Question 1

What is Picari and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

Picari is the cybersecurity evaluation platform that helps security teams discover, compare, and select the right cybersecurity solutions. Security teams use Picari to define their requirements, discover relevant vendors, and run structured evaluations. Vendors use Picari to ensure buyers have accurate information about their solutions and participate in evaluation processes with qualified buyers.

Question 2

Is Picari free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Picari is completely free for security teams. You can run briefings, build shortlists, set up bake-offs, and export verdicts at no cost. Vendors can claim and manage their profiles for free, ensuring buyers have accurate information about their company and solutions. When invited to participate in a buyer-led bake-off, vendors may choose to unlock access to the evaluation workspace through a fixed participation fee based on the opportunity.

Question 3

What is a bake-off?

Accepted Answer

A bake-off is a structured evaluation workspace where shortlisted security vendors compete on buyers' criteria. Buyers set weighted evaluation criteria, define POC tasks, and score each vendor on evidence. Everything stays organized in one place, and buyers control the pace. Think of it as a fair, structured trial for each tool buyers are seriously considering, ending with a defensible verdict.

Question 4

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

As a buyer, click 'Start a Briefing' on the homepage. Describe what you're looking for: your security challenges, requirements, or what you need. Picari will ask clarifying questions and guide you through a structured briefing. In under 3 minutes you'll have a personalised shortlist of matched vendors, ready to run a bake-off. As a vendor, claim your profile and ensure your company information accurately represents your products, capabilities, and use cases. When a buyer identifies your solution as a potential fit, you may be invited to participate in a bake-off.

Question 5

How does Picari select which vendors to recommend?

Accepted Answer

Picari recommendations are based on fit, not payment. Our AI analyses your specific requirements (team size, budget, use case, existing tools, and priorities) to surface vendors that genuinely match your needs. Vendors can't pay for higher rankings or preferential placement in recommendations.

Question 6

What happens when I invite a vendor?

Accepted Answer

When you invite a vendor to your bake-off, Picari notifies their team with your evaluation criteria and timeline. They join the bake-off workspace where you can communicate, share documents, and schedule demos, all within a structured space designed to keep the evaluation focused and on your timeline. No cold calls, no spam. Just organized, criteria-driven evaluation.

Question 7

How is Picari different from using ChatGPT or Gemini?

Accepted Answer

General AI can suggest tools based on what's popular online. But suggesting products is just step one of a ten-step buying process. Picari manages the entire journey, from briefing to verdict. You describe your needs once, with structured inputs designed for real security evaluations. Your context is saved and improves recommendations over time. When you're ready to engage vendors, you invite them into a structured bake-off on your terms. They compete on your criteria, not their sales playbook. You also get evaluation frameworks, scoring, and CISO-ready verdict exports, all in one place. Our AI isn't influenced by ad spend or SEO rankings. It's built on real operator insights and actual implementation context. ChatGPT can help you brainstorm. Picari helps you decide: smarter, faster, and with far less friction.

Question 8

How do I access a bake-off?

Accepted Answer

Bake-offs are initiated by security teams evaluating cybersecurity solutions on Picari. When a buyer identifies your company as a potential fit, they can invite you to participate. If invited, Picari will share the relevant evaluation details and give you the option to join the bake-off.

Question 9

Will I know who the buyer is before joining a bake-off?

Accepted Answer

Before deciding whether to participate, you'll see relevant context about the opportunity, including the buyer's requirements, use case, evaluation criteria, and timeline. To protect buyer privacy, the buyer's identity is only shared once participation is confirmed.

Question 10

What determines whether I appear in buyer shortlists?

Accepted Answer

Shortlists are generated based on buyer requirements and solution fit, not payment or sponsorship. Picari considers factors such as your product capabilities, categories, use cases, integrations, and company information to match buyers with relevant vendors.

Question 11

How do I benefit from Picari?

Accepted Answer

Picari helps cybersecurity vendors get discovered by security teams evaluating solutions. By claiming your profile, you control how your company is represented and ensure buyers have accurate information when considering your solution. When invited to a bake-off, you compete through a structured evaluation based on buyer-defined criteria.

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