Initiative Combines Industry Leaders’ Expertise and Investors’ Support to Bolster Growth of UK Cybersecurity Startups
LONDON, February 11, 2019 — IOActive, Inc., the worldwide leader in research-fueled security services, today announced that its CEO, Jennifer Steffens, has joined the industry advisory board for the London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement (LORCA). LORCA is a government-funded cybersecurity centre in East London focused on supporting cybersecurity innovation. The program provides support for UK innovators in solving critical cybersecurity challenges, while building the UK’s international cybersecurity profile.
As an advisory board member and top influencer in the security community, Steffens will support LORCA’s goals and champion the growth of its cybersecurity cohort members. The program will launch a new cohort every six months with tailored support to help them scale and meet the needs of the industry. LORCA advisory board members ensure the success of the program by providing real-time market insights and feedback, guidance on resources and connections to global market opportunities that will propel the cybersecurity innovators’ success.
“LORCA is creating a trusted digital environment where cybersecurity startups and scaleups can proactively anticipate and meet the needs of industry,” said Lydia Ragoonanan, Director of LORCA. “We’re glad to have access to Jennifer’s deep security expertise and leadership as a new addition to our advisory board, which will help shape the direction of our next cohorts and make sure we’re supporting the most relevant and useful innovations.”
In her role as IOActive’s CEO, Steffens manages a world-class team of cybersecurity researchers to advise Global 1000 enterprises and discover groundbreaking vulnerabilities. Her team provides security services across all industries and maintains global operations. Steffens and her team have presented their self-funded research on pressing cybersecurity trends and topics at over 500 conferences around the world.
“LORCA provides an exceptional platform for developing new and innovative cybersecurity solutions,” said Steffens. “It’s great to be involved in a program that is committed to boosting cybersecurity efforts and leadership in the UK.”
LORCA officially launched in 2018 and plans to stimulate the growth of at least 72 high-potential companies, grow up to 2,000 jobs, and secure £40m in investment by 2021.
About LORCA
Delivered by Plexal, Deloitte and the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), LORCA is the UK’s dedicated space for industry-led cybersecurity innovation.
Based within Plexal’s workspace, it supports the most promising cybersecurity innovators in scaling and growing solutions to meet the most pressing industry challenges.
LORCA brings together innovators, corporates, investors, academics, and engineers to maximise the commercial potential of great cyber solutions, minimise the barriers to scale and increase speed to market. By 2021, it will have stimulated the growth of at least 72 high-potential companies, grown up to 2,000 jobs, and secured £40m in investment. LORCA is a key pillar of the wider National Cyber Security Strategy 2016 to 2021, which aims to position the UK as a world leader in cybersecurity innovation and, ultimately, make the UK the safest place to be online. LORCA is funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport as part of the government’s five-year, £1.5bn investment to keep the UK safe online.
For more information, visit lorca.co.uk.
About IOActive
IOActive is a trusted partner for Global 1000 enterprises, providing research-fueled security services across all industries. Our cutting-edge security teams provide highly specialized technical and programmatic services including full stack penetration testing, program efficacy assessments, and hardware hacking. IOActive brings a unique attacker’s perspective to every client engagement to maximize security investments and improve client’s overall security posture and business resiliency. Founded in 1998, IOActive is headquartered in Seattle with global operations. For more information, visit ioactive.com.