From Standstill to Sales: How Dembrane made Compliance into their competitive edge
title: "From Standstill to Sales: How Dembrane made Compliance into their competitive edge" description: "Discover how Dembrane transformed ISO 27001 from a sales blocker into their competitive edge, doubling deal velocity and streamlining onboarding in the process." date: "2025-11-28" categories: ["Case study"] imageUrl: "dembrane_banner.jpg" imageCredit: "" published: true nrWords: 720 authors: ["Dennis van de Wiel"]
Bram Delisse, CEO of Dembrane, remembers the moment clearly. Another sales conversation, another interested prospect, and then the inevitable question: "Are you ISO 27001 certified?"
The answer was no. And just like that, the conversation stalled and so would the deals.
When Compliance Becomes Your Revenue Blocker
"We couldn't get through the sales process without ISO," Bram explains. "Our revenue literally stopped until we fixed it."
Dembrane builds software that turns audiences into communities by facilitating conversations at scale. But without the right compliance credentials, those conversations with clients simply weren't happening. Like many startups, they'd fought their way through compliance without really understanding it—Excel sheets, fragmented documentation, and a general sense of "where do we even start?" dominated their reality.
The situation was urgent. Every delayed conversation with a prospect meant delayed revenue. The pressure was mounting, and they needed a solution fast.
Finding the Right Partner
Through a referral from their investor the Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), Bram connected with Tidal Control. The conversation with Dennis immediately felt different.
"The vision aligned perfectly," Bram recalls. "Especially the approach to compliance with a technology layer that does so much of the work for you, checking status in GitHub and other tools automatically."
What struck Bram most was the concrete guidance. In the beginning, they had absolutely no idea what to do. Tidal gave specific tasks and clear direction.
"Dennis personally spent time explaining things to me. I'm grateful for that accessibility and personal support, especially given how stressful the situation was. Our income stood still until it was fixed, so the stress was high."
A Breath of Fresh Air
Tidal became more than just software for Dembrane. It became their compliance home.
"I'd looked at several options for getting certified, and honestly, it was a mess of Excel sheets and Confluence pages. Tidal is a breath of fresh air in terms of calm and clarity."
Tidal is a breath of fresh air in terms of calm and clarity.
Three things made the difference for Dembrane with Tidal. First, no user licenses meant everyone could be involved in the process. Second, Tidal is purpose-built for compliance—version control for policy documents works properly, and everything lives in one organized place. Third, the automation layer removed mountains of manual work. Status checks, documentation tracking, evidence collection—tasks that would normally require constant human attention now happen automatically in the background.
The Transformation: From Standstill to Scale
Today, after those stressful pre-certification days, Dembrane has not only achieved ISO 27001 but has fundamentally improved their processes.
Onboarding new team members used to take two weeks. Now it takes 45 minutes, with work and personal profiles properly separated. The security layer is baked into their processes from day one.
"ISO now helps us pause and think about important security matters," Bram reflects. "Once you understand it, you constantly factor it into decisions. Going through the certification journey activates these layers in your mind."
And most importantly? The deals are finally closing. The company now has someone working 20 hours per week on compliance, and revenue is flowing again.
"It gives me peace of mind that everything is neatly organized in Tidal for maintenance and preparing for annual audits. Tidal is a place where compliance lives in a healthy way."
Lessons Learned and Advice for Other Startups
Looking back, Bram is honest about the journey. "It was a tough process, mainly because we knew nothing. If we had to do it again now, it would save 70% of the work."
His advice for other startups facing similar challenges is pragmatic: "We didn't have much money back then, so €250 or €500 per month felt like a lot. But figuring it out yourself costs so much time, and working through Word and Excel sheets is inefficient—that ultimately costs more money. What you need is a clear system to store everything and someone who can properly introduce you to frameworks. Tidal is a great place to start your compliance process."
When asked what surprised him most, Bram returns to that word again: clarity. Going into the audit, knowing they understood the software well and everything was neatly documented in Tidal—that gave them real calm.
"I never had a compliant Dembrane without Tidal," he adds. "The peace of mind is worth far more than the investment."
Ready to Turn Compliance Into Your Advantage?
Compliance doesn't have to be a revenue blocker. With the right approach and the right tools, it becomes the foundation that lets you close deals with confidence.
Book a conversation with our team to discover how automated compliance can unlock your growth instead of holding it back.