The future of cybersecurity is right here, right now

Our technology-driven world requires continuous innovation in cybersecurity to predict and protect us from cyber threats.

Much of that cyber security innovation takes root in research labs throughout the UK’s world class academic research base. And 14 of the most promising ready-to-commercialise innovations coming out of this space will be featured at the CyberASAP Demo Day on 26 February in London.

The Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP), a unique pre-seed accelerator programme, helps entrepreneurial academics refine their innovation ideas, prepare them for the market and develop robust commercialisation strategies. The culmination of the programme is Demo Day, offering a rare opportunity for early-stage involvement from investors, potential customers, licensors or collaborators.

One of the programmes’ mentors, Sarah Weingust an Investment Manager at Mountside Ventures commented:

Whenever we work with CyberASAP, we gain valuable market intel and see fresh ideas. Any investors who join the Demo Day will gain access to vetted, untapped talent with proven concepts ready to be taken to the next level.

Come and be amongst the first to meet this year’s academic teams, hear their pitches and assess their proof-of-concept demonstrators. Some of our alumni will be showcasing too, including CyGamBit, FACT360, Forensic, and Vouchsec.

In the meantime, we asked our finalists to summarise their offerings. And, as you will see, this year’s teams offer a range of cyber security innovations with applications in sectors including health, renewable energy, software development and fintech.

The 14 CyberASAP finalists – in their own words

• AI360Degree – Anglia Ruskin University
  Elevating fintech security with automated compliance and advanced AI protection.
• AI-enabled Multi-tier Trust Management in the Internet of Medical Things (AIMTI) – University of East Anglia
  AIMTI Provides robust, scalable, and easy end-to-end security solutions for personal healthcare devices.
• ARMOREX, City – University of London
  ARMOREX helps SMEs stay secure while streamlining the underwriting process for insurance providers.
• CyberMATI – Sheffield Hallam University
  AI-based solution for detecting phishing and malicious websites.
• CyberThemis – Teesside University
  EU AI Act compliance assistants for software development organisations.
• CyDRA – London Metropolitan University
  Stand-alone software product for cyber security by design that is affordable, reliable, custom-tailored and user-friendly.
• GridGuardian – University of Sheffield
  Cybersecurity solution that protects solar energy systems and electric vehicle charging stations from cyber threats by ensuring compliance with security regulations.
• LockEyeGaze – University of St Andrews
  LockEyeGaze introduces an innovative gaze-enhanced authentication technology that integrates advanced gaze stimuli with eye-tracking to create customisable eye movement biometrics for enhanced user verification.
• MetaGuard – Aston University
  MetaGuard is an AI-powered security platform that protects decentralised finance (DeFi) and crypto transactions by delivering real-time risk assessments, semantic verification, and robust defence against cyber threats.
• Pentestify – University College London
  A continuous, post-deployment smart contract vulnerability detection SaaS.
• RapidRANDefender – Queen Mary University London
  Adaptive and cost-effective solution for securing open and programmable next-generation wireless networks.
• SIROCCO – Anglia Ruskin University
  Tailored cybersecurity solutions for wind farms using tamper-proof AI models to prevent disruption to operations and damage to high-value components.
• TeleHealth-CyberShield – De Montfort University
  TeleHealth-CyberShield is a high-performance, future-proof cybersecurity solution that combines quantum-resilient methods with traditional cryptographic algorithms to deliver fast, real-time, and cost-effective protection for medical data at rest and in transit.
• VeriBee – University of Manchester
  Advanced verification and AI for identifying, repairing, and learning from security vulnerabilities in source code.

About CyberASAP

Now in its eighth year, CyberASAP has helped over 170 academic teams, from universities all over the UK, to develop the commercial potential of their research, and increase its impact out in the market.

Outcomes include spin out, start up, licensing and making their tech available open source. To date, Alumni have formed 32 companies and raised over £40m in post- programme funding to pursue a variety of commercialization routes; and include CAPSLOCK, Cavero Quantum, FACT360, KETS Quantum, Lupovis and Mindgard.

The funding competition for Year 9 of the programme is currently open. Cyber security academics can apply from now up until the application deadline of 12th February 2025 at 11am.

Apply here for Year 9.

CyberASAP is funded by the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and delivered by Innovate UK.