Behind the Shield

Small SaaS to ATO: Teo Balbach on Government Compliance for Small Businesses

• InfusionPoints • Season 1 • Episode 9

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Behind the Shield- Episode 9

Getting a government Authority to Operate (ATO) can feel impossible for small businesses- but it doesn’t have to be.

In this episode of Behind the Shield, CoachMePlus CEO Teo Balbach shares how a five-person sports technology startup turned its athlete-management platform into a DoD-authorized SaaS used by Army and Air Force programs. Joined by InfusionPoints’ Jackson Gorman and Gary Daemer, Teo explains what it really takes to move from “commercial-ready” to cyber-compliant in government environments.

What you’ll learn:

How CoachMePlus built trust and sponsorship inside DoD programs

The value of early gap assessments and knowing your system boundary

Surviving documentation and continuous monitoring without derailing your roadmap

Translating strong cybersecurity into audit-ready evidence

How partnerships accelerate ATOs for small SaaS teams

Real lessons on cost, timing, and scaling across Army, Navy, and Air Force

Who should watch:
Founders, CTOs, engineers, and compliance leaders at small SaaS or tech companies hoping to serve the federal or defense market—without losing focus on innovation and delivery.

Keywords: small business cybersecurity, DoD ATO, Authority to Operate, DISA provisional authorization, FedRAMP 20x, SBIR grants, SaaS compliance, AWS GovCloud, continuous monitoring, audit readiness, government software, CoachMePlus, InfusionPoints

Featuring:
🎙️ Teo Balbach, CEO of CoachMePlus
🎙️ Jackson Gorman, Advisory Consultant, InfusionPoints
🎙️ Gary Daemer, CEO, InfusionPoints