Overview

In 2017, the newly formed NCSC announced the creation of a new flagship programme that would support and accelerate startups helping make the UK the safest place to live and work online. Since then, the NCSC For Startups (formerly NCSC Cyber Accelerator) programme has seen over 70 startups successfully graduate and go on to garner some impressive achievements, including raising over £550m in investment and creating more than 1700 jobs. 

A transformative initiative between the NCSC and Plexal, was launched in partnership with Deloitte, CyNam, Hub8 and QA. Part of British intelligence, cyber and security agency GCHQ, the NCSC’s mission is to help make the UK the safest place to live and work online, which has required working with the wider cyber ecosystem. Plexal, the innovation company solving society’s challenges through collaboration with government, startups, industry and academia, has delivered the NCSC For Startups programme on behalf of the NCSC.

Together, the NCSC and Plexal committed to closing the gap between innovative startups and NCSC technical expertise to solve some of the UK’s most important cyber challenges by identifying market needs for solutions. NCSC For Startups was designed to provide startups entering the programme with insights, support and access to help them shape their products and prepare for growth as they develop, adapt and pilot solutions.

The programme has supported startups at all stages of maturity, from developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to those with established solutions looking to expand into new markets. Collaboration may seem unusual for the traditionally closed intelligence space but defending against evolving nation state threats required fresh thinking, which the NCSC and Plexal unlocked alongside partners and the creative companies we discovered and supported. Developed to engage corporations, consultants, investors and national security agencies, NCSC For Startups supported businesses to take breakthrough technologies to market faster than possible in a purely commercial model. Digital is pervasive in modern society, presenting omnipresent cyber threats and technological leaps disrupting industries.
 

Through our innovation partner Plexal, we will continue to support and grow the relationships we’ve made with our alumni. We will also be offering the wealth of experience we have gained from running the NCSC For Startups programme to other government departments, as well as looking for ways to collaborate and utilise our extensive network of startups, investors and large organisations.

If you are interested in getting involved with our alumni community, perhaps as mentors, offering technical, commercial support or helping to grow the cyber ecosystem or feel you have expertise that our alumni could benefit from, please contact NCSC for Startups.