The path to a $150 million acquisition is rarely a straight line, and for Passfort, it involved a grueling product rebuild and a near-collapse during the pandemic. Co-founders Henry Irish and Donald Gillies reveal how they navigated a technical 'monolith' and forced pay cuts to survive long enough for the market to catch up. Their story is a masterclass in why radical transparency and fiscal discipline are the ultimate competitive advantages in the venture-backed world.