KinoSec Case Study: Business Insider and 3 More Outlets in 16 Days, Then a $1M Raise

At a glance

• Client: KinoSec, a cybersecurity startup building an autonomous AI penetration testing platform.
• Placements: Business Insider plus 3 other outlets, including AP News and Benzinga.
• Speed: live 16 days after the first conversation.
• Outcome: a $1M pre-seed investment at a $15M valuation, closed two weeks after the placements went live.

The challenge

KinoSec was early-stage and unknown to investors and enterprise buyers. In cybersecurity, buyers and investors are cautious by default: they need proof a young company is credible before they take a meeting seriously.

Its founder, Alexis, needed that third-party credibility fast, ahead of the pre-seed round, without spending weeks of his own time on PR.

What we did

• Story: built the launch story around why autonomous AI penetration testing matters now, rather than a product announcement.
• Writing: wrote the articles, so the founder only had to review them.
• Outreach: handled all journalist outreach through Jamco's media relationships.
• Publication: managed every placement through to going live.

The results

KinoSec got on Business Insider and 3 other outlets, including AP News and Benzinga, 16 days after the first conversation with Jamco PR.

Two weeks later, the founder closed a $1M pre-seed investment at a $15M valuation, using the coverage as social proof in investor conversations.

Why it worked

The articles didn't raise the money. They removed the doubt. Every investor who searched for KinoSec found Business Insider and other respected publications talking about the company, which made it the safer bet in a crowded market.

Timing mattered too: the placements went live right as fundraising conversations started, so the proof was in front of investors exactly when they were deciding.

What founders can take from this

• Time your press coverage just before or during a raise, not after it.
• Lead with a story about the problem you solve, not an announcement about your product.
• Put every placement in your pitch deck, investor updates and website.

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