Turning Cybersecurity Compliance into a Competitive Advantage
Security certification isn't just about finding vulnerabilities—it's about building trust that enables business growth. Lelapa AI needed to remove uncertainty around user data safety and obtain regulatory certification to serve enterprise clients. A comprehensive two-week penetration testing engagement delivered both, becoming fundamental to passing cybersecurity compliance for three large enterprises.
Client Spotlight
Jade Abbott, CTO of Lelapa AI, leads technology strategy at one of Africa's most innovative language AI companies. Lelapa AI builds cutting-edge transcription and translation solutions specifically designed for emerging markets, with a particular focus on Africa's diverse linguistic landscape.
As a fast-growing startup serving enterprise clients with highly sensitive data, Lelapa AI took a proactive approach to security—ensuring their platform could match their ambitious growth trajectory with robust protection.
The Challenge: Enterprise Trust Requires Validated Security
For Lelapa AI, securing enterprise trust was a strategic priority. Large enterprises were integrating their API to process highly protected data, and Lelapa AI was committed to providing the highest level of security assurance.
"Large enterprises who use our API with highly protected data," Jade explains.
"We needed a trusted team to assist us with penetration tests to ensure our system was air-tight and our clients' data was protected."
The core challenge: Enterprise clients demand rigorous proof of security before entrusting their sensitive data to any platform. Without independent, third-party validation, even the most secure systems face barriers to enterprise adoption.
Lelapa AI's priorities were clear:
Validate their security posture through comprehensive independent testing
Meet stringent compliance requirements that enterprise clients mandated
Demonstrate commitment to data protection and security excellence
For a growing startup, the solution needed to deliver enterprise-grade rigor while respecting both timeline and budget constraints.
Finding the Right Partner
After reaching out to other cybersecurity firms and seeking recommendations from the trusted ZATech Slack community, Lelapa AI found GTconsult.
"We decided GTConsult were the right fit as they came highly recommended, worked quickly and the pricing was well aligned with our startup budget," Jade notes.
The Solution: Comprehensive Security Assessment and Certification
The engagement delivered in-depth penetration testing that combined automated and manual testing following the latest cybersecurity standards, designed to ensure there were no vulnerabilities that could lead to damage for Lelapa AI or their customers—and to provide the certification necessary for regulatory compliance.
The Process: Three-Phase Testing Over Two Weeks
Phase 1: External Threat Simulation
The engagement began with open-source intelligence gathering and black box testing. Acting as typical outside threat actors, the security team searched for information that could be used in hacking and phishing attempts, while testing the security of all publicly available infrastructure and web applications.
Phase 2: Authenticated Assessment
Testing progressed to an authenticated, focused assessment of the web application, associated APIs, and generative AI systems. This phase examined configurations and potential vulnerabilities from an insider perspective.
Phase 3: Reporting and Certification
A detailed assessment report was prepared. Due to Lelapa AI's infrastructure and software design, no issues were identified and a certificate of security excellence was provided.
The engagement utilized a mix of open-source and industry-standard tools, from automated vulnerability scanners to manual tests designed specifically for Lelapa AI's infrastructure and software combinations.
The Experience: Seamless and Efficient
"The process was so straightforward, I barely remember it—and as a CTO of a startup, that's ideal," Jade recalls.
From GTconsult's security team's perspective, the collaboration was equally smooth:
"Working with Lelapa AI was truly a dream. The friendly and professional staff were great to talk with. They knew exactly what they needed out of this exercise and worked closely together with us to knock it out, no time wasted." Kyle Farr, Security Analyst at GTconsult
The engagement was characterized by clear communication, well-documented requirements from the start, and a collaborative approach. For a startup CTO managing multiple priorities, this meant security validation could be completed without disrupting other business initiatives.
"The main issue we usually face is that the internal infrastructure teams can see outside penetration testing in a bad light, something looking to make them look bad, but that is not the case at all with Lelapa AI's team. We are well aware that no one person can know everything and that is why we focus our expertise on security, to assist fill in the gaps and keep our clients safe." Kyle Farr, Security Analyst at GTconsult
The Results: Certification, Compliance, and Enterprise Growth
The certification and validation became fundamental enablers of business growth.
Immediate Outcomes
✓ Certificate of security excellence obtained for regulatory compliance
✓ No vulnerabilities identified
✓ Regulatory requirements met
✓ Customer data safety confirmed
Business Impact
"We've been able to pass cybersecurity compliance of 3 large enterprises (and counting) which the pen test was a fundamental part of,"Jade reports.
Three major enterprise clients were onboarded, with the penetration test playing a fundamental role in passing their cybersecurity compliance requirements.
The Core Value: Trust Through Validation
When asked about the most valuable outcome, Jade's answer captured the essence:
"Us and our clients now trust that our API is secure on our platform."
This trust operates at multiple levels:
Internal Confidence
The Lelapa AI team builds and scales with assurance that their security foundation is solid, validated by external experts.
Client Confidence
Enterprise clients onboard knowing their sensitive data is protected by a platform that has been rigorously tested and certified by independent security experts.
Regulatory Confidence
With proper certification in hand, Lelapa AI can demonstrate compliance to regulatory bodies.
Why This Matters: Security Validation as a Strategic Lever
Lelapa AI's experience demonstrates how proactive security validation and certification function as business enablers.
The Value of Penetration Testing
Regulatory Compliance Formal certification through penetration testing addresses regulatory requirements for operating in certain industries or serving enterprise clients.
Enterprise Requirements Enterprise deals often require security compliance and proper certification before contracts can be finalized.
Sales Documentation Having security certification ready provides documentation that enterprise procurement processes require.
Operational Confidence Comprehensive testing validates existing security measures and confirms platform safety.
Removing Uncertainty Proper security validation eliminates uncertainty about platform safety, allowing teams to focus on growth.
For CTOs and Technical Leaders
- External security testing provides validation and removes uncertainty
- The right engagement requires minimal time investment from internal teams
- Certification supports enterprise sales processes
- A two-week engagement can address compliance requirements
For Growing Companies
- Early security certification supports enterprise market entry
- Compliance readiness addresses enterprise client requirements
For Sales and Business Development
- Security certification provides documentation enterprise prospects require
- Regulatory compliance documentation is necessary for many enterprise deals
- Third-party certification supports enterprise sales processes
Side Quest: Learn how we conduct a penetration test
The Bottom Line: Certification Supports Growth
Lelapa AI's approach to security testing and certification addressed regulatory compliance requirements and supported their enterprise client onboarding.
Three enterprise clients onboarded. Certification obtained. Regulatory requirements met.
The two-week engagement provided the certification that was a fundamental part of passing cybersecurity compliance for three large enterprises.
For technology companies serving enterprise clients: security validation and certification can address regulatory requirements and support enterprise sales processes.
When was the last time you had your API score tested?
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Lelapa AI continues to grow across African markets, serving enterprise clients with validated security and regulatory compliance.
We're grateful to Jade Abbott and the Lelapa AI team for taking the time to share their experience and insights for this case study.