When you’re building a startup, you learn quickly that every decision is a values decision. Every dollar, every hour, every tradeoff says something about who you are and what you prioritize. You don’t have the luxury of “nice to haves.” Everything you invest in must matter.
That’s why earning our SOC 2 certification at Luster feels like so much more than a compliance milestone to me. It is a statement of values. One we’ve lived long before an auditor ever showed up.
This certification tells a bigger story about who we are, what we believe, and the kind of company we’re building. Let me break it into the three truths that shaped this journey for Luster.
1. Big Investments Show Your Values
Startups don’t invest lightly.Time is scarce. Money is scarce. Energy is precious. So the things we choose to invest in say everything about what we stand for.
Pursuing SOC 2 this early wasn’t accidental or forced. It was intentional.
Because we believe discipline, rigor, and care in managing customer data is a foundational part of who we are. When teams trust us with their calls, coaching signals, strengths and opportunities, we don’t see that as “data”—we see it as a responsibility.
Not every startup chooses to build this way, but we do. And SOC 2 makes that visible.
2. Data for Good (My Personal ‘Why’)
A formative part of my career was spent in Marketing and Advertising tech—before meaningful data protection policies existed. I saw the shadow side of unchecked data collection. I lived through the era of “collect everything, figure out the ethics later,” and it was… not great.
Those experiences shaped something in me: Data must be used to empower people and that is a critical responsibility.
And that philosophy sits at the heart of Luster.
At our core, Luster is a data company, and intentionally focused on helping our users.
- Reps get visibility into their strengths and opportunities on every call.
- Managers, especially new managers, gain the skills to coach confidently and help every teammate succeed.
- Sales leaders get real-time insights on training needs and revenue alerts so they can support their teams proactively, not reactively.
This is what “data for good” looks like. Clarity. Empowerment. Growth. To me, SOC 2 is an extension of that ethic. It’s a commitment to honoring the humans behind every data point.
3. Always Be Learning (The Founder Reality)
Here’s the honest truth: as a founder, you don’t get to stay in your lane. You become the lane. And I adore that part of the job.
In previous executive roles, I had full teams dedicated to data strategy, compliance, and infrastructure. Brilliant people who lived and breathed this stuff.
As a founder? I had to roll up my sleeves and learn it myself, side by side with our insanely talented Staff Platform Engineer and Solutions Architect, Hayden Bass, who brings years of expertise.
And you know what? I loved every second.
I had my personal learning AI Agent I built help me design a fast-track cybersecurity curriculum and suddenly found myself going deeper than I ever had before: controls, threat models, secure design patterns, incident workflows… the whole universe. What started as “I need to manage compliance” became “I have found a brand new passion.”
This is the magic of being close to the product.
Close to the craft.
Close to the learning.
It’s one of my favorite parts of building Luster.
This SOC 2 Milestone Represents Who We Are Becoming
Yes, we’re proud to have the certification. But more than that, I’m proud of what it reflects:
- A company that invests according to its values
- A team that believes data should uplift people
- A culture that thrives on learning and staying close to the work
SOC 2 is a badge, but it’s really a mirror. It reflects how we build today and the future we are committed to shaping.
And this is just the beginning.
