Mastermind
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersAlpharetta, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Mastermind firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mastermind
- Legal name
- Mastermind Assurance, LLC
- Website
- https://mastermindassurance.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mastermind industry classification
Industry- Product category
- ISO Management System Certification Auditing
- NAICS
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cloud Compliance, Audit & Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM/GRC) (HDABAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Model Governance, Approval Workflows & Auditability (HDAAABAJ), Privacy Governance & Consent Management (HDADAIAI), Cloud, DevOps & Software Engineering Certifications (EDAAANAH)
Keywords
Where Mastermind is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alpharetta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mastermind business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Certification Audits: ISO and CSA STAR certification audit services for management systems including ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 42001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and CSA STAR. First-time certification audits include Stage 1 and Stage 2 assessments, with ongoing surveillance and recertification audits for maintaining certification.
- Training Courses: Self-paced certification courses taught by actual auditors, including ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, ISO 27701 Lead Auditor, and ISO 42001 Lead Auditor courses delivered through the Thinkific learning management platform.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Mastermind product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mastermind is a pure-play certification body accredited by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) that performs ISO and CSA STAR certification audits for management systems, including ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), ISO/IEC 27701 (privacy), ISO/IEC 42001 (AI management), ISO/IEC 27017 (cloud security), and ISO/IEC 27018 (cloud privacy). The firm complements its audit services with self-paced Lead Auditor certification training courses taught by practicing auditors, and publishes a compliance intelligence newsletter (Think Week) focused on ISO standards and AI governance.
Product overview
Mastermind is a certification body providing ISO and CSA STAR certification audits with a complementary training platform. The core offering consists of certification audits for management systems including ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), ISO/IEC 27701 (privacy), ISO/IEC 42001 (AI management), ISO/IEC 27017 (cloud security), ISO/IEC 27018 (cloud privacy), and CSA STAR. Supporting the core audit services, Mastermind offers a training platform with self-paced certification courses (ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, ISO 27701 Lead Auditor, ISO 42001 Lead Auditor) taught by practicing auditors. Additionally, the company publishes the Think Week newsletter focused on security compliance awareness. The company is accredited by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) and positions itself as a pure-play certification body with a narrow focus on specific assurance frameworks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Think Week: A publication/newsletter by Mastermind covering topics related to security compliance, ISO standards, and AI governance. Features content by David Forman, the founder.
- CertifyAI
Products and services
- ISO & CSA STAR Certification Audits Accredited certification audits for management systems covering ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), ISO/IEC 27701 (privacy), ISO/IEC 27017 (cloud security), ISO/IEC 27018 (cloud privacy), and CSA STAR. Includes Stage 1 and Stage 2 first-time certification assessments plus ongoing surveillance and recertification audits.
- ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management) Certification Independent third-party certification of AI management systems against the ISO/IEC 42001 standard, covering organizations that produce, develop, provide, or use AI systems and need formal AI governance certification.
- ISO 27001 Lead Auditor Training Course Self-paced course preparing learners for ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor certification, teaching information security management systems auditing and delivered through the Thinkific LMS.
- ISO 27701 Lead Auditor Training Course Self-paced course preparing learners for ISO/IEC 27701 Lead Auditor certification, teaching privacy information management systems auditing and delivered through the Thinkific LMS.
- ISO 42001 Lead Auditor Training Course Self-paced course preparing learners for ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor certification, teaching AI management systems auditing and delivered through the Thinkific LMS.
Quantifiable outcome
- 500+ certificates issued by Mastermind auditors
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Mastermind
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Mastermind technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability4 records
Feature2 records
Mastermind partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- StackAwarecoreStrategic partnership with StackAware, a company that helps organizations manage AI-related cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance risks. The partnership creates a resource network for customers to address consultancy and systems implementation questions pertaining to AI governance. Mastermind does not accept commissions, referral fees, or kickbacks with partners - it's a curated list of service providers. StackAware is dogfooding its own service and API tool as an early adopter of ISO 42001, nearing formal certification.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mastermind competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DNV: Norwegian-headquartered certification body offering ISO 27001, 27701 and information-security management system certifications. Comparable accredited competitor with deep enterprise and regulated-industry client base.
- TÜV SÜD: Global certification body issuing ISO 27001, 27701, 42001, and adjacent management system certifications. Directly comparable accredited competitor with international reach across the same set of ISO schemes.
- Schellman & Co. U.S.-based certification and attestation body issuing ISO 27001, SOC 2, and related attestations. Closely comparable in customer profile (mid-market and enterprise tech), services mix, and go-to-market motion to Mastermind.
- Coalfire: Cybersecurity advisory and assessment firm issuing ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HITRUST, and PCI attestations. Comparable as a competing accredited certification body serving cloud- and security-focused enterprise clients.
- A-LIGN: Compliance and cybersecurity audit firm delivering ISO 27001, SOC 2, HITRUST and similar certifications to technology and SaaS customers. Directly competes with Mastermind on ISO certification engagements and parallel-audit bundling.
- BSI Group: British Standards Institution — one of the world's largest ISO certification bodies, originating many of the standards Mastermind certifies against (including the 27000 series). Direct peer in the same ISO certification category with global brand and enterprise relationships.
Broad incumbents
- KPMG: Big 4 advisory firm with significant ISO, SOC 2, and information-security assurance practices. Competes for the same enterprise GRC budgets as Mastermind, though typically as part of multi-framework bundled engagements.
- Ernst & Young (EY): Big 4 professional services firm and Mastermind founder David Forman's former employer (7 years). Operates overlapping ISO certification and SOC 2 advisory practices, but as part of a much broader consulting portfolio rather than as a pure-play certification body.
- PwC: Big 4 firm with an established cybersecurity and ISO certification advisory practice. Overlaps with Mastermind in enterprise ISO 27001/27701 engagements but does not specialize exclusively in certification audits.
Emerging players
- StackAware: AI cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance risk management firm and Mastermind's announced partner (Aug 2024). Directly comparable as an early adopter pursuing ISO 42001 certification, addressing the same AI-governance buyer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mastermind social profiles
Digital presenceMastermind compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Mastermind financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mastermind leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Mastermind funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mastermind 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 Mastermind
What does Mastermind do?
Mastermind is a pure-play certification body accredited by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) that performs ISO and CSA STAR certification audits for management systems, including ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), ISO/IEC 27701 (privacy), ISO/IEC 42001 (AI management), ISO/IEC 27017 (cloud security), and ISO/IEC 27018 (cloud privacy). The firm complements its audit services with self-paced Lead Auditor certification training courses taught by practicing auditors, and publishes a compliance intelligence newsletter (Think Week) focused on ISO standards and AI governance.
Is Mastermind a public or private company?
Mastermind is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Mastermind founded?
Mastermind was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mastermind based?
Mastermind is headquartered in Alpharetta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mastermind make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Certification Audits are the primary driver. The others are training Courses.
Who are Mastermind's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DNV, TÜV SÜD, Schellman & Co., Coalfire, A-LIGN and BSI Group. Broad incumbents are KPMG, Ernst & Young (EY) and PwC. StackAware is listed as an emerging player.
Does Mastermind have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mastermind.
What industry is Mastermind in?
Mastermind's product category is ISO Management System Certification Auditing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABAHAI, Cloud Compliance, Audit & Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM/GRC), with a secondary code of HDAAABAJ, Model Governance, Approval Workflows & Auditability. Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 8700.