In May 2025, we hosted a behind-the-scenes conversation in Tel Aviv with Rotem Shemesh, VP Marketing at Cynomi, and our own Natali Morad, Director at Blue Seedling.
Cynomi – a long-time Blue Seedling client – recently announced their Series B, co-led by Insight Partners and Entrée Capital. Rotem’s been there since the beginning, helping scale the company from early-stage upstart to the market-defining name in virtual CISOs (vCISOs) for MSPs.
The topic was playing big when you’re still small – and how long-term marketing bets are fueling Cynomi’s rise in one of the most competitive categories in cybersecurity.
Rotem didn’t follow the usual B2B playbook. Instead of leaning on gated content and paid campaigns, her team (augmented by Blue Seedling team members) launched initiatives that made Cynomi synonymous with the category: a vCISO academy, a public provider directory, an annual market survey. These high-impact, low-attribution activities positioned Cynomi as the trusted source – not just another vendor.
🎥 Watch the full event below and read on for key takeaways.
🔑 Key Takeaways
1. Market education is your best differentiator — if you commit to it.
When Rotem joined Cynomi, most MSPs didn’t know what a virtual CISO (vCISO) was — let alone how to offer vCISO services. So instead of just selling a product, the team focused on becoming the source of truth for the category.
That meant:
- Publishing the first “What is a vCISO?” guides
- Launching the vCISO Academy
- Building a vCISO provider directory
- Running the only annual vCISO market survey (now cited by Gartner, ChatGPT, and others)
Not every bet had a clear ROI at the start. But they created undeniable momentum — and helped Cynomi become the name partners, press, and analysts associate with vCISO.
2. Start small. Prove value. Scale later.
Most of these initiatives didn’t launch fully funded.
The first directory was built by hand, using Upwork help and Google Sheets.
The first Academy modules were just a few free, ungated courses.
The survey? $800 total budget, scrappy execution — and huge returns in visibility.
This wasn’t about perfection. It was about shipping something valuable, seeing what resonated, and then doubling down.
3. Lead gen ≠ demand gen.
Cynomi’s go-to-market engine now drives a third of pipeline through organic channels. But that wasn’t always the case – and it wasn’t the initial goal.
Early on, Rotem made bets that didn’t come with tidy attribution. Brand lifts. Community building. Ungated resources. The kind of marketing that makes your company feel established before it is.
She didn’t have a perfect dashboard. But she had a strong POV – and a willingness to invest in the long game.
Now, the compounding effects are clear:
- Lower cost per lead across the board
- Recognition in a crowded space
- Analysts reaching out first
- Press that runs almost everything they send
4. Build like a leader, before you are one.
Rotem’s approach was simple: act like the category leader until the market believes it too.
That meant:
- Using the “vCISO platform” label before anyone else did
- Investing in educational content and partnerships
- Publishing resources even for companies not using Cynomi
It wasn’t about looking bigger for the sake of it. It was about creating signals that said: we are the ones who get it.
The Cynomi + Blue Seedling Story
When Cynomi set out to define the vCISO category and grow from Seed to Series B, they brought in Blue Seedling. We’ve been their marketing partner ever since – helping shape the strategy, messaging, and demand programs that are turning them into the go-to brand for MSP cybersecurity.
From launching the vCISO Academy to building the first directory and market survey – we’ve been in the trenches together, doing the kind of work that doesn’t just generate leads, but builds real demand and an everlasting brand.
If you want your marketing to feel 10x bigger than your headcount, let’s talk.
