NCSC startup alumni collectively secure £512m

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Alumni of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Plexal’s startup programme have gone on to secure a combined total of £512m and have generated 1,600 roles.

The programme today is announcing the addition of five new cybersecurity companies to its latest cohort.

“Cyber threats are now affecting every corner of society,” said Saj Huq, CCO and head of innovation at Plexal.

“If the UK wants to develop a technological competitive advantage and counter cross-cutting threats to its national security, taking an ecosystem approach is the only answer.”

The new collective by the 60+ participants is an £82m rise since the amount reported by the programme in January.

The five newest members of NCSC For Startups are Acubed IT, Coc00n, Cyber Tzar, MemCrypt and RevEng.AI.

“The startup economy is thriving but being an entrepreneur can often feel like a lonely job,” adds Huq. “With NCSC for Startups, we’re giving startups unparalleled access to experts from within the government as well as industry to shape how cyber products are developed – ensuring they’re purpose-built to solve the challenges we face.”

Based in Olympic Park in East London, Plexal is an innovation hub and NCSC is a branch of the British intelligence agency GCHQ.

Last year, it launched a digital security accelerator for startups based in the North West of England as part of a consortium led by Barclays Eagle Labs.