A scaleup is a company that has moved past early startup mode and is focused on rapid, sustained growth. In cyber security, that growth matters because the attack surface usually expands faster than the team, tooling, and processes that protect it. More users, more cloud services, more code deployments, and more third-party integrations all create new opportunities for misconfiguration, exposed credentials, and insecure access paths.
Criminals often target scaleups because fast-moving companies may have gaps in identity management, logging, asset inventory, or patching. Defenders look for the same growth stage as a signal to harden security: segment networks, enforce strong authentication, automate vulnerability management, and monitor for unusual account or data activity. A scaleup is not just a business term; it is also a security maturity checkpoint.