Cyber 101 Business skills bootcamp for cyber security startups and scaleups

Background

Cyber 101 is a national government funded programme running until March 2021 as part of a DCMS funded activity to grow the UK’s cyber security sector and the capability of cyber security startups and scaleups.

It is a unique UK acceleration programme with over 200 small and medium enterprises and over 80 mentors and experts currently on board. The programme aims to support participants over time according to their business needs and time constraints – it’s not restricted to a set period of time. Participation is free to successful applicants and participants keep 100% of any investment raised as part of the programme – Digital Catapult and its partners do not take any equity from participating companies.

By participating in this one-day online bootcamp, attendees will be officially registered as a member for Cyber 101 and benefit from all cohort specific opportunities.

Who should attend?

Designed for all levels of cyber security companies; from startups looking to refine business propositions, to established companies seeking feedback and advice on market and business position, as well as how to raise investments and grow customer bases.

Digital Catapult is interested in hearing from cyber security companies operating in the UK with existing product or service offerings.

Why attend?

Successful applicants will be invited to remotely attend an intensive one-day online workshop designed to help support cyber security enterprises on business skills in an open innovation environment. Topics will be followed by one-to-one mentoring break-out sessions with industry leaders, allowing startups and scaleups to build close connections with peers as well as the mentors.

Attendees will get the opportunity to:

• Receive tailored expert advice on different topics including: the development of an effective value proposition, market validation, sales and marketing techniques, international expansion, finance and capital and business models.
• Build new relationships with customers, partners and peers.

Furthermore, selected companies that successfully complete the bootcamp will be shortlisted for: Business and marketing workshops, peer to peer sessions with experts, and cyber security workshops specifically related to internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) cross-technology; as well as the annual customer Demo Day and Investor Showcase, which both provide a direct opportunity to pitch to potential customers and investors.

Entering the Digital Catapult ecosystem cohort members will be:

• Referred to other relevant accelerators to continue business growth support and scale internationally, where applicable
• Informed about appropriate Digital Catapult industry challenges
• Connected to existing CR&D opportunities and Innovate UK challenges such as ‘Digital Security by Design’

Application process:

Submit an application to Cyber 101 via the form below. The deadline to apply is Monday 5 October.

• Places will be allocated to those with the most appropriate needs, expertise, services and products in line with the open call
• Digital Catapult aims to respond to all applications within seven days of the call closing. However applications will be reviewed on receipt and places may be allocated before the closing date
• Successful applicants will be invited to a brief telephone interview to judge suitability
• Please be advised that experts from Digital Catapult’s Cyber 101 team will assess applications using three criteria: fit to Cyber 101 requirements, domain expertise, and maturity. Assessment is based on information provided in the application form only

The event will be facilitated by Digital Catapult and The Accelerator Network.
For more information on Cyber 101 and the bootcamps, please visit cyber101.digicatapult.org.uk