Previous winners

Due to significant cost and technical complexities most SMEs connect perimeter firewall ports directly to applications/systems residing on their trusted network. A very risky process as software and application security is rarely 100% secure.

The iwebgate platform, which is cheap and easily implementable, mirrors the trusted network and supplies all the key services normally provided and located in the trusted network. Undesirables penetrating perimeter defences remain stuck in a 'ghost network' with nothing of value available and a lack of physical stepping stones to access the trusted network or launch outward bound surrogate attacks on other networks.

iwebgate has been awarded $300,000 sponsored by TSWG of the US Department of Defense and mentorship from the Carlyle Group

Kim Mettam, Owner and Director of Business for iwebgate said:"We're honoured and overwhelmed to win the GSC. Even the entry procedures have had major impact on our company, so to win is amazing and will help us bring to the world the vision we have for a safe internet for everyone."

Top of page

Across the developing world, especially in West Africa, the issue of fake and counterfeit medication has become a huge problem - the WHO estimates that in many emerging markets, up to 30% of drugs are compromised. The growing sophistication of cheap graphic software and hardware kit means that packaging, including traditional security features such as holograms, can be perfectly replicated by even smalltime counterfeit operators making the need for a highly robust but economically feasible system urgent.

While being just as robust as emerging methods such as EMID and RFID, and far more secure than holograms, the mPedigree approach is widely accessible through basic text messaging, requires no specialist equipment or training, is free to access for consumers, and a fraction of the price of holograms, and RFID and EMID techniques.

mPedigree has been awarded $200,000 sponsored by TSWG of the US Department of Defense and mentorship from Advent Venture Partners.

Bright Simons, Founder of mPedigree said "This is a clear sign that African technology has come of age and that innovators in Africa addressing complex, difficult and unique challenges can, not withstanding limited resources, deliver world class results. I would like to thank our partners, without whom both our work and this honour would have been impossible. In particular, we would like to thank Nigeria's NAFDAC, HP, May & Baker, Ashoka and many others we cannot name now. Through their support, we are indeed saving lives, across Africa and soon beyond."

Top of page

Masking Networks won $10,000 sponsored by BAE Systems and mentorship from Accenture.

John Nelson from Masking Networks said "The contacts we made and the general sessions at the GSC Summit helped us validate our strategy and may lead to important partnerships. Winning the Cyber Security Challenge recognizes the disruptive nature of our approach to critical infrastructure and network security and the mentorship will be very helpful to me in leading Masking Networks along the critical path to revenue."

Top of page

Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek, said: "It's an amazing achievement to be named as Best Security SME at this year's GSC awards. The award represents an important validation for Kromek's technology and a valuable boost to our funding, which will help to develop our range of security products. Winning this category reflects the extent to which the company is pushing technological boundaries and setting a pace for the industry worldwide."

Kromek won a cash grant of up to US$400,000, provided by TSWG, US Department of Defense, plus mentorship from Chris Winter, a Partner at New Venture Partners.

Top of page

Gideon Miller, CEO of Adaptive Imaging Technologies commented: quot;We were delighted to find that the GSC works very much like Adaptive's "panoramic telescope" camera: your contest covers a very broad field of view, yet you manage to zoom on the right target and scrutinize it with extreme resolution!  We sweated under your spot light, but we are extremely proud and much moved by the result.  I must say that the day itself was tremendous - we benefited enormously from the feedback we received and the contacts that we made at the event.". 

Adaptive Imaging Technologies won a US$100,000 cash grant, provided by TSWG, US Department of Defense, plus mentorship from Mike Chalfen, General Partner at Advent Venture Partners.

Top of page

Currently, the product is being tested in pre-clinical trials and the company hopes to receive FDA approval by mid-2013. This hemostat addresses a growing $1B market within the US, and will be marketed to the US Department of Defense, US Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Medical Services, Shock/Trauma Centers, as well as state and local law enforcement.

Matthew Dowling, the CEO at Remedium Technologies, said regarding the award:
"The GSC Security Summit 2009 was an outstanding event and an invaluable opportunity for Remedium Technologies. We are truly honored to have won the Most Promising Security Idea Category and all the more determined to turn our idea into a commercial reality as quickly as possible. We'd like to thank Dr. Alastair MacWilson and Accenture for sponsoring the award, as well as the judging committee for selecting us. We truly believe that our sprayable hemostatic foam will have an enormous impact on global security and will save many lives in the future."

Remedium Technologies won US$10,000, sponsored by Accenture, plus mentorship from Mark Shaheen, Managing Director, at Civitas Group.

Top of page

Waseem Daher, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Ksplice said in a statement:
"We are honoured at the enthusiastic response to our product for making systems more secure and easier to maintain through seamless updates.  Ksplice solves a major security problem by making it possible to apply updates to running software without restarting it.  We thank the Global Security Challenge for creating valuable opportunities for promising security companies, and we thank BAE Systems for sponsoring the Cyber Security Challenge."

Ksplice won £5,000GBP, sponsored by BAE Systems, plus mentorship from Nick Kingsbury, an entrepreneur turned Venture Capitalist.

Top of page

Commenting on winning the award, Dr Rustom Kanga, Chief Executive Officer of iOmniscient said:
"We are delighted to have been announced as the winner of the Crowded Places Challenge. There are many video analysis systems that work in empty scenes but security threats have moved from empty perimeters to crowded lobbies of airlines, railways and shopping malls, but we have focused our energies on developing technologies such as object detection and facial recognition for crowded scenes.  We are very pleased to have been acknowledged by this very generous award."

iOmniscient won US$10,000, sponsored by BAE Systems, plus mentorship from Matt McCooe, Founding Managing Partner at Chart Venture Partners.

Top of page

TRX Systems' COO Karina Drees commented: "Winning the Global Security Challenge is a tremendous accomplishment for TRX Systems. It provides enormous recognition and a great boost to the development of the company and its products."

Since winning the GSC Startup Competition in 2008, TRX Systems has received a $200,000 grant by the University of Maryland in February 2009. TRX Systems have also raised $1.8 million in angel funding, in November 2009.

Top of page

Commenting on the award win, Justin Power, Director of Homergent said:
"Winning the "Most Promsing Security Idea Award 2008" brings important credibility to Homergent's mission, which is alleviating many of humanity's great problems by providing the desperate with low-cost sustainable shelter modules that harvest energy and feel like Home. The government, industry, and financial opportunities this award is opening for us will be invaluable as we endeavour to scale rapidly from successful breadboards to global supply chain."

Top of page

Cliff King, NoblePeak's Founder and COO said:
"Customer interest in our night vision technology soared from the publicity we received after winning the 2007 GSC. As a direct result we are now developing new camera systems with major OEM's and systems integrators for market launch at the end of 2008"

As reported in the press, the GSC winner of 2007, NoblePeak Vision announced in March 2008 that they raised $12 million in a funding round, led by Chart Venture Partners of New York. With Matt McCooe from Chart Venture Partners being an active supporter of the GSC for years, we are extremely pleased about this startup-investor match.

Top of page