Plexal bolsters global cybersecurity hub with two international partnerships

2 mins read

Innovation centre Plexal, which delivers LORCA, the government-backed cybersecurity programme, has announced new partnerships with the Global Cyber Alliance, City of New York, and the New York Economic Development Corporation.

These partnerships have been designed to help cybersecurity companies scale internationally while also expanding Plexal’s role as a major global cybersecurity cluster.

The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) has become a supporting partner of Plexal and has an extensive network of dedicated partners around the world and brings a wealth of cybersecurity expertise from government and the private sector to share with Plexal members and members of the LORCA cohort to help shape their products into viable solutions that will be able to address real-world cyber challenges.

Plexal has also announced a partnership with the City of New York Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer and the New York Economic Development Corporation, thatwill see Plexal be the UK lead for the NYCx Cybersecurity Moonshot Challenge, with a focus on creating better cybersecurity solutions for SMEs.

Plexal will both ensure UK innovators are well represented as challenge participants and also act as the primary UK landing pad for challenge winners.

Plexal will provide consultation, demo opportunities and a base for winners to develop in the UK through free coworking space and support at Plexal’s hub at Here East, London. The partnership will establish strong connections between cyber innovators based in NYC and the UK, enabling sharing of knowledge and resources that is vital to solving cybersecurity challenges on a global scale.

These various partnerships build on the launch of the London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement (LORCA) last year, which is hosted and delivered by Plexal with £13.5m of funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

As the UK’s dedicated space for industry-led cybersecurity innovation, LORCA supports promising cybersecurity innovators in scaling and growing solutions to meet the most pressing industry challenges.

In terms of its international remit, LORCA’s Industry Advisory Board includes representation from Cyber Spark (the Israeli cyber hub) and the National University of Singapore, among others. LORCA also works closely with the Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to connect LORCA members to international networks through delegations and trade missions.

Commenting Andrew Roughan, Managing Director of Plexal, said: “Sharing knowledge and being open to cooperation between global cyber innovators and industry is more important than ever. We’re looking forward to deepening our links with new global partners and acting as the UK landing pad and connector. These important partnerships with the New York Development Corporation and the Global Cyber Alliance will mean the emerging cyber stars we support can have even greater direct access to new markets and the networks they need to succeed.”