilities of a world-class enablement team without having to use precious headcount AND with a pricing model that makes sense for startups. If this is intriguing, get in touch at andrew@unstoppable.do Support the show Follow me on LinkedIn for regular posts about growing your cybersecurity startup Want to grow your revenue faster? Check out my consulting and training Need ideas about how to grow your pipeline? Sign up for my newsletter.