Some founders start too early and burn cash. Some start too late and stall a deal. The move is neither. Work out what you need now and what you will need in one, two and three years, then design the programme against real costs and real platform limits before you sign anything. Build the structure internally so that when a buyer or an investor asks, you already have a plan and the ability to meet their minimum, whether that turns out to be a Type 1 or a Type 2.
Nobody can shorten the minimum Type 2 observation window, and how ready you are when it opens decides everything else. But the report may not be the fastest way to unblock the deal anyway. The date it issues and the date an enterprise buyer is willing to sign are two different dates, months apart for many companies, and the second one is the difference between a signed deal and a soft commitment.
Four short sections, five to ten minutes, for a straight determination with cost estimates at your size, a timeline, and a platform-agnostic roadmap that works with Vanta, Drata or anyone else, including the AI-governance questions buyers now add that SOC 2 does not answer.