How We Built the NonHuman Identity Category

When a small startup spotted a blind spot in identity security - millions of non-human identities (NHIs) running unchecked - we turned that gap into a market. This talk shares the inside playbook run by a 2-person marketing team building a category and shaping it to their favor: working with analysts to identify and coin the term NHI, initiating and publishing research-led assets people actually bookmark and competitors refer to (OWASP NHI Top 10, CSA State of NHI report), and running relentless education loops that convert curiosity into budget lines.

I'll discuss the bumps, wins, and gritty ongoing work of staying the category frontrunner even as new vendors pile in. If you own product marketing, positioning, or content, you'll leave with a tested framework for creating a new category and obtaining thought-leadership, or at least feel inspired that it can actually be done.

• Craft "door-opener" content (data-backed, research-led) that cuts through the noise and makes an unknown problem into a new cybersecurity market.
• Come up and execute flagship projects (reports, frameworks, workshops) to make the problem a priority and create budget sections.
• Lock in leadership signals (benchmarks, community hubs, speaker slots) so competitors reinforce your narrative, not theirs.
• Identify unique customer use-cases and tying them to business outcomes.