AASTF Go-To-Market Channels: Comprehensive Research (May 2026) - AASTF Documentation

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# AASTF Go-To-Market Channels: Comprehensive Research (May 2026)

> Purpose: Prioritized GTM channel list with effort, cost, expected impact, and timeline for each channel. Context: AASTF is an OSS Python framework for agentic AI security testing. Published on PyPI and GitHub. v0.4.1 live.

## Executive Summary

This document catalogs 40+ distinct GTM channels across 10 categories, ranked by a composite score of (impact x feasibility) / (cost + time). The top-5 highest-leverage channels for AASTF's current stage (pre-revenue, solo founder, OSS) are:

1. OWASP ecosystem integration (free, massive credibility multiplier)
2. Hacker News / Product Hunt launch (free, 10K+ developer eyeballs in 48h)
3. GitHub Action marketplace listing (low effort, continuous pipeline of users)
4. Conference circuit -- BSides/Arsenal/OWASP AppSec (low cost, high-trust audience)
5. LinkedIn thought leadership + SEO content (free, compounds over 6-12 months)

## Priority Tier Definitions

Tier | Criteria | Timeline
--- | --- | ---
P0 -- Do Now | Free/cheap, high impact, solo-founder feasible | May-Aug 2026
P1 -- Next Quarter | Moderate effort, strong ROI, may need 1 hire | Sep-Dec 2026
P2 -- Post-Revenue | Requires budget ($5K+), partnerships, or team | 2027 H1
P3 -- Scale Stage | Enterprise-grade, requires $50K+ or compliance work | 2027 H2+

## 1. Cloud Marketplaces

### 1a. AWS Marketplace

- Priority: P2
- Effort: High (8-12 weeks for Foundational Technical Review)
- Cost: $0 listing fee; 3% revenue share (1.5% on ISV Accelerate co-sell deals)
- Impact: HIGH -- enterprises burn committed AWS spend; security tools are top category
- Requirements:
- SaaS listing (most common for tools like AASTF) -- FTR exempted for SaaS
- AMI/Container listings require passing AWS Foundational Technical Review (security, reliability, performance, operational excellence audit)
- Must be production-ready, not beta
- Need AWS Partner Network enrollment
- ISV Accelerate Program (2026 updates):
- Marketing Development Funds (MDF) available for partners enrolled after Jan 1, 2026
- AWS Account Managers receive incentives for co-selling via Private Offers
- 51% of partners report higher average revenue growth from co-sell motions
- Culminates in marketplace linkage connecting co-sell opportunities to listings
- Action items:
- Enroll in AWS Partner Network (free tier)
- Build SaaS wrapper around AASTF (FastAPI + hosted scanning service)
- Apply for ISV Accelerate after first 5 paying customers
- Target: list by Q1 2027

### 1b. Azure Marketplace

- Priority: P2
- Effort: High (similar to AWS)
- Cost: 3% marketplace service fee; Microsoft handles billing
- Impact: HIGH -- Azure dominates enterprise; MACC (Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment) burn is a massive buyer motivator
- Requirements:
- Must be enrolled in Microsoft Cloud Partner Program
- Product must be production-ready, secure, stable, scalable
- Transactable offers required for MACC eligibility
- Action items:
- Enroll in Microsoft Cloud Partner Program
- Build transactable SaaS offer
- Target: list by Q2 2027

### 1c. GCP Marketplace

- Priority: P3
- Effort: High
- Cost: 3% transaction fee (1.5% on renewals under incentive programs)
- Impact: MEDIUM -- smaller enterprise footprint than AWS/Azure for security
- Requirements:
- Three-tier partner system (Select, Premier, Diamond) as of Q1 2026
- Requires team members with technical certifications and sales credentials
- Must pass Google's validation checks
- Action items:
- Deprioritize until Azure/AWS are live
- Target: list by Q4 2027

## 2. Integration Marketplaces

### 2a. GitHub Marketplace (Actions)

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW (1-2 weeks)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: HIGH -- directly in the developer workflow; CI/CD integration is the #1 adoption driver for security tools
- Requirements:
- Build `aastf-action` GitHub Action
- Runs scan, uploads SARIF to GitHub Code Scanning
- Configurable `--fail-on` severity gate for PR checks
- Logo, feature card, screenshots
- Webhook events for plan changes
- 24h security incident notification capability
- Why this is P0: Promptfoo's GitHub Action was a major adoption driver. Every GitHub-hosted agent project becomes a potential user. SARIF integration means results appear natively in GitHub Security tab.
- Action items:
- Build `aastf-action` (already planned for v0.4.2-g)
- Publish to GitHub Marketplace as free Action
- Add "verified creator" badge application
- Target: June 2026

### 2b. Snyk App / Technology Alliance Partner Program (TAPP)

- Priority: P1
- Effort: Medium (4-6 weeks for integration + partner application)
- Cost: Free to apply
- Impact: HIGH -- Snyk acquired Invariant Labs (mid-2025); they now have AI agent security interest. Integration would position AASTF as complementary to Snyk's SCA/SAST, adding agentic AI testing.
- Key insight: Snyk's TAPP explores 17 integration categories including MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations for coding assistants. AASTF's MCP security testing (v0.5.0) aligns perfectly.
- Action items:
- Build Snyk CLI plugin or IDE extension integration
- Apply to TAPP after MCP coverage ships (v0.5.0)
- Target: Q3 2026

### 2c. Atlassian Marketplace (Jira/Bitbucket)

- Priority: P2
- Effort: Medium
- Cost: 25% revenue share (Atlassian's standard cut)
- Impact: MEDIUM -- enterprise security teams track findings in Jira; Bitbucket Pipelines integration expands CI/CD reach beyond GitHub
- Note: Cloud Security Participant badge was retired Mar 31, 2026. Bug Bounty program participation is now the highlighted security credential.
- Action items:
- Build Jira Cloud app for AASTF finding import
- Build Bitbucket Pipelines integration
- Target: Q1 2027

### 2d. ServiceNow Store

- Priority: P3
- Effort: High (ServiceNow development expertise required)
- Cost: ServiceNow partner program fees + development
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH for enterprise -- ServiceNow is the dominant ITSM/SecOps platform
- Requirements:
- Custom table entitlements for free apps; paid apps include embedded entitlements
- AI Features consume "Assists" deducted from customer's account
- Integration-type apps exempted from custom table count
- Action items:
- Build as "Integration" type (CMDB/VR integration for AASTF findings)
- Defer until enterprise customers request it
- Target: 2027 H2

## 3. Conference Circuit

### 3a. Black Hat USA 2026

- Priority: P0 (Arsenal) / P1 (Briefings)
- Dates: August 1-6, 2026, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
- Cost: Arsenal submission is free; attendee pass ~$2,500; booth $15K+
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- Arsenal demos are the #1 way OSS security tools get discovered
- Status: Main CFP closed March 20, 2026. Arsenal may still be open -- check immediately.
- AI Security Summit: August 4, 2026 -- dedicated AI security track
- Action items:
- Check Arsenal submission portal NOW
- If Arsenal is closed, register as attendee for networking
- Submit to Black Hat Asia 2027 CFP early (typically opens Oct)

### 3b. DEF CON 34 / AI Village

- Priority: P0
- Dates: August 6-9, 2026, Las Vegas Convention Center
- Cost: Free admission (badge purchase ~$440)
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- AI Village is ground zero for AI security research; tool demos get massive visibility
- Status: CFP deadline was May 1, 2026 (likely passed). Village submissions may still be open.
- Action items:
- Check AI Village CFP status immediately
- If closed for talks, submit for Demo Labs or open-source tool showcase
- Attend and network regardless -- AI Village hallway track is invaluable
- Prepare a Gandalf-style CTF challenge using AASTF scenarios

### 3c. BSides Las Vegas / Regional BSides

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW (15-min talk or tool demo)
- Cost: Free to attend; travel costs only
- Impact: HIGH -- intimate audience, high engagement, great for early-stage tools
- Key dates:
- BSidesLV: August 2026 (co-located with Black Hat/DEF CON)
- BSidesNYC: CFP open April 15 - July 17, 2026
- BSides SF, Seattle, London, Budapest -- each has own timeline
- Action items:
- Submit to BSidesNYC CFP (closes July 17) -- AI agent security testing talk
- Submit to BSidesLV if still open
- Target 3-4 regional BSides in 2026

### 3d. OWASP Global AppSec

- Priority: P0
- Dates:
- EU 2026: June 22-26, Vienna, Austria (800+ attendees)
- USA 2026: November 2-6, San Francisco (CFP open April 8 - June 29, 2026)
- Cost: Speaker pass is free; attendee ~$800-1,200
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- OWASP is THE credibility signal for AppSec tools; direct access to security decision-makers
- Action items:
- SUBMIT TO OWASP APPSEC USA CFP IMMEDIATELY (closes June 29, 2026)
- Talk title: "Execution-Graph Testing for Agentic AI: Aligning OWASP ASI Top 10 with Pre-Deployment Security"
- Reference AASTF's ASI mapping as concrete implementation of OWASP guidance
- Attend EU event in June for networking if feasible

### 3e. OWASP GenAI Security Summit at RSAC 2026

- Priority: P1
- Dates: RSAC 2026 (typically late April / early May -- may have passed for 2026)
- Cost: RSAC pass $2,500+; OWASP summit events often free with pass
- Impact: HIGH -- intersection of OWASP credibility and RSA enterprise buyer audience
- Action items:
- Connect with OWASP GenAI Security Project leaders
- Submit to RSAC 2027 CFP (typically opens September)

### 3f. AWS re:Invent 2026

- Priority: P2
- Dates: November 30 - December 4, Las Vegas
- Cost: Attendee $1,800; startup booth $5K-15K
- Impact: HIGH -- re:Inforce is merging INTO re:Invent 2026, creating the largest security + cloud event. Dedicated security tracks covering AI security governance.
- Note: re:Inforce no longer a standalone event in 2026.
- Action items:
- Apply for startup showcase / chalk talk session
- Consider after AWS Marketplace listing is live
- Target: November 2026 (attend) or 2027 (exhibit)

### 3g. NeurIPS / ICML / SafeAI Workshops

- Priority: P1 (academic credibility)
- Dates: NeurIPS 2026 workshops -- CFP typically August
- Cost: Registration ~$800; travel
- Impact: HIGH for hiring signal and frontier-lab credibility
- Action items:
- Submit benchmark paper to NeurIPS SafeAI/SoLaR workshop (August deadline)
- Benchmark 8-10 frontier models on AASTF execution-graph harness against OWASP ASI 2026

## 4. Content & Community Channels

### 4a. Hacker News Launch ("Show HN")

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW (1 day prep)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- Hacker News is the #1 channel for developer tool discovery; 2x raw traffic vs Product Hunt for dev tools
- Strategy:
- Use "Show HN:" prefix -- product must be live and usable
- Be active in comments for 4-6 hours post-launch (increases traffic 60%)
- Lead with the technical differentiation: execution-graph interception, not just prompt fuzzing
- Time for a Tuesday or Wednesday morning (US Pacific)
- Don't optimize for points -- optimize for authentic engagement
- Action items:
- Prepare concise HN post: problem statement, differentiation, live demo link
- Launch after v0.4.2 (README rewrite + docs site + GitHub Action)
- Target: July 2026

### 4b. Product Hunt Launch

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW (2-3 days prep)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: HIGH -- drives more long-term users than HN despite lower initial traffic; strong for SEO backlinks
- Strategy:
- Build community engagement for weeks before launch
- Prepare maker comment explaining the journey authentically
- Schedule for a Tuesday launch at 12:01 AM PT
- Eventually drives more users than HN due to evergreen discovery
- Action items:
- Create Product Hunt page (teaser) now
- Launch same week as HN (stagger by 2-3 days)
- Target: July 2026

### 4c. Security Newsletters (Outbound Pitching)

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW (email outreach)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: HIGH -- targeted audience of security practitioners
- Key newsletters to pitch:
- tl;dr sec (Clint Gibler) -- the most influential AppSec newsletter
- The Hacker News (daily cybersecurity news)
- Dark Reading (enterprise security)
- SecurityWeek Daily Briefing
- SANS NewsBites
- AI Security Newsletter (monthly digest on GitHub by Tal Eliyahu)
- Adversarial AI Digest / AISecHub (Medium-based, AI security focused)
- Cybercrime Magazine
- Risky Business (podcast + newsletter)
- Action items:
- Draft pitch email template: "First OSS framework for OWASP ASI-aligned agentic AI testing"
- Personalize for each newsletter
- Send after HN/PH launch (social proof from launch metrics)

### 4d. Security Podcasts (Guest Appearances)

- Priority: P1
- Effort: LOW (1-2 hours per appearance)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH -- builds founder credibility; long-tail discovery
- Key podcasts to pitch:
- AI Security Podcast (hosted by two former CISOs -- covers securing AI systems, MCP security)
- Darknet Diaries (if there's an AI security angle with a story)
- Security Now (Steve Gibson, Leo Laporte)
- Risky Business (Patrick Gray)
- CISO Series (for enterprise buyer audience)
- Application Security Podcast (Chris Romeo, Robert Hurlbut)
- AI Safety Newsletter podcast (Apple Podcasts)
- Action items:
- Prepare 3-min pitch: "Why agentic AI is the next AppSec frontier"
- Cold-email hosts after conference appearances for warm intro

### 4e. YouTube / Video Content

- Priority: P1
- Effort: MEDIUM (video production)
- Cost: Free (self-produced) or $500-2K (sponsored content)
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH -- YouTube is the #2 search engine; tutorial content has long shelf life
- Key channels to target for features/collaborations:
- John Hammond (1.5M+ subs, covers security tools)
- The Cyber Mentor (ethical hacking educator)
- NetworkChuck (beginner-friendly security content)
- LiveOverflow (technical security research)
- HackerSploit (structured security training)
- David Bombal (networking + security)
- IppSec (HTB walkthroughs -- potential CTF crossover)
- Self-produced content strategy:
- "Red-teaming GPT-4o Agents with AASTF in 5 minutes" (quick demo)
- "OWASP Top 10 for AI Agents: Testing Every Risk" (educational series)
- "MCP Security: How Tool Poisoning Actually Works" (deep-dive)
- Action items:
- Record 3 short demo videos (screen recordings)
- Pitch to John Hammond or LiveOverflow for collaboration after v0.5.0

### 4f. Blog / SEO Content

- Priority: P0
- Effort: MEDIUM (ongoing)
- Cost: Free (self-authored) or $200-500/post (contracted)
- Impact: HIGH -- compounds over time; captures high-intent search traffic
- Target keywords (with estimated monthly search volume):
- "AI red teaming tools" (growing -- $1.43B market in 2024, projected $4.8B by 2029)
- "OWASP top 10 AI agents" (rising intent)
- "AI agent security testing" (early-stage keyword, own it now)
- "MCP security vulnerabilities" (emerging -- low competition)
- "EU AI Act compliance testing" (regulatory-driven intent)
- "LangGraph security testing" / "CrewAI security" (framework-specific long tail)
- "agentic AI penetration testing" (high intent, low competition)
- Content strategy:
- Technical deep-dives that rank for long-tail queries
- Comparison posts: "AASTF vs Garak vs PyRIT vs DeepTeam" (capture comparison shoppers)
- OWASP ASI Top 10 walkthrough series (10 posts, one per risk)
- EU AI Act compliance guide for AI developers
- Publishing platforms: aastf.dev blog, dev.to cross-posts, Medium (AI Security Hub)
- Action items:
- Set up blog on docs site (MkDocs Material has blog plugin)
- Publish 2 posts/month starting July 2026
- Cross-post to dev.to and Medium for backlinks

### 4g. LinkedIn Thought Leadership

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW (3-4 posts/week)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: HIGH -- 94% of CISOs are active on LinkedIn; 95% of decision-makers say thought leadership influences purchasing
- Strategy:
- 1.3B members on LinkedIn in 2026; only 12% of vendors successfully connect with CISOs
- Employee advocacy and executive thought leadership are the primary organic B2B growth channel
- Post about: OWASP ASI findings, MCP vulnerabilities discovered, EU AI Act compliance gaps, tool demos
- Engage authentically in CISO and AI security discussions
- Avoid generic messages (86% of CISOs ignore them within 5 seconds)
- Action items:
- Start posting 3x/week about AI agent security findings
- Comment on CISO / AI security posts daily
- Share HN/PH launch results as social proof

## 5. Partnership Channels

### 5a. MSSP / Managed Security Service Providers

- Priority: P2
- Effort: HIGH (partner program development, training materials, margins)
- Cost: $5K-15K (partner enablement materials, training)
- Impact: HIGH -- MSSPs are the primary distribution channel for mid-market security tools
- 2026 landscape:
- Shift from product resale to services-led models (vCISO, fractional advisory)
- MSPs increasingly specializing in vertical markets with deep compliance expertise
- Partners want vendors who "understand our goals," not just sign contracts
- Security services (including AI security) are central to MSSP differentiation
- Strategy:
- Target MSSPs specializing in FinTech/HealthTech verticals (AASTF ICP alignment)
- Offer white-label scanning capability
- Provide strong margins on both new business and renewals
- MSP-friendly billing and streamlined onboarding
- Action items:
- Identify 5-10 MSSPs with AI security practices
- Build partner enablement deck
- Offer free pilot program for first 3 MSSP partners
- Target: Q1 2027

### 5b. Consulting Firms / System Integrators

- Priority: P2
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: $2K-5K (materials, co-marketing)
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH -- consulting firms influence enterprise tool selection
- Targets:
- Big 4 (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG) -- AI security/governance practices
- Boutique AI security consultancies
- DevSecOps consulting firms (Practical DevSecOps, etc.)
- Action items:
- Identify consultants already doing AI security assessments
- Offer "powered by AASTF" white-label option
- Target: Q2 2027

### 5c. Technology Partnerships (Complementary Tools)

- Priority: P1
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: Free (open-source integration)
- Impact: HIGH -- ecosystem integrations drive organic discovery
- Targets:
- LangGraph / LangChain: Native adapter already built -- co-market
- CrewAI: Native adapter built -- request inclusion in CrewAI docs
- OpenAI Agents SDK: Adapter built -- blog post on testing OpenAI agents
- PydanticAI: Adapter built -- co-market with Pydantic ecosystem
- Sigstore/SLSA: Artifact signing for AASTF releases (trust signal)
- Open Policy Agent (OPA): Policy-as-code integration for scan policies
- Trivy / Grype: Complementary (they do container scanning, AASTF does agent scanning)
- Action items:
- Open PRs to framework docs (LangGraph, CrewAI) adding AASTF security testing examples
- Blog post: "How to Security Test Your LangGraph Agent in CI/CD"
- Target: July-August 2026

## 6. Analyst Relations

### 6a. Gartner Cool Vendors

- Priority: P1
- Effort: MEDIUM (3-6 month engagement cycle)
- Cost: $0 if existing Gartner client; $30K-50K/yr for Gartner subscription if not
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- Cool Vendor designation is the single highest credibility signal for enterprise buyers
- Relevant reports:
- "Cool Vendors in AI Security" (2024: Robust Intelligence/Cisco; 2025: Prompt Security, Noma Security, Holistic AI)
- "Cool Vendors in AI Cybersecurity Governance" (2025: Knostic)
- Gartner MQ for Cyberthreat Intelligence Technologies (2026 -- inaugural edition)
- How to get nominated (based on Norwest VC guide):
- Provide real-world proof of deployed technology, not just demos
- Submit customer connection inquiries to analysts
- Submit case studies for document reviews (free with Gartner client contract)
- Use unlimited document reviews within standard contracts
- Persist through multiple submission rounds
- Action items:
- Identify the Gartner analyst covering AI security testing (likely same team as Cool Vendors in AI Security)
- Request an inquiry call (free with client contract)
- Submit AASTF for Cool Vendor consideration after 5+ enterprise deployments
- Target: Q2 2027

### 6b. Forrester

- Priority: P2
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: Similar to Gartner ($30K-50K/yr subscription)
- Impact: HIGH
- Relevant reports:
- Forrester Wave: AI Governance Solutions (Credo AI, IBM recognized 2025)
- AEGIS Framework (Agentic AI Guardrails for Information Security) -- extends Zero Trust for AI agents
- Forrester New Wave (for emerging categories) -- lower threshold than full Wave
- Action items:
- Monitor Forrester for an "AI Security Testing" or "AI Red Teaming" Wave/New Wave
- Submit for consideration when category emerges
- Target: 2027

### 6c. IDC / Other Analysts

- Priority: P3
- Effort: LOW (reactive)
- Cost: Minimal
- Impact: MEDIUM
- Action items:
- Monitor IDC MarketScape for AI security categories
- Respond to analyst inquiries proactively
- Target: 2027+

## 7. Developer Relations

### 7a. CTF Challenges (Capture The Flag)

- Priority: P0
- Effort: MEDIUM (2-4 weeks to build)
- Cost: $100-500/month (hosting)
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- gamified engagement is the highest-conversion DevRel strategy for security tools
- Strategy:
- Build a "Gandalf-style" AI agent CTF using AASTF scenarios
- Players try to break AI agents; AASTF validates their attacks
- Leaderboard drives competitive engagement
- Each challenge teaches an OWASP ASI risk category
- Reference: OWASP-ASI/finbot-ctf-demo (already planned for v0.4.2-e)
- Action items:
- Build 5-level CTF challenge (one per ASI risk category)
- Host at ctf.aastf.dev
- Launch at BSides or DEF CON AI Village
- Register on CTFtime.org for visibility
- Target: August 2026

### 7b. Interactive Tutorials / Workshops

- Priority: P0
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: Free (self-hosted)
- Impact: HIGH -- "time to first scan" is the critical conversion metric
- Strategy:
- 5-minute quickstart: install, scan, see results
- Framework-specific tutorials (LangGraph, CrewAI, OpenAI Agents)
- Video + written format for different learning preferences
- Jupyter notebook-based interactive tutorials
- Action items:
- Build quickstart guide (already planned for docs site)
- Create framework-specific tutorial notebooks
- Target: June-July 2026

### 7c. Bug Bounty / Vulnerability Research Program

- Priority: P1
- Effort: LOW
- Cost: $500-2K/quarter (bounty payouts)
- Impact: MEDIUM -- attracts security researchers; builds trust
- Strategy:
- "Find a vulnerability in AI agents that AASTF doesn't detect" bounty
- Every valid submission becomes a new AASTF scenario
- Researchers get credited in CHANGELOG and scenario metadata
- Action items:
- Draft bug bounty policy
- List on HackerOne or Bugcrowd (free tier available)
- Target: Q4 2026

### 7d. Hackathons

- Priority: P1
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: $1K-5K (prizes, mentoring time)
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH -- generates integrations and community content
- Strategy:
- Sponsor "AI Security" track at existing hackathons (MLH, Devpost)
- Host own hackathon: "Build the Most Secure AI Agent" using AASTF as the testing framework
- Partner with framework communities (LangChain, CrewAI) for co-hosted events
- Action items:
- Identify 2-3 AI/security hackathons in Q3-Q4 2026
- Offer AASTF as a sponsored tool/challenge
- Target: Q4 2026

## 8. Academic Channels

### 8a. Research Papers

- Priority: P0
- Effort: HIGH (but already in progress)
- Cost: $0-600 (arXiv free; SoftwareX ~$600 APC)
- Impact: HIGH -- citation-driven discovery; credibility for enterprise buyers and hires
- Targets:
- arXiv cs.CR preprint (already drafted)
- NeurIPS 2026 SafeAI/SoLaR workshop paper (August deadline)
- SoftwareX (no dev history requirement, ~$600 APC)
- JORS (free, fast review)
- Computers & Security (full research paper)
- JOSS resubmission (eligible November 2026)
- Action items:
- Submit arXiv preprint (v0.4.2-d, already planned)
- Submit NeurIPS workshop paper by August
- Resubmit to JOSS in November 2026

### 8b. University Partnerships

- Priority: P2
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: Free (in-kind collaboration)
- Impact: MEDIUM -- generates research, student contributors, and long-term talent pipeline
- Models (2026 examples):
- ReliaQuest + FSU: AI/cybersecurity research partnership with student training
- USF + By Light: Trusted AI for national security
- UC Noyce Initiative: 5 UC campuses collaborating on AI + cybersecurity
- INSuRE Project: NSA CAE-R schools collaborate on government-sponsored security research problems
- Strategy:
- Offer AASTF as teaching tool for AI security courses
- Co-author papers with PhD students doing agentic AI security research
- Target NSA Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-CD, CAE-R)
- Action items:
- Identify 3-5 professors working on AI security (search recent papers citing OWASP LLM/ASI)
- Email offering collaboration: "Use AASTF as your research harness"
- Target: Q4 2026

### 8c. Student Programs

- Priority: P2
- Effort: LOW
- Cost: Free
- Impact: MEDIUM -- long-term brand awareness; contributor pipeline
- Strategy:
- Google Summer of Code (GSoC) -- apply as mentoring org for 2027
- MLH Fellowship -- offer AASTF as an open-source project
- University CTF teams -- provide AASTF challenges
- Action items:
- Apply to GSoC 2027 as mentoring organization (deadline typically November)
- Create "good first issue" labels for student contributors

## 9. Government / Public Sector

### 9a. FedRAMP / FedRAMP 20x

- Priority: P3
- Effort: VERY HIGH (6-18 months, $50K-200K)
- Cost: $50K-200K (3PAO assessment, documentation, remediation)
- Impact: HIGH -- unlocks entire federal market; FedRAMP is now prioritizing AI cloud services
- 2026 updates:
- FedRAMP 20x: focus on automated authorization, simpler/cheaper process
- GSA prioritizing AI-based cloud services in GSA Multiple Award Schedule
- Consolidated rules expected by end of June 2026 (rename to "FedRAMP certifications")
- FedRAMP Ready designation being retired
- Action items:
- Monitor FedRAMP 20x consolidated rules (June 2026)
- Assess whether SaaS offering meets FedRAMP Low baseline
- Defer actual pursuit until post-Series A ($500K+ investment required)
- Target: 2028

### 9b. GSA Schedule

- Priority: P3
- Effort: HIGH
- Cost: $10K-25K (application costs, legal)
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH -- federal agencies prefer GSA Schedule vendors
- Action items:
- Defer until FedRAMP certification is in progress
- Target: 2028

### 9c. GovWin / Public Sector Marketing

- Priority: P3
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: GovWin subscription ~$3K-10K/yr
- Impact: MEDIUM -- pipeline visibility into federal opportunities
- Action items:
- Monitor Deltek GovWin for AI security RFPs
- Defer active pursuit until FedRAMP pathway is clear

## 10. Online Communities

### 10a. Reddit

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW (ongoing participation)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH -- authentic engagement drives adoption; direct access to practitioners
- Target subreddits:
- r/netsec (network security -- tool announcements welcome on Mondays)
- r/cybersecurity (general audience)
- r/ArtificialIntelligence and r/MachineLearning (AI practitioners)
- r/LocalLLaMA (LLM enthusiasts who care about safety)
- r/devops and r/devsecops (CI/CD integration audience)
- r/OpenAI, r/ClaudeAI, r/LangChain (framework-specific communities)
- AI agent subreddits (238K+ weekly visitors in top communities)
- Strategy:
- Be a genuine contributor, not a promoter
- Answer questions about AI security testing; mention AASTF when relevant
- Post tool announcements only in appropriate threads (r/netsec Monday thread)
- Action items:
- Start contributing to r/netsec and r/cybersecurity discussions
- Post "Show r/netsec" announcement after HN launch
- Ongoing

### 10b. Discord Communities

- Priority: P1
- Effort: LOW
- Cost: Free
- Impact: MEDIUM -- real-time engagement with builders
- Target communities:
- LangChain Discord (large, active -- AASTF has native adapter)
- CrewAI Discord
- OWASP Slack / Discord
- AI safety Discord servers
- MLSecOps community
- Strategy:
- Help people with AI agent security questions
- Share AASTF as solution when genuinely relevant
- Build own Discord community after 500+ GitHub stars
- Action items:
- Join top 5 Discord communities
- Be helpful for 4-6 weeks before any self-promotion
- Create AASTF Discord after 500+ stars

### 10c. OWASP Community (Slack + Mailing Lists)

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW
- Cost: Free
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- OWASP is the credibility backbone for the entire AppSec market
- Strategy:
- Contribute to OWASP GenAI Security Project
- Contribute to OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications (100+ expert contributors)
- Contribute to OWASP MCP Top 10 (recognition as Author/Reviewer/Top Contributor)
- Get AASTF listed on OWASP Solutions Landscape
- Reproduce OWASP-ASI/finbot-ctf-demo challenges with AASTF
- Action items:
- Email John Sotiropoulos for Solutions Landscape listing (already planned v0.4.2-e)
- Submit PR to OWASP-ASI/finbot-ctf-demo
- Volunteer as contributor to MCP Top 10 project
- Target: June 2026

## 11. Accelerator Programs

### 11a. CrowdStrike / AWS / NVIDIA Cybersecurity Startup Accelerator

- Priority: P1
- Effort: MEDIUM (application + 8-week program)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- mentorship, funding, go-to-market support, RSA pitch day, potential Falcon Fund investment
- Details:
- Free, 8-week program (2026 cohort ran Jan 5 - Mar 3)
- 35 startups selected from hundreds of applicants
- Culminates in RSA Conference pitch day for 5 finalists
- Provides access to CrowdStrike, AWS, NVIDIA ecosystems
- SurePath AI (AI security) was in 2026 cohort
- Action items:
- Apply to 2027 cohort (applications likely open Q4 2026)
- Prepare: innovation strength, market impact potential, team caliber
- Target: application Q4 2026

### 11b. Other Accelerators

- Priority: P2
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: Equity (typically 5-7%)
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH
- Targets:
- Y Combinator (general, but strong security track record -- Snyk was YC)
- Techstars (various tracks)
- MACH37 (cybersecurity-specific accelerator)
- CyLon (London-based cybersecurity accelerator)
- DataTribe (cybersecurity, near NSA/Cyber Command)
- Action items:
- Research application timelines for each
- Apply to 2-3 most relevant
- Target: Q4 2026 - Q1 2027

## 12. Product Distribution Channels

### 12a. PyPI (Current)

- Priority: P0 (DONE)
- Status: Live at v0.4.1 as `aastf`
- Action: Maintain; track download metrics via pypistats.org

### 12b. Docker Hub

- Priority: P1
- Effort: LOW (1-2 days)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: MEDIUM-HIGH -- container-first enterprises; CI/CD pipelines
- Action items:
- Create official `aastf/aastf` Docker image
- Multi-stage build for minimal image size
- Publish alongside each PyPI release
- Target: v0.5.0

### 12c. Homebrew

- Priority: P1
- Effort: LOW (1 day)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: MEDIUM -- macOS developer convenience
- Action items:
- Create Homebrew formula (tap)
- `brew install aastf`
- Target: v0.5.0

### 12d. conda-forge

- Priority: P2
- Effort: LOW
- Cost: Free
- Impact: MEDIUM -- data science / ML practitioner audience
- Action items:
- Submit conda-forge recipe
- Target: v0.6.0

### 12e. GitHub Releases + Sigstore

- Priority: P1
- Effort: LOW
- Cost: Free
- Impact: MEDIUM -- supply chain trust signal (Sigstore cosign + SLSA provenance)
- Action items:
- Sign releases with Sigstore
- Generate SLSA provenance attestations
- Add OpenSSF Scorecard badge
- Target: v0.5.0

## 13. EU AI Act Compliance Channel

### 13a. EU AI Act Compliance Marketing

- Priority: P0
- Effort: MEDIUM
- Cost: Free (content) to $5K (compliance marketing materials)
- Impact: VERY HIGH -- regulatory-driven demand creates urgency
- Market context:
- AI governance platform market: $492M in 2026 spending
- AI red teaming services market: $1.43B (2024), projected $4.8B by 2029
- Article 50 transparency obligations: August 2, 2026 deadline
- High-risk AI system obligations: December 2, 2027 deadline
- Penalties: up to 35M EUR or 7% of global turnover
- Large enterprises expect $8-15M initial compliance investment
- Strategy:
- Position AASTF as "the testing backbone for EU AI Act conformity evidence"
- Conformity-evidence generator is the highest-leverage commercial feature
- Target European FinTech/HealthTech first (high-risk AI system operators)
- Action items:
- Build EU AI Act conformity-evidence report output (v0.5.0+)
- Publish "EU AI Act Compliance Testing Guide for AI Agents" blog post
- Present at European conferences (OWASP AppSec EU Vienna, June 2026)
- Target: June-August 2026

## 14. Monetization-Adjacent Channels

### 14a. GitHub Sponsors

- Priority: P0
- Effort: LOW (30 min setup)
- Cost: Free
- Impact: LOW-MEDIUM for revenue, HIGH for signaling
- Context:
- $33M+ invested through GitHub Sponsors since 2019
- Organization sponsorships worth 15x more than individual (avg)
- Invoice payments and dashboards available for corporate sponsors
- 40% of funding comes from organizations
- Action items:
- Enable GitHub Sponsors on the repo
- Create sponsor tiers: $5/mo (supporter), $50/mo (backer), $500/mo (enterprise)
- Target: June 2026

### 14b. Open Core Model

- Priority: P1
- Effort: HIGH (product development)
- Cost: Development time
- Impact: HIGH -- the dominant monetization model for OSS security tools
- Strategy (based on Promptfoo's proven playbook):
- OSS core: CLI scanning, all scenarios, SARIF/JSON/HTML output, GitHub Action
- Commercial: hosted dashboard, team collaboration, trend tracking over time, SSO/SAML, SLA support, compliance report generation, API access, custom scenario packs
- Action items:
- Define open core boundary
- Build hosted SaaS wrapper
- Target: v1.0 (Q3 2026)

## Prioritized Execution Timeline

### May-June 2026 (P0 -- Zero Budget)

Channel | Action | Cost
--- | --- | ---
OWASP AppSec USA | Submit CFP (deadline June 29) | Free
OWASP Community | Email John Sotiropoulos; contribute to MCP Top 10 | Free
LinkedIn | Start 3x/week posting cadence | Free
Reddit | Begin contributing to r/netsec, r/cybersecurity | Free
GitHub Sponsors | Enable on repo | Free
Blog/SEO | Set up docs site blog; first 2 posts | Free

### July 2026 (P0 -- Launch Month)

Channel | Action | Cost
--- | --- | ---
Hacker News | "Show HN" launch (after v0.4.2) | Free
Product Hunt | Launch (stagger 2-3 days after HN) | Free
GitHub Marketplace | Publish aastf-action | Free
Newsletter outreach | Pitch tl;dr sec, SecurityWeek, etc. | Free
BSidesNYC | Submit CFP (deadline July 17) | Free

### August 2026 (P0/P1 -- Conference Season)

Channel | Action | Cost
--- | --- | ---
DEF CON / AI Village | Attend, demo, network | ~$1,500 (travel + badge)
BSides LV | Attend/present | ~$0 (co-located)
Black Hat Arsenal | Present if accepted | ~$0 (speaker)
CTF | Launch ctf.aastf.dev | ~$100/mo hosting
NeurIPS paper | Submit workshop paper | Free
EU AI Act content | Publish compliance guide (Article 50 deadline Aug 2) | Free

### September-December 2026 (P1)

Channel | Action | Cost
--- | --- | ---
Snyk TAPP | Apply for partner integration | Free
Docker Hub | Publish official image | Free
Homebrew | Submit formula | Free
Podcast appearances | Pitch AI Security Podcast, Risky Business | Free
YouTube | 3 demo videos | Free
OWASP AppSec USA | Present (November 2-6 SF) | ~$1,500 (travel)
AWS re:Invent | Attend (Nov 30-Dec 4) | ~$3,500 (pass + travel)
CrowdStrike Accelerator | Apply for 2027 cohort | Free
Gartner inquiry | First analyst call | $0 (if client)
JOSS resubmission | Submit (eligible November) | Free

### Q1-Q2 2027 (P2)

Channel | Action | Cost
--- | --- | ---
AWS Marketplace | List SaaS offering | ~$5K (integration dev)
Azure Marketplace | List SaaS offering | ~$5K (integration dev)
MSSP partnerships | First 3 partners | ~$10K (enablement)
Atlassian Marketplace | Jira integration | ~$3K (dev)
University partnerships | 3-5 research collaborations | Free
GSoC 2027 | Apply as mentoring org | Free

### Q3-Q4 2027 (P3)

Channel | Action | Cost
--- | --- | ---
GCP Marketplace | List | ~$5K
ServiceNow Store | Integration app | ~$10K
FedRAMP 20x | Begin assessment | ~$50K+
Gartner Cool Vendor | Submit nomination | $30K+/yr subscription
Forrester | Engage for New Wave | $30K+/yr

## Key Metrics to Track

Channel | Primary Metric | Target (6mo)
--- | --- | ---
GitHub | Stars | 1,000
PyPI | Monthly downloads | 5,000
GitHub Action | Marketplace installs | 200
Blog/SEO | Monthly organic visits | 3,000
HN Launch | Upvotes / comments | 100+ / 30+
Product Hunt | Upvotes | 300+
Conference talks | Accepted | 3+
Newsletter features | Publications | 5+
CTF | Participants | 500+
LinkedIn | Followers | 1,000
OWASP listing | Solutions Landscape | Listed
Docker Hub | Pulls | 1,000

## Sources

### Cloud Marketplaces

- AWS Marketplace Listing Fees
- Complete Guide to AWS Marketplace 2026
- How to List on AWS Marketplace 2026
- AWS ISV Accelerate Program
- AWS ISV Accelerate Benefits
- Sell on Azure Marketplace 2026
- Complete Guide to GCP Marketplace 2026
- Cloud Marketplace Fees 2025

### Integration Marketplaces

- GitHub Marketplace Listing Requirements
- Snyk Partner Integrations
- Snyk Partner Solutions Directory
- Atlassian Marketplace Security Requirements

### Conferences

- Top 30 Global Cybersecurity Events 2026
- How to Submit CFPs to Black Hat, DEF CON, BSides
- OWASP Global AppSec USA 2026 CFP
- OWASP GenAI Security Summit at RSAC 2026
- AWS re:Invent 2026
- Black Hat Asia 2026 AI Security Summit
- Top Cybersecurity Conferences 2026

### Content & Community

- Top Cybersecurity Newsletters 2026
- Top AI/Cybersecurity Podcasts 2026
- AI Security Newsletter
- 100 Cybersecurity YouTubers 2026
- Cybersecurity SEO Guide
- LinkedIn Thought Leadership 2026
- LinkedIn Lead Gen for Cybersecurity

### Partnerships

- MSSP Blueprint 2026
- Partner Program Trends for MSPs 2026
- MSP Vendor Growth 2026

### Analyst Relations

- Gartner 101 for Cybersecurity Startups
- Cool Vendors in AI Security (Gartner)
- Prompt Security -- Gartner Cool Vendor

### DevRel & GTM Strategy

- Product-Led Growth in Cybersecurity
- Open Source to PLG Strategy
- Lessons Launching on HN vs Product Hunt
- Bug Bounty Programs 2026

### Accelerators

- CrowdStrike/AWS/NVIDIA Accelerator 2026
- Top 43 Cybersecurity Accelerators 2026

### Government

- FedRAMP
- FedRAMP 20x
- FedRAMP AI Prioritization
- GSA FedRAMP Consolidated Rules June 2026

### EU AI Act

- EU AI Act Compliance Guide
- EU AI Act Implementation Timeline
- EU AI Act 2026 Updates

### Competitive Intelligence

- OpenAI Acquires Promptfoo
- Best AI Pentesting Tools 2026
- Best AI Red Teaming Tools 2026
- AI Red Teaming Tools Compared

### OWASP Projects

- OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications 2026
- OWASP MCP Top 10
- OWASP GenAI Security Project

### Open Source Funding

- GitHub Sponsors
- GitHub Secure Open Source Fund