StackAware
StackAware is a bootstrapped US AI governance consulting firm that helps healthcare and B2B SaaS companies prepare for ISO 42001 certification through a 90-day AIMS Accelerator program and ongoing monitoring retainers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersBartlett, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What StackAware does
StackAware is a US-based AI governance consulting firm founded in 2022 by Walter Haydock and legally operated as VulnExchange, Inc., headquartered in Bartlett. The company specializes in preparing AI-powered organizations for ISO 42001 certification, operating as a sales-led professional services boutique with 1–10 employees and no institutional funding. Its core product is the AIMS Accelerator, a structured 90-day engagement that moves clients through AI risk and impact assessments, governance program development, and implementation of ISO 42001 Annex A controls to produce audit-ready documentation; a post-engagement retainer (AI Governance Advisor) provides continuous regulatory monitoring and documentation maintenance, supported by an external issue tracking and alerting API. StackAware differentiates itself as the first AI governance firm to hold ISO 42001 certification (audited by Schellman) and maintains an ecosystem of partnerships with three accredited certification bodies (Schellman, A-LIGN, Mastermind), AI red teaming (SplxAI), shadow AI discovery (Nudge Security), audit conformance (Prescient Security), confidential AI (Mithril Security), and AI insurance (Armilla AI).
The company serves a concentrated vertical mix of healthcare organizations and B2B SaaS companies deploying AI in regulated contexts, with named customers including Accuris, Cobalt Robotics, Eleos, Rightway, Embold Health, and CRISP Shared Services. Pricing is quote-based across multi-year engagements for AIMS Accelerator and gap analysis engagements, with annual retainers for the Advisor program, per-application pricing for AI penetration testing, and add-on Business Associate Agreement (BAA) coverage for HIPAA-bound healthcare clients. Go-to-market combines direct consultation booking through the company website, content-led demand generation via the 'Deploy Securely' Substack newsletter (4,000+ subscribers, 2–4 issues weekly), a free 5-day ISO 42001 email course, conference speaking (including AI Agent Security Summit 2025), and referral flow through certification and technology partners. The advisory bench, led by founder Walter Haydock (former Marine Corps intelligence officer, National Counterterrorism Center analyst, and US House Homeland Security Committee professional staff), includes senior CISOs from CRISP Shared Services, Embold Health, and OnCorps alongside dedicated healthcare AI risk specialists.
StackAware firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- StackAware
- Legal name
- VulnExchange, Inc.
- Website
- https://stackaware.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- StackAware is a bootstrapped US AI governance consulting firm that helps healthcare and B2B SaaS companies prepare for ISO 42001 certification through a 90-day AIMS Accelerator program and ongoing monitoring retainers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
StackAware industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Governance Consulting
- NAICS
- Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)
Keywords
Where StackAware is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bartlett
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
StackAware business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- AI Governance Consulting Services: Professional services engagements including AI risk assessments, ISO 42001 gap analysis, AIMS Accelerator program, and ongoing advisory retainer services for continuous monitoring and documentation maintenance
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | AI Risk Assessment and ISO 42001 Gap Analysis |
| Other | Multi-year contract | AIMS Accelerator (90-day program) |
| Subscription | Annual | Post-Engagement Retainer |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Penetration Testing |
| Other | Annual | Business Associate Agreement (BAA) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
StackAware product offering
Product offeringCore offering
StackAware is an AI governance and compliance consulting firm that helps AI-powered companies prepare for ISO 42001 certification and manage cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance risk. Its flagship offering is the AIMS Accelerator, a structured 90-day engagement covering AI risk assessments, AI Management System (AIMS) design, ISO 42001 Annex A control implementation, and audit-ready documentation. Additional paid services include a post-engagement AI Governance Advisor subscription retainer and AI penetration testing on a per-application basis.
Product overview
StackAware is an AI governance and compliance consulting firm that offers services to help organizations achieve ISO 42001 certification and manage AI-related cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance risk. The core offering is the AIMS Accelerator, a 90-day engagement that guides companies through risk assessment, governance program development, and ISO 42001 Annex A control implementation. Additional offerings include the AI Governance Advisor retainer for ongoing compliance maintenance, and a free educational email course on ISO 42001. The company specializes in serving healthcare and B2B SaaS sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AIMS Accelerator A 90-day engagement program for AI-powered organizations to achieve ISO 42001 certification readiness. Includes risk assessments, governance program development, control implementation, and audit-ready documentation. Targets companies in healthcare and B2B SaaS.
- AI Governance Advisor A subscription-based retainer service that provides continuous regulatory monitoring, AI risk tracking relevant to the customer's technology stack, and maintenance of StackAware-developed AIMS documentation. Includes an external issue tracking and alerting API.
- AI Penetration Testing Penetration testing service for AI applications, priced per application with bulk discounts. Tests for prompt injections, jailbreaks, and compliance violations in LLM-based and other AI systems.
- AI Risk Assessment and ISO 42001 Gap Analysis Quote-based consulting engagement that evaluates AI models and systems, analyzes data flows to identify risks, and produces a gap analysis against ISO 42001 requirements. Completed within a 30-day sprint.
Quantifiable outcome
- ISO 42001 certification achievable in 90 days with AIMS Accelerator program
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use StackAware
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
StackAware technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
StackAware partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Nudge SecuritycorePartnership to help customers identify shadow AI and detect emerging AI-related SaaS risks. Nudge Security provides discovery of AI tools through SaaS account creation and OAuth grant detection, while StackAware helps build governance programs around discovered AI usage.
- SplxAIcoreAI red teaming partnership combining governance expertise with automated security testing. StackAware provides AI governance and compliance frameworks, SplxAI provides continuous penetration testing for AI systems including prompt injections, jailbreaks, and compliance violations.
- Prescient SecuritycorePartnership to help AI-powered companies through the entire ISO 42001 governance lifecycle. StackAware builds defensible AI governance with controls existing in systems, while Prescient Security evaluates conformance for audits.
- Armilla AIcoreAI insurance partnership connecting ISO 42001 governance with liability coverage. StackAware helps implement ISO 42001-aligned AI governance, Armilla AI evaluates system performance for underwriting, and mature organizations unlock AI liability insurance.
- A-LIGNcoreISO 42001 certification partnership where StackAware's AIMS Accelerator prepares companies for certification and A-LIGN conducts external assessments and audits. Combined expertise accelerates AI compliance.
- SchellmancoreISO 42001 certification partnership following Schellman's certification of StackAware's own AIMS. Partnership helps clients prepare for and achieve accredited ISO 42001 certification through Schellman's rigorous audit process.
- MastermindcoreAccredited ISO 42001 certification partnership. Mastermind issued the world's first accredited ISO 42001 certificate and provides formal certification body services. Partnership fast-tracks clients through Stage 1 and Stage 2 certification audits.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
StackAware competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- OneTrust: OneTrust is an enterprise-wide trust intelligence platform covering privacy, GRC, ethics, and ESG, with growing AI governance capabilities. It competes for AI governance budgets but is a broad incumbent serving many compliance use cases rather than specializing in ISO 42001 readiness like StackAware.
- Vanta: Vanta is a leading automated compliance platform for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and other frameworks, with emerging AI governance functionality. StackAware explicitly integrates with Vanta, but Vanta's expansion into AI compliance represents both a partnership opportunity and a long-term competitive threat to StackAware's consulting model.
- TrustArc: TrustArc is a privacy and GRC platform with mature compliance offerings and growing AI governance capabilities. It is a broad incumbent in the privacy compliance space where StackAware also operates when serving healthcare and SaaS customers with overlapping regulatory requirements.
- Securiti: Securiti is a larger data privacy, security, and AI governance platform offering automated data discovery, consent management, and AI compliance modules. It competes with StackAware in the AI governance and privacy space but as part of a much broader data security portfolio rather than a focused ISO 42001 practice.
- BigID: BigID is a data intelligence platform for privacy, security, and governance, increasingly extending into AI governance and data-centric risk management. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with StackAware's data subprocessor mapping and AI risk assessment offerings at enterprise scale.
- Drata: Drata is an automated compliance and security monitoring platform similar to Vanta, covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and growing AI risk functionality. It is a key integration partner for StackAware and a broad incumbent that could absorb ISO 42001 readiness workflows over time.
Direct peers
- Holistic AI: Holistic AI provides an AI governance, risk, and compliance platform covering AI risk assessments, regulatory readiness (including EU AI Act and ISO 42001 alignment), and audit support. It overlaps directly with StackAware's AIMS Accelerator and AI Governance Advisor offerings for enterprise customers.
- FairNow: FairNow is an AI governance and compliance platform purpose-built for ISO 42001 and emerging AI regulations, helping companies operationalize AI risk management. It competes with StackAware's consulting-led approach by offering a software alternative for AI Management System implementation.
- Credo AI: Credo AI is an AI governance platform that helps organizations operationalize responsible AI through risk assessment, regulatory mapping, and policy management. It is the most direct competitor to StackAware, also targeting AI-powered enterprises needing governance certification readiness and AI risk programs.
- Armilla AI: Armilla AI provides AI assurance, evaluation, and insurance services for AI systems. Although StackAware is a strategic partner with Armilla, the two compete for AI risk management budgets at AI-deploying enterprises and both serve the ISO 42001 and AI governance buyer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
StackAware social profiles
Digital presenceStackAware compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
StackAware financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
StackAware leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
StackAware funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
StackAware M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about StackAware
What does StackAware do?
StackAware is an AI governance and compliance consulting firm that helps AI-powered companies prepare for ISO 42001 certification and manage cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance risk. Its flagship offering is the AIMS Accelerator, a structured 90-day engagement covering AI risk assessments, AI Management System (AIMS) design, ISO 42001 Annex A control implementation, and audit-ready documentation. Additional paid services include a post-engagement AI Governance Advisor subscription retainer and AI penetration testing on a per-application basis.
Is StackAware a public or private company?
StackAware is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was StackAware founded?
StackAware was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is StackAware based?
StackAware is headquartered in Bartlett, United States, in the North America region.
How does StackAware make money?
One revenue line is on record: AI Governance Consulting Services.
Who are StackAware's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are OneTrust, Vanta, TrustArc, Securiti, BigID and Drata. Direct peers are Holistic AI, FairNow, Credo AI and Armilla AI.
Does StackAware have an API?
Yes. StackAware provides an API for external issue tracking and alerting. The API enables customers to monitor regulatory developments applicable to their management system, track AI risks relevant to their technology stack, and receive automatic notifications. It also maps individual laws to specific systems and how customers use them to illuminate the risk surface. For example, if a company uses an AI-powered recruiting tool in NYC, this would trigger analysis of NYC Local Law 144 compliance. Developer documentation is at sbom.stackaware.com.
What industry is StackAware in?
StackAware's product category is AI Governance Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAM, Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54169 and its SIC code is 7370.