Data Revival is a unique AI end-to-end data structuring and retrieval system for chemical archives. They recently spun out of Southampton University and within 8 weeks had closed their pre-seed round.
A Secure Innovation Security Review (SISR) enables early-stage UK technology businesses to identify and manage key security risks, but it can also provide necessary validation, helping them communicate maturity to external stakeholders.
The SISR and subsequent actions from Innovate UK helped Data Revival achieve this by underscoring that it understood the critical importance of securing its data and intellectual property.
Launching from the firm foundations they established through the Cyber Essentials programme, it was their Innovate UK Business Growth Innovation and Growth specialist, Ryan Davies, who pointed them in the direction of the SISR, and this decision proved to be a fruitful one.
As their founder and director, Samuel Munday reports, “we are now set up to go in the right direction,” with all the necessary materials and direction for secure growth.
Maximising effectiveness
Data Revival sought a security reviewer who could understand their unique sector challenges. After sitting down with a handful of strong candidates, they ultimately chose Dr. Paul Wood, CEO at Emerging Risks Global, selecting him based on his background, sector understanding, and the strong connection they built in their first meetings.
Samuel points to the materials and insights provided by Paul as offering a vital foundation for future implementation: “Paul sent through checklists, sheets, documents, and examples that meant we didn’t have to start so many of these procedures from scratch.”
The SISR focused on the methodical formalisation of internal procedures, something Samuel says has been instrumental to shaping their future.
SISR has set us on the path of more comprehensive documentation of our processes, making it easier to onboard new staff and plan out our future growth.
Samuel Monday, Founder & Director, Data Revival
Reinforcing the foundations
The review provided the essential direction needed to structure the business as it scaled up. Having spun out and actively closed an investment round, the next steps include focusing on access and controls for the expanding team. The company is currently hiring a full stack developer and expects to make three part-time roles full-time by early 2026.
The SISR enabled them to prioritise:
- Formalising the processes around who has access to specific code bases and with what permissions.
- Creating a structured “paper trail” for all processes, such as protocols for handling hardware given to team members.
- Developing long-term emergency protocols, such as procedures for dealing with compromised SSH keys or client data breaches.
Driving investment
The most significant and immediate benefit of the SISR for Data Revival was the commercial validation it provided when speaking to both customers and investors.
During these discussions, questions are frequently raised about security. The SISR provided a comprehensive, credible answer to these concerns, clearly demonstrating the firm’s maturity and commitment to security.
Investors ask us all the time about security and having the SISR has just been mind-blowingly valuable. Having it is like shooting fish in a barrel for investors.
Samuel Monday
Foundations for sustainable growth
Data Revival’s journey toward secure growth and substantial investment was underpinned by foundational support from Innovate UK. In 2022, Sam won Innovate UK’s Young Innovators Award, which Sam describes as “transformational for the stage [they] were at.” The company also secured another £50,000 Innovate UK award in December 2023, which helped it to develop more advanced prototypes.
With their latest round of investment success, Data Revival is using the investment to grow the team and deliver the enterprise-grade platform their customers expect. The foundation established by the SISR ensures that security is baked into these procedures as they scale.
I’m very glad we got involved in the security review because we have all this material now and we are set up to go in the right direction.
Samuel Munday
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