Successful ECSO Cyber Investor Days opened by the Minister of Justice and Security
On Monday 17 October the Dutch edition of the ECSO Cyber investor Days took place at the HSD Campus in the Municipality of The Hague. This cybersecurity event opened by the Minister of Justice and Security of the Netherlands Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius and Michael Lucassen, Managing Partner TIIN Capital & Chair of ECSO Working Group on ‘Market Deployment, Investments and International Collaboration’ gives the brightest European cybersecurity entrepreneurs the opportunity to matchmake and meet with leading cybersecurity investors and corporates from around Europe.
Top level start-ups and scale-ups got the chance today to take the stage and pitch their innovative cybersecurity solutions. The event organised by ECSO, InnovationQuarter, TIIN Capital, KPN Ventures, Security Delta (HSD) and Women4Cyber also gave investors a guarantee of quality to listen to pitches by start-ups that have been pre-selected by a jury of cybersecurity experts.
Investing in start-ups and scale-ups throughout Europe
Minister Yesilgöz and Michael Lucassen both pointed out the importance of investing in start-ups and scale-ups throughout Europe.
“By investing in this group, we give tomorrow’s cybersecurity leaders a platform to build pan-European partnerships and have access to growth-capital”, said Michael Lucassen, Managing Partner TIIN Capital. “Building strong ‘cybersecurity-made-in-Europe’ capabilities is paramount for our society, and it is our objective to support entrepreneurs from across The Netherlands and the rest of Europe on their path to become global leaders.
Minister Yesilgöz mentioned that it isn’t about writing everything down and making strategic plans while doing business. In her opinion cybersecurity is an important subject and area where we must work together.
“The key for everything is data exchange and helping each other.”, states Yesilgöz. “When you are an entrepreneur, business owner or organisation and something happens, it’s important to know where you can find help and information to get your systems better and know how we can work together.”
Cyber organisations DongIT, Bodyguard, Hackuity, Exalens, Cyscale, Prodaft, Awen Collective, Codean, Branchkey, Oxibox, Syntho and SonicBee pitched their solutions. There were also other activities during this event where participants had the chance to participate in B2B meetings and listen to a cutting-edge fireside chat with the successful founders of fastgrowing Dutch scaleups Breachlock and EYE Security about whether ‘the Camel is the New Unicorn’.
ECSO STARtup Award 2022
Dutch start-up Exalens and Romanian start-up Cyscale were selected and nominated by the local jury as the two best cybersecurity companies participating in the Dutch edition of the Cyber Investor Days that will move on to compete in March 2023 in Bilbao, Spain against other European companies in the final for the ECSO’s European Cybersecurity STARtup Award 2022. There they will pitch to a European jury and can present themselves to highlevel investors, corporate executives, and cybersecurity experts.
Cyber Security Week and One Conference
The Cyber Investor Days is part of the Cyber Security Week 2022 and is a side event of the ONE Conference. The ONE Conference is the Netherlands’ leading international cybersecurity event held at the World Forum The Hague from Tuesday 18 until Wednesday 19 October.
The Municipality of the Hague is the place to be for cybersecurity investors and enthusiasts interested in Cybersecurity this week. It provides opportunities to meet key players, discuss the latest developments, share knowledge, innovative solutions, enhance awareness and pitch for funding.
As the international city of Peace, Justice and Security, the city acknowledges the threats and opportunities of our digitising world. The Hague is a major hub for cybersecurity in Europe, with the presence of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, NATO Communications and Information Agency, the Dutch cybersecurity, intelligence and security agencies as well as a wide range of cybersecurity businesses. The Hague has an unparalleled ecosystem around cybersecurity – the Security Delta (HSD) – with over 275 public and private partners collaborating to make a difference in securing our digitising society. The core is the HSD Campus in The Hague. The ecosystem is designed to facilitate organisations by providing access to knowledge, innovation, talent, capital and market.
“We are delighted that this year’s edition of the ECSO Cyber Investor Days took place at the HSD Campus. By joining our forces together with the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), InnovationQuarter, KPN Ventures and TIIN Capital/Dutch Security TechFund the international bridges between public and private are getting more accessible for Dutch cybersecurity start-ups and scale-ups at European level. This is one of the goals we aim at, to provide access to innovation, market, and capital for growth in our Dutch ecosystem.”, said Joris den Bruinen, General Director Security Delta (HSD).
“I am proud to see how far the Cyber Investor Days have evolved since their launch in 2017”, says ECSO Secretary General Luigi Rebuffi. “This match-making event has gathered over 300 cybersecurity SMEs and start-ups from across Europe and given visibility to local and national expertise. With its vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem and entrepreneurial focus, The Hague meets all the criteria for today’s successful Cyber Investor Days”, he concludes.
