CRA for Startups: Compliance Without Breaking the Bank
The CRA applies regardless of company size. But a 10-person startup doesn’t have the same resources as a Fortune 500 company. Here’s the proportionate approach.
Start With the Minimum Viable Compliance
Week 1: Product Classification
- List all your products with digital elements
- Determine classification (most startups have Default products)
- Identify if any components push you to Class I/II
Week 2-3: Quick Wins
# Generate SBOM (free, 5 minutes)
npm install -g @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm
cyclonedx-npm --output-file sbom.json
# Scan for vulnerabilities (free, 2 minutes)
npx audit-ci --critical
# Create security.txt (5 minutes)
cat > public/.well-known/security.txt << EOF
Contact: mailto:security@yourstartup.com
Preferred-Languages: en
Expires: $(date -d '+1 year' -Iseconds)
EOFWeek 4: Vulnerability Handling
- Create a SECURITY.md in your repo
- Set up GitHub Security Advisories
- Define response SLAs (24h acknowledge, 72h assess, 30d patch)
Month 2-3: Documentation
- Write a basic threat model
- Document security architecture decisions
- Create a security update policy
Free and Low-Cost Tools
| Need | Tool | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| SBOM Generation | Syft, CycloneDX CLI | Free |
| Vulnerability Scanning | Trivy, Grype | Free |
| SAST | Semgrep | Free tier |
| Dependency Monitoring | Dependabot, Renovate | Free |
| Signing | Sigstore/cosign | Free |
| Security Testing | OWASP ZAP | Free |
Budget Estimation
For a typical startup (Default product classification):
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| SBOM tooling | €0 (open source) |
| Security scanning in CI/CD | €0-500/month |
| Security engineering time | 0.25-0.5 FTE |
| Documentation | Internal effort |
| Total Year 1 | €30K-80K |
Compare this to the potential fine of €15M — compliance is the obvious choice.
Common Startup Mistakes
- “We’re too small to be noticed” — market surveillance applies to all manufacturers
- “We’ll comply later” — technical debt in security is expensive to fix
- “Our product is just a service” — if you distribute any software, it’s likely a product
- “Open source exempts us” — only if it’s truly non-commercial
The Competitive Advantage
Early CRA compliance is a sales advantage:
- Enterprise customers will require CRA compliance from vendors
- “CRA-compliant” becomes a differentiator
- Secure products command higher prices
- Reduces customer risk, shortening sales cycles
Startup building products for the EU market? I help early-stage companies achieve pragmatic CRA compliance. Get in touch.
