UK cyber entrepreneurs meet world's experts in Silicon Valley

Image courtesy NCSC / copyright iStock

Seven companies from the NCSC's Cyber Accelerator programme are pitching to prospective clients at the IT security conference.

The seven companies are supported by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) under its Cyber Accelerator programme, which supports companies creating new products for the UK’s cyber security industry.

The companies have come up with a range of innovations to improve online safety, from an authentication system which formats a user’s favourite pictures instead of passwords (Pixelpin), to a platform which uses artificial intelligence to protect businesses from security breaches (fraud.net).

At the four-day RSA conference in San Francisco this week, the UK businesses are participating in the programme will join their international counterparts to hear about the latest developments in cyber security and will be pitching at the Telefonica ElevenPaths booth to prospective clients.

The RSA Conference is a major IT security gathering which attracts specialists from around the globe. The San Francisco event is being attended the NCSC’s CEO Ciaran Martin.

NCSC Chief Executive Ciaran Martin, said: “These businesses have created fantastic cyber security products with the potential to make a real difference across a range of areas.

“The quality of their innovations show the value of the Cyber Accelerator programme and I have no doubt their experience at the RSA Conference will help them on their journey.”

Part of the UK government’s £1.9 billion National Cyber Security Strategy, the Accelerator scheme is a collaboration between the NCSC, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Wayra UK, part of the Telefónica global business network.

Cyber security minister Matt Warman, said: "The Cyber Accelerator programme plays a vital role in helping startups develop cutting-edge cyber security products, so it’s great to see the current cohort of businesses showcasing their services on the global stage.

“Through our National Cyber Security Strategy we are committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online and are investing £1.9bn to make sure we lead the way.”

Alongside the RSA event our start-ups will be attending a Steve Blank 'Lean launchpad' lecture at Standford University before meeting with Steve (considered to be one of the Godfathers of Silicon Valley) for personal coaching and feedback, at his Pescadero Ranch.

During the trip, the Cohort will be pitching to Sierra VC, Palo Alto Networks and ForgePoint Ventures as well as attending a private session with Julio Casal, startup turned serial entrepreneur and joining private networking events with Paladin Group and ElevenPaths.

Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for Growth, said: “Cyber Accelerator has proven to be a great success, and previous companies involved are already moving forward to deliver real-world solutions, bringing new ideas to the cyber security market.

“The aim of the Accelerator programme is to support those with pioneering ideas which in turn encourages new skills, jobs and market growth.”

The last three rounds of the Accelerator programme have between them raised £35million in private funding for tech projects which have flourished since being mentored by the NCSC and Wayra.

Combining the NCSC’s technical expertise and Wayra’s commercial experience, the Accelerator scheme selects up to ten new companies each cycle for a nine-month programme based in Cheltenham.

The seven companies who will be at the conference are: TrustStamp, Ohalo, Pixelpin, Secure Schools, The CyberFish Company, fraud.Net and Keybox.