SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — RSA Convention™, the world’s main cybersecurity conferences and expositions, in the present day introduced that beginning in April 2025, the Prime 10 Finalists within the RSAC Innovation Sandbox (ISB) contest will obtain financing to assist them additional speed up innovation to struggle the subsequent technology of cybersecurity threats. The funding program will present these startups with further capital to ship options that assist organizations defend towards the rising quantity and complexity of cybersecurity assaults.
The RSAC™ ISB contest, celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 2025, has change into the world’s premier showcase for the cybersecurity startup group. Among the most profitable cybersecurity innovators have competed within the RSAC ISB contest with the intention to spotlight their game-changing concepts which have disrupted the cybersecurity {industry}. The competition has grown to obtain roughly 150 candidates yearly, forming an essential supply of innovation and ideation that has been important in addressing ever-changing cybersecurity challenges. Greater than 750 traders, cybersecurity leaders, entrepreneurs and members of the media be part of the packed viewers to observe the ISB occasion dwell.
The RSAC ISB contest has change into a preeminent platform throughout the cybersecurity group, offering elevated visibility and consciousness to the Prime 10 Finalists every year. For the reason that RSAC ISB contest’s inception, firms named as Prime 10 Finalists have collectively raised over $16.4 billion* in investments and been concerned in over 90 merger and acquisition transactions. Every year, a panel of unbiased judges selects the Prime 10 Finalists after reviewing the candidates’ submissions. At RSA Convention in San Francisco, every Prime 10 Finalist presents an summary of their enterprise, and a winner is chosen by an unbiased panel of judges drawn from the cybersecurity group. Beginning in 2025, the Prime 10 Finalists will every obtain a $5 million uncapped Easy Settlement for Future Fairness (SAFE) funding, supplied by associates of Crosspoint Capital Companions.
“Attackers are always adapting and altering their tradecraft. Steady innovation from cybersecurity startups is important to world cyber protection,” stated Dr. Hugh Thompson, Govt Chairman and long-serving program chair of RSA Convention, and Managing Associate of Crosspoint Capital Companions. “Traditionally, the RSAC Innovation Sandbox competitors has anointed winners in cybersecurity lengthy earlier than they grew to become winners within the market. We’re excited to introduce simplified, founder-friendly financing for the businesses chosen by the unbiased and impartial strategy of the RSAC Innovation Sandbox to additional gasoline cybersecurity innovation.”
For a lot of industry-leading cybersecurity firms, the ISB platform has been an essential a part of their journey. “When Wiz participated within the RSAC Innovation Sandbox contest in 2021, we had been a younger firm in an rising cybersecurity class,” stated Anthony Belfiore, Chief Safety and Technique Officer of Wiz. “The publicity that we obtained from the ISB platform and RSA Convention helped us appeal to extra prospects earlier in our journey. This was extraordinarily useful for us. This new funding program is a game-changer.”
The funding program is delivered as an uncapped SAFE, which supplies a direct capital infusion whereas sustaining future fundraising flexibility. “Submit Sequence A funding, subsequent rounds have trended to be bigger with a number of traders. A valued safety investor like Crosspoint Capital with the deep operational expertise of their founding companions could be welcomed into the cap desk,” stated Theresia Gouw, co-founding companion, Acrew Capital.
Along with the funding capital, RSAC can be creating a brand new discussion board, the RSAC Founders Circle, to offer previous and current ISB Prime 10 Finalists with further publicity, teaching, mentorship, and connections with the CISO group. This initiative can even function a robust alumni community for these distinguished entrepreneurs. A number of ISB finalists have gone on to change into standalone public firms whereas others change into engaging acquisitions for platform property. These earlier Prime 10 Finalists embody main cybersecurity innovators akin to: Wiz, Imperva, SentinelOne, Talon Cyber Safety, Phantom Cyber, and Hidden Layer.
Extra particulars on the RSAC ISB submission course of for qualifying candidates shall be made out there in January 2025.
RSAC’s Dedication to the Cybersecurity Group
RSAC has a heritage of supporting essential investments for the group by former and present packages, together with the RSAC Innovation Sandbox, RSAC Safety Scholar, little one on-line security, Faculty Day, group philanthropic actions in the course of the Convention and Convention scholarships to underrepresented communities by its huge community of companions. A portion of the returns obtained from the investments made within the Prime 10 Finalists shall be utilized by RSAC to assist the cybersecurity group.
*Signifies newest numbers based on Crunchbase
Extra Quotes:
Nasrin Rezai, SVP and Chief Data Safety Officer, Verizon – RSAC Innovation Sandbox Choose
“CISOs like me who’re always making an attempt to kind by the barrage of recent cybersecurity entrants are all the time in search of a sign on who to spend time with and which options to strive,” stated Nasrin Rezai, SVP and Chief Data Safety Officer, Verizon and returning ISB choose. “The rigorous strategy of choosing these Prime 10 Finalists creates a sign to the market of who to concentrate to.”
Dean Sysman, Co-Founder and CEO, Axonius – RSAC 2019 Innovation Sandbox Winner
“Probably the greatest belongings you wish to obtain as a startup within the cybersecurity world is to be part of the RSAC Innovation Sandbox contest,” stated Dean Sysman, Co-Founder and CEO, Axonius. “RSA Convention is an important place the place cybersecurity enterprise, concepts, and merchandise get launched, talked about, and reviewed. The popularity and validation that successful ISB supplies coming from that esteemed judging panel was instrumental in individuals trusting that we might comply with by in what we promised we might do for them. There may be nothing to lose by making use of. Profitable it units you aside in a really differentiated and distinctive approach whereas pushing the {industry} to have a look at you in a brand new mild.”
Rehan Jalil, CEO, Securiti AI – RSAC 2020 Innovation Sandbox Winner
“Making it into the RSAC ISB Prime 10 after which successful the competition sends a really robust sign to not solely the enterprise capitalists however the {industry} at massive. The panel of judges for the ISB competitors could be very numerous, they usually every consider startups with a special lens, which finally helps you as an organization be judged extra holistically. Profitable ISB put us on the map, boosting our model and rising buyer engagement. Whether or not you elevate cash earlier than the competition or after, you get group curiosity in probably making a soar to the subsequent stage when you make it into the Prime 10,” stated Rehan Jalil, CEO of Securiti AI, RSAC 2020 Innovation Sandbox Winner.
Oliver Friedrichs, Founder and CEO, Pangea and Founder and CEO, Phantom Cyber – RSAC 2023 Innovation Sandbox Finalist and RSAC 2016 Innovation Sandbox Winner
“Being a Finalist places you on the map and separates you from the pack,” stated Oliver Friedrichs, Founder and CEO of Pangea, RSA Convention 2023 Innovation Sandbox Finalist and Founder and CEO of Phantom Cyber, RSAC 2016 Innovation Sandbox Winner. “Should you’re a brand new, comparatively unknown entity, it is a good way to launch your organization on the large stage. The eye you get being a Prime 10 Finalist attracts enterprise capitalists, strategic traders, and enterprise prospects who’re all making an attempt to know what these new firms are doing and the way they can assist me. This new funding program for the Prime 10 Finalists is a testomony to the standard and potential of those firms. This added funding supplies a fair larger long-term monetary influence for these startups and additional extends their runway.”
Dave Chen, co-head of World Expertise Funding Banking at Morgan Stanley – RSAC Innovation Sandbox Choose
“A number of of the businesses which were chosen to the ISB Prime 10 have gone on to change into juggernauts in cybersecurity. The Innovation Sandbox competitors is the place among the greatest tales in cybersecurity start,” stated Dave Chen, co-head of World Expertise Funding Banking at Morgan Stanley. “I am honored to be a choose for the 2025 contest.”
Ben Colman, Co-Founder and CEO, Actuality Defender – RSAC 2024 Innovation Sandbox Winner
“For over a 12 months, we had board members, traders, and shoppers encourage us to use to the Innovation Sandbox contest,” stated Ben Colman, Co-Founder and CEO of Actuality Defender and winner of the RSA Convention 2024 Innovation Sandbox contest. “We utilized with no expectations, made it to the Prime 10, and rapidly realized our fellow Finalists had been nearly all pure play cybersecurity firms — one thing we thought was our drawback as a cybersecurity firm targeted on AI, however finally proved to be why we received. Awarding future winners with an uncapped SAFE be aware now makes making use of to RSAC Innovation Sandbox a very game-changing proposition.”
Paul Kocher, Impartial Researcher, Investor and Marconi Prize winner – RSAC Innovation Sandbox Choose
“The Innovation Sandbox contest is a improbable occasion and terrific driver for bringing new know-how to market — and for entrepreneurs it is a chance to current to the best viewers,” stated Paul Kocher, RSAC ISB Choose, Investor, Impartial Researcher and Marconi Prize winner. “I’ve served as a choose for many of the contest’s 20 years, and have seen first hand the way it raises Finalists’ profiles, serving to start-ups construct enthusiasm with prospects, traders, and new hires. Though the robust discipline of candidates makes the choice course of difficult, I recognize the Convention and judges’ dedication to making sure the neutrality and independence of the analysis and choice course of.”
About RSA Convention
RSA Convention™ is the premier sequence of world occasions and year-round studying for the cybersecurity group. RSAC is the place the safety {industry} converges to debate present and future issues and have entry to the specialists, unbiased content material, and concepts that assist allow people and firms advance their cybersecurity posture and construct stronger and smarter groups. Each in-person and on-line, RSAC brings the cybersecurity {industry} collectively and empowers the collective “we” to face towards cyberthreats around the globe. RSAC is the final word market for the newest applied sciences and hands-on academic alternatives that assist {industry} professionals uncover tips on how to make their firms safer whereas showcasing essentially the most enterprising, influential, and thought-provoking thinkers and leaders in cybersecurity in the present day. For essentially the most up-to-date information pertaining to the cybersecurity {industry} go to www.rsaconference.com. The place the world talks safety.
