NCSC for Startups: the case for collaboration

The UK is the undisputed tech capital of Europe. We’re now home to 100 unicorns, and cyber security is the tech sector’s breakout star.

According to the UK Cyber Security Sectoral Analysis 2021, cyber contributed more than £4bn to the economy and attracted £821m in investment in 2020. Investment into cyber startups rose during the pandemic when the broader tech industry saw a dip.

More and more innovators are creating new cyber companies or adding new products to their portfolio in a race to tackle security challenges like ransomware and phishing, while an entire cyber innovation ecosystem has sprung up. This spans all corners of the UK (such as hubs in Manchester, Cheltenham and London) and includes investors, academic institutions, the government, enterprises and of course startups.

There has never been a better time to be a cyber startup. As the nature of the threat evolves at lightning pace, it’s imperative that solutions are not created in a vacuum. To develop game-changing security products that can protect society, bolster our national security and secure both large enterprises and SMEs, startups need to collaborate to achieve a close product-market fit.

That’s why I’m so excited that Plexal is delivering NCSC for Startups with the National Cyber Security Centre. Open to startups at all stages of their development, we’re combining the expertise and insights from the government – leaders who know more than anybody what the UK’s cybersecurity challenges are – with Plexal’s experience in working closely with startups. Together, we’ll help startups develop their solutions, adapt an existing technology to a cyber challenge, or pilot a solution in a real-world scenario.

There are two main reasons why I think this is such a unique and compelling opportunity.

First, it will help startups achieve a closer product-market fit as they develop and iterate. Through our work with LORCA (the cyber accelerator Plexal delivers), we know this is one of the biggest challenges. Startups in this field tend to experience long cycles of deep research and development before they are ready to go to market. Many startups emerge from the development phase with a lack of clarity about who their buyer is, or what challenge they’re solving. And the nature of the challenge may well have shifted already.

Making the product development phase collaborative will result in solutions that match what the UK needs to stay secure. Crucially, neither Plexal nor the NCSC will take any IP or equity.

Second, we’re including all tech innovators and truly widening the net. There is so much latent talent and innovation in the tech sector that can be applied to cyber. But too few startups have spotted the opportunity, and those that do need support to pivot. Some of the most successful cyber companies don’t even identify as a cyber company; Darktrace classes itself as an AI company with a powerful cyber use case, for example.

There is some work that’s needed to motivate startups and help them to understand the importance of the mission. There are few more important purposes than securing the very fabric of our economy and society, but this doesn’t always register with entrepreneurs.

The transition to cyber isn’t clear-cut for a company that’s adjacent to the sector, but NCSC for Startups could be one route for a tech company to adapt their solution for a cyber challenge, or for a cyber company to apply their solution to a new area.

Getting to the heart of what the security challenge is can be difficult because of the sensitivities involved. It can feel like there’s an impenetrable perimeter around the sector for tech companies that are trying to get their head around cyber. NCSC for Startups will see security experts share their knowledge and challenges in a risk-managed environment, and we’ll create project plans around each participant. It’s a completely new way of working for both Plexal and the NCSC and a golden opportunity for startups.

Tackling increasingly sophisticated cyber threats requires agility, creativity and collaboration from across the UK’s tech ecosystem. Join us by applying or bring a challenge to Plexal and we’ll design a collaborative programme to solve it.

Saj Huq,
Director of innovation at Plexal