11th Edition of Cyber Investor Days in Dublin boosts visibility of European cybersecurity start-ups

ECSO was delighted to give visibility to European cybersecurity start-ups by successfully co-organising another edition of the Cyber Investor Days on the 27th and 28th June in Dublin, Ireland. The event was hosted by Enterprise Ireland in collaboration with Cyber Ireland and the Women4Cyber (W4C) Foundation.

Twelve promising European cybersecurity companies pitched their innovative cybersecurity solutions to more than 60 international investors and integrators from Ireland and mainland Europe, joined by representatives from major corporates including Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, PWC, E&Y, Bank of Ireland and the European Investment Bank. The entire event was tailored to strengthen European cybersecurity investments, which lies at the core of ECSO’s goal to boost cybersecurity made in Europe and expand the European cybersecurity market, as well as its future competitiveness.

The first day of the event was dedicated to the meeting of cybersecurity experts and investors, opened by welcoming remarks from Kevin Buckley, Senior Development Advisor, High Potential Start-Ups at Enterprise Ireland and ECSO Secretary General Luigi Rebuffi. During the day, two panel discussions took place covering some gripping insights. The first one focused on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and how it affects Europe’s cybersecurity posture while the second one discussed the cybersecurity market challenges and investment needs in Ireland and the rest of Europe.

The second day, centred around the start-up pitch sessions and B2B meetings, opened by welcoming remarks from Dr Eoin Byrne, Cluster Manager at Cyber Ireland and Michael Lucassen, Managing Partner at TIIN Capital as well as Chair of ECSO’s Working Group on ‘Market Deployment, Investments and International Collaboration’. Out of the 12 cybersecurity start-ups pitching – 8 of which from Ireland – Cork-based Vaultree and Belfast’s ANGOKA were nominated for ECSO’s European Cybersecurity STARtup Award, while ANGOKA was also selected for the W4C STARtup Award. These start-ups will compete in ECSO’s European Cybersecurity STARtup Award competition final taking place in early 2023.

“I am proud to see how far the Cyber Investor Days has 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 landscape, Ireland is a perfect location for the 2022 edition of this event”, he concludes.

“While putting a spotlight on Ireland’s cyber security strengths, the investor days provide a great platform for European cyber companies to connect with investors and new corporate customers.”, adds Kevin Buckley. “This matchmaking event is critical to provide access to finance, and access to markets, for Irish and European companies to scale rapidly, increase sales and serve larger clients.”, highlights Dr Eoin Byrne. Ireland’s Cybersecurity Cluster and Ecosystem is a hotbed of cybersecurity talent, home to 40 multinationals with security operations and over 60 homegrown cybersecurity companies.

The next nominees for ECSO’s European Cybersecurity STARtup Award will be selected at the local Cyber Investor Days in The Hague (October) and Rennes (November). ECSO’s Award also supports female entrepreneurs, thanks to the collaboration with the Women4Cyber Foundation. The two have joined forces launching the Women4Cyber STARtup Award, which gives recognition to the cybersecurity companies founded or co-founded by women and/or to the companies with at least 50% female employees. The winner of the Women4Cyber STARtup Award is selected by the jury of the ECSO European Cybersecurity STARtup Award and given to the female-led company at the final of the European Cybersecurity STARTup Award.

Kevin Buckley, Senior Development Advisor, High Potential Start-Ups at Enterprise Ireland and ECSO Secretary General Luigi Rebuffi

PANEL DEBATE – The Cybersecurity Implications from the War in Ukraine

Richard Browne, Dr, Director, National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) of Ireland
Liz Craven O’Neill, CIO/CISO, H+K International

Moderator: Jacky Fox, Managing Director | Security Lead Ireland | Global GTO, Accenture & Vice Chair, Cyber Ireland

PANEL DISCUSSION – Cybersecurity ecosystem and investment landscape in Ireland and the EU

Donnchadh Cullinan, Head of ICT HPSU, Enterprise Ireland
David Dana, Head of VC investments – Disruptive Tech & Innovation, European Investment Fund (EIF)
Michael Lucassen, Managing Partner, TIIN Capital & Chair of ECSO Working Group on ‘Market Deployment, Investments and International Collaboration’
Charlie Ardagh, Head of Partnerships, Tines
Moderator: Augustin Blanchard, Executive Director, Tikehau Ace Capital

Dr Eoin Byrne, Cluster Manager at Cyber Ireland and Michael Lucassen, Managing Partner at TIIN Capital

Ryan Lasmaili, Vaultree Co-Founder

Daniela Menzky, ANGOKA Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

The Team: 

Tomás Scully, Development Executive, High Potential Start-Ups (ICT) at Enterprise Ireland
Fiona Kearney, Events & Marketing Coordinator at Cyber Ireland
Dr Eoin Byrne, Cluster Manager at Cyber Ireland
Milda Kaklauskaitė, Policy Manger at ECSO

Kevin Buckley, Senior Development Advisor, High Potential Start-Ups at Enterprise Ireland

Ana Vallés Bori, Junior Policy Manager at ECSO

Find the Brochure of this Cyber Investor Days in Dublin here.