How Adaptive Used Rappo to Validate Its US Expansion, Product, and Ideal Customer—With Engineering Champions Who've Built It All Before

Introduction

Building for developers is tough. Building for developers across global markets? Even tougher.

When Adaptive founders Ronak Massand and Debarshi launched their secure data access platform in India, they quickly found success, securing customers like CoinDCX and LambdaTest. Their platform offered something critical: the ability to manage data access securely without sharing sensitive credentials.

But success in India raised a new challenge: Would the same approach work in the US market?

Adaptive had two major assumptions to test urgently:

1. US Market Readiness: Was their product ready for the unique demands of US enterprises—especially around scalability, compliance, and integration?

2. Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Was their ideal customer really Series B to D companies, as they believed? Or were they misaligned?

To find real answers quickly and avoid costly missteps, Adaptive turned to Rappo—connecting directly with engineering champions who had navigated similar expansions and knew exactly what to look for.

The Challenge: Big Ambitions, Uncertain Assumptions

Adaptive’s product was powerful: automated data classification, agentless architecture, and seamless Terraform integration. It clearly worked in India. But the US market was different. Larger. More competitive. More demanding.

• Could Adaptive’s architecture scale globally without hiccups?
• Were Series B to D companies truly the right fit, or were Adaptive’s assumptions off?
• What hidden complexities might they face in regulatory compliance and integration flexibility?

They needed clear, no-nonsense answers from people who had been there before.

Enter Rappo: Conversations with Champions Who’ve Seen It All

Through Rappo, Adaptive quickly connected with a diverse group of 12 engineering champions who had deep experience scaling products, entering new markets, and building secure, scalable infrastructure.

These were not casual observers—they were hands-on technical leaders, CTOs, and senior engineers from growth-stage startups and large enterprises alike.

Their honest, direct conversations delivered real-time validation, tough critiques, and essential insights that shaped Adaptive’s next steps.

What the Champions Said: Real Feedback, Real Change

Adaptive’s conversations were comprehensive and touched on three critical dimensions: Product Validation, GTM Strategy (including ICP & US market readiness), and Technical Architecture.

🚩 1. ICP Validation: Series B–D Companies? Not Quite.

Initially, Adaptive targeted Series B–D companies, believing these growth-stage enterprises faced critical challenges their platform could solve. Feedback from champions, however, sharply challenged this assumption.

“By Series C or D, most companies have already built custom access solutions. To switch to something new at that stage, the benefit has to be overwhelming. Adaptive would face serious inertia here.”

— CTO, Series C HealthTech startup

“Our Series D companies already have dedicated infrastructure teams managing data access. Your value proposition is strongest either earlier—at Seed to Series A—or later, at major transformational points.”

— VP Engineering, Series D FinTech Unicorn

What Adaptive Learned:

• Their ideal customers were either earlier-stage startups (Seed–Series A) looking for foundational infrastructure, or larger enterprises undergoing major infrastructure overhauls.
• The original ICP (Series B–D) was too entrenched to adopt Adaptive quickly.

What Adaptive Did:

• Adjusted their ICP to target earlier-stage startups and large-scale enterprises in transition.
• Refined messaging and positioning accordingly.

🌎 2. US Expansion: Scalability, Compliance, and Zero Friction

Adaptive’s next major test was their planned expansion into the US market. Champions quickly surfaced crucial considerations:

“In the US, especially in regulated sectors, compliance and audit trails aren’t optional—they’re mandatory. If Adaptive can’t simplify these, they won’t get past a demo.”

— Head of Infrastructure, Series E SaaS Provider

“Zero friction in onboarding is table stakes for US enterprises. The product has to slot effortlessly into complex, existing infrastructure stacks—or you’re done.”

— Sr. Director, Enterprise IT Leader

What Adaptive Learned:

• Compliance features (audit trails, regulatory compliance) must be deeply embedded and straightforward.
• Frictionless onboarding and integration into existing stacks are critical for US success.

What Adaptive Did:

• Prioritized frictionless onboarding processes, drastically reducing setup complexity.
• Built robust audit and compliance features tailored to US regulatory demands.
• Enhanced platform flexibility for diverse infrastructures.

🛠️ 3. Product Validation: Data Context, UX, and Granular Roles

While validating their product, Adaptive also learned important tactical details to strengthen their offering further.

Champion: Glen Gomez Zuazo (Sr. Engineering Lead)

“Adaptive needs deeper data context built directly into the product, otherwise it’s just another access tool.”

Result: Adaptive embedded meaningful data context into the product, boosting usability and enterprise appeal.

Champion: Michael Pankaj Agarwal (CTO)

“Your UX needs simplification—friction at setup or use means immediate rejection by teams.”

Result: Adaptive streamlined their interface, significantly enhancing overall usability.

Champion: Anand Safi (Engineering Leader, SaaS)

“Adaptive’s access roles need more granularity for enterprise adoption.”

Result: Adaptive rebuilt their user role management to offer precise control for enterprises.

⚙️ 4. Technical Validation: Architecture Scalability and Security

Adaptive’s champions didn’t pull punches on technical architecture, either.

Champion: Vivek Sejpal (VP Engineering, Cloud Solutions)

“Architecture scalability needs serious attention—otherwise you’ll hit walls fast.”

Result: Adaptive overhauled their architecture to optimize scalability.

Champion: Ashok Seetharaman (Enterprise IT Leader)

“Your use of containers as security bastions is great—double down here.”

Result: Adaptive deepened their container-based security approach, strengthening scalability and security simultaneously.

Champion: Michael Pankaj Agarwal (CTO)

“Are you solving technical challenges the most efficient way?”

Result: Adaptive streamlined technical workflows for efficiency and long-term scalability.

Outcome: Clearer Vision, Sharper Strategy, Confident Entry

Adaptive’s engagement with Rappo didn’t just produce insights—it dramatically reshaped their strategy:

• Refined ICP: Shifted from Series B–D companies to early-stage startups and large transformational enterprises.
• US Expansion Readiness: Built specialized compliance features, frictionless onboarding, and flexible integrations.
• Product Enhancements: Improved UX, data context integration, and granular role definitions.
• Technical Foundations: Scalable, efficient architecture optimized for long-term growth.

Most critically, Adaptive gained clear signals about how their product would land in the US market and clarity on exactly who their ideal customers were.

Founder Reflection: Clarity at the Right Time

Adaptive co-founder Ronak Massand summed up their experience:

“We initially believed our ideal customers were Series B–D companies. That assumption turned out wrong—but learning that early saved us from a costly misdirection.”

“The US market required deeper compliance features and frictionless onboarding. Thanks to Rappo, we learned exactly what to build and how to build it—fast. Without this validation, our expansion could have stalled. Now, we’re clear, focused, and confident.”

Closing: Why Assumptions Are Your Biggest Risk

Every ambitious startup holds assumptions—about markets, customers, products. But Adaptive understood that untested assumptions are risks.

Through direct, no-nonsense conversations with engineering champions via Rappo, Adaptive didn’t just get advice—they received actionable insights, clarity, and validation exactly when it mattered most.

If you’re building a product for developers, expanding into new markets, or refining your ICP, Rappo connects you with engineering champions who have been there, scaled that, and seen it all before.

Don’t rely on assumptions. Pressure-test your vision with Rappo.