Next generation of cyber security start-ups advance to key product development stage

The final 13 CyberASAP teams progressing to Minimum Viable Product phase are announced.

Nearly 5 months after proposing their idea for a new cyber security product, the teams in this year’s Cyber Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP) have been whittled down to the final 13 who will now progress to the key Minimum Viable Product (MVP) phase. The programme Рnow in its third year and delivered by the Knowledge Transfer Network and Innovate UK for DCMS Рaims to help convert academic ideas into commercial products in the cyber security space.

 

A rigorous programme of training and inputs via a series of workshops and bootcamp has provided the teams with vital insights into the key milestones in commercialising ideas, with teams having to meet specific criteria in order to progress to the next stage. The successful products and teams moving forward to this, the penultimate, phase of the programme who will each receive funding to develop their Minimum Viable Product, are as follows, and you can find out more about the individual projects here:

 

CyRysk, University of Southampton

Verifiable Credentials Ltd, University of  Kent

PriSAT, University of Glasgow

Privacy Throughout, Bournemouth University

Guardkeeper, Coventry University

INSURE, De Montfort University

TAPCHA, Bournemouth University

VACCYNE, University of Wolverhampton

BioGenerate, University of Gloucestershire

BLEMAP, Royal Holloway, University of London

Cyber Threat Landscape Ruleset, Bournemouth University

PhishAR, University of Oxford

PrineSec, Royal Holloway, University of London

 

The MVP phase is a major part of the market validation process, crucial in helping refine the product and better understand what customers really need, what they want, and what they will pay for. This phase sees the teams developing their products sufficiently to demonstrate key features. It is important that potential customers are able to visualise the product which should look, feel and behave as much as possible like the final product and be easy to modify as the feedback loop takes shape.

 

Commenting on the value of the programme to date, Dr Inah Omoronyia, of the University of Glasgow summarised his experience so far as: “Excellent. It’s given me great opportunities to give deep practical consideration of my academic work. I have been able to talk to very key industry partners and potential investors and I hope to be able to commercialise my tool and push forward with a start up”.

 

This third cohort of participants in CyberASAP started with 25 teams, and the final 13 now selected for the MVP phase will, in parallel to developing their MVP,  participate in further training including sessions on Sales, Pitching to Investors, and IP before they present their final prototypes in February 2020.

 

The programme to date has seen 20 teams in total progress to the MVP stage and complete the programme. You can find out more about these Alumni  here.

 

For more information and to register your interest in CyberASAP click here or email cyberasap@ktn-uk.org

 

@CyberASAP

 

*CyberASAP is funded by the UK Government Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in partnership with Innovate UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network who delivers the programme.