Figures’ Security-First GTM Strategy: Building Trust in Europe’s Fragmented Privacy Landscape

Figures’ Security-First GTM Strategy: Building Trust in Europe’s Fragmented Privacy Landscape

Most B2B startups see Europe’s privacy regulations as an obstacle to growth. In a recent Category Visionaries episode, Figures CEO Virgile Raingeard revealed how his company turned GDPR compliance into their strongest competitive advantage.

The Nuclear Option When handling sensitive compensation data, security isn’t just a feature – it’s existential. “What we call the nuclear option, is like what we can’t have happening is, of course, security,” Virgile explains. “And data leak and stuff like that, due to the nature of the data we hold.”

This obsession with security shapes everything at Figures, even at the cost of growth. “We are working quite a lot on security. ISO 270 one, sock two and getting those certification, getting those processes up, which is frustrating, right? Because it’s decreasing product velocity.”

Turning Privacy into Protection While US competitors struggle with European privacy concerns, Figures turns them into a competitive moat. “Privacy is a super sensitive concern, especially in Germany and France to an extent,” Virgile notes. “And so for a US player to come in and being like, ‘Hey, come on, get give us your compensation information,’ is very tough.”

The Trust Paradox Interestingly, Figures pairs this security-first approach with an unexpectedly playful brand voice. “One of our value is like why so serious?” Virgile shares. This creates an interesting balance: enterprise-grade security with a human touch.

However, this approach initially created internal tension. “One struggle we had historically is how much fun can we have and can we have externally where we are supposed to be super serious with our clients data,” Virgile explains. “Hoping that clients won’t misread our humor as a sign of not being too serious and responsible about what we’re doing.”

The Stakes of Failure For Figures, a security breach wouldn’t just be a setback – it would be fatal. As Virgile puts it: “I think it’s easier you just shut down immediately because lost of every customer want to retrieve that information. Lack of trust means you can get any customer and you instantly die at best.”

This reality drives their rigorous approach to security, even when it conflicts with other business priorities. “Maybe there’s a case where we should be less conscious of that and more risk taking, especially early on when you’re building a company,” Virgile reflects. “I don’t know, but yeah, it’s something that does worry me. That’s pretty much the only thing that does worry me.”

Building for European Scale This security-first approach has enabled Figures to scale across Europe’s fragmented markets. Each country presents unique privacy challenges, but by building trust through robust security practices, they’ve created a foundation for expansion.

For B2B founders expanding into Europe, Figures’ experience offers several key insights:

• Make security foundational, not just a feature
• Turn regulatory compliance into competitive advantage
• Balance technical trust with human connection
• Accept that security might slow growth but prevents catastrophic failure
• Build systems that scale across different privacy regimes

The lesson? In privacy-sensitive markets, turning regulatory constraints into competitive advantages might be the smartest path to category leadership. By embracing rather than fighting Europe’s privacy landscape, Figures has created a moat that even well-funded US competitors struggle to cross.