Client
Industry
Cyber secutiry
year
2023 - 2024
Scope of work
share
We set out with a simple but ambitious goal: What if we could make cybersecurity training that people actually wanted to complete?
• 82% wanted to invest more regularly but felt overwhelmed by options
• 76% checked financial apps daily when they had accounts
• 71% preferred human expertise over pure robo-advisory
• 68% had abandoned investment accounts during onboarding
• Onlyy19% understood their risk profile after traditional signup flows
• 54% said existing platform felt 'designed for finance professionals, not real people"
The insight that shaped everything: People didn't want another trading app. They wanted a guide that made sophisticated investing feel accessible and trustworthy.
We interviewed 247 employees across 23 companies, from startups to enterprises. What we discovered was eye-opening:
• 73% of employees wanted to be cybersecurity heroes at their companies
• 89% were genuinely worried about falling for scams
• 67% had personal stories about friends or family being victimized
• 91% found current training "boring and useless"
• Only 12% could remember what they learned a month later
• 85% said training felt disconnected from real threats they faced
The insight that shaped everything: People don't want to be the weak link. They want to be the hero who spots the attack and saves the day.
✦ Real World, Right Now
✦ Micro-Moments, Macro-Impact
✦ Stories Over Statistics
We designed our platform as a progressive skill-building adventure, not a boring curriculum:
Level 1: The Fundamentals
● Email Phishing Mastery:
From obvious fakes to AI-crafted masterpieces
● Password Fortress:
Beyond "Password123!" to real digital hygiene
● Mobile Security Shield:
Your phone isn't just a phone anymore
Level 2: The New Threats
● Deepfake Detection:
When you can't trust your eyes and ears
● Voice Phishing Defense:
"This is your CEO calling..."
● QR Code Caution:
That innocent square might be a trap
● Smishing Savvy:
Text message scams are getting scary good
Level 3: The Advanced Game
● Social Engineering Immunity:
Psychological manipulation tactics
● Physical Security Awareness:
Tailgating and badge cloning
● AI Productivity Safety:
Using ChatGPT without leaking company secrets
● Data Protection Mastery:
What GDPR actually means for you
Level 4: The Specialist Tracks
● Executive Protection:
High-value target training
● Developer Security:
Secure coding when AI writes half your code
● HR & Legal Compliance:
HIPAA, CCPA, and the alphabet soup of regulations
● New Hire Bootcamp:
Getting started without getting scammed
But modules were only half the solution. We needed dashboards that made security leaders look smart in board meetings.
Traditional dashboards showed:
● Completion rates: 78%
● Click rates: 12%
● Click rates: 847
Our storytelling approach showed:
● Your team prevented 23 potential breaches this quarter
● Finance department improved from 'high risk' to 'cyber-aware' status
● Kelli in HR spotted the fake CEO email that saved $340K
● Mobile phishing attacks: Your team's weakness (fix this first)
We learned that executives don't want data – they want decisions. Our dashboards became strategic tools, not just reporting widgets.
Mobile-First, Always
• 67% of our users completed modules on their phones
• Bite-sized content worked better than desktop deep-dives
• Push notifications became gentle nudges, not annoying spam
Gamification Without the Cheese
• Real-world achievements: "Phishing Detective," "Voice Clone Spotter"
• Team challenges: "Which department can catch the most fake emails?"
• Personal progress tracking that felt like fitness apps, not homework
AI as Teammate, Not Teacher
• Our AI coach gave personalized tips: "You're great at spotting email scams but struggle with voice attacks – here's why"
• Adaptive difficulty: Easy wins early, realistic challenges later
• Contextual hints during simulations: "Notice anything odd about this sender address?"
• Module completion rate: 94% (industry average: 23%)
• Employee satisfaction: 4.8/5 stars (most training gets 2.1/5)
• Knowledge retention after 6 months: 71% (typical corporate training: 12%)
• Phishing click rates dropped from 18% to 2.7% within 8 months
• Incident reporting increased 340% (people actually wanted to help)
• Time to detect threats decreased by 67% (faster human response)
• Compliance audit prep time reduced by 89% (automated reporting)
• $43M Series A funding led by a16z and OpenAI Startup Fund
• 127 enterprise customers in first 18 months
• ROI for customers: 340% on average (calculated by preventing breach costs)
INSIGHT 1
Onboarding Is Everything
The first simulation determines whether someone becomes engaged or checks out. We A/B tested 23 different opening scenarios. Winner? A realistic fake Microsoft login page that 89% of users initially fell for, followed by immediate coaching.
INSIGHT 2
Failure Is the Best Teacher
Our most successful modules let people fail safely, then explained exactly how they were tricked. Shame-free learning worked 4x better than "gotcha" approaches.
INSIGHT 3
Context Crushes Generic
Role-specific training worked dramatically better than one-size-fits-all. A CFO cares about business email compromise; a developer worries about code injection. Same principles, different stories.
INSIGHT 4
Managers Need Different Data
C-suite dashboards focused on business risk and compliance. IT managers wanted technical details and threat trends. HR needed completion tracking and employee feedback. One platform, three completely different interfaces.
The threat landscape keeps evolving, and so do we:
Predictive Defense (Coming 2025)
• AI that predicts which employees are most vulnerable before they fail
• Just-in-time coaching that appears when risky behavior is detected
• Personalized threat feeds based on role, location, and current events
Workflow Integration
• Security coaching built into Slack, Teams, Gmail, and Zoom
• Real-time warnings when suspicious links or attachments appear
• Instant team alerts when someone spots a potential threat
Global Expansion
• Modules for EU AI Act compliance
• Localized content for 12 languages and cultural contexts
• Industry-specific training for healthcare, finance, and manufacturing
Our experience with Adaptive Security proved something powerful: When you design for humans instead of compliance checklists, everyone wins.
Employees felt empowered instead of blamed. Managers got actionable insights instead of overwhelming data. Companies reduced risk while improving culture.
In a world where AI can fake anyone's voice and deepfakes are getting cheaper by the day, the solution isn't better technology – it's better design.
We didn't just design a cybersecurity training platform. We designed confidence, one micro-learning moment at a time.
Because in cybersecurity, the best firewall is a human who knows what they're looking at.
