Cyber Resilience Act Checklist for Startup Founders
The ultimate CRA compliance checklist specifically tailored for Startup Founders. Know your legal and technical responsibilities.
Core Definition
As startup founders, your responsibilities under the Cyber Resilience Act revolve around ensuring the continuous security lifecycle of products with digital elements. The CRA shifts liability directly onto manufacturers, meaning startup founders must integrate security-by-design, supply chain transparency, and incident reporting before the 2027 enforcement deadline.
Key Compliance Steps for Startup Founders
- Understand Applicability: Assess whether your hardware/software falls under the Default, Class I, or Class II category.
- Implement Lifecycle Security: Ensure security is embedded during the planning, design, and continuous delivery phases.
- Automate SBOMs & Scanning: Integrate automated Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) generation and vulnerability scanning into the pipeline.
- Prepare for Audits: Keep Technical Documentation up to date and prepare for 24-hour vulnerability reporting.
How This Plays Out in Practice
Deciding, product by product, whether CRA applies before committing engineering roadmap time — misjudging scope early is expensive to unwind later.
What to Watch For
Underestimating the lead time conformity assessment and documentation take, and discovering the gap right before an EU launch or funding round due diligence.
Assess Your CRA Readiness
Evaluate your product's Cyber Resilience Act readiness using our interactive tool. Find exactly which of the 22 security requirements apply directly to Startup Founders.