GSC Blog: Information for Start-Ups
GSC open-ed article in Biometric Technology Today: "Taking Innovation to Market"
August 4 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The co-presidents of the Global Security Challenge, Simon Schneider and Janeen Chupa, wrote an article that was published in the August issue of Biometric Technology Today. Here is a short excerpt from this article, titled "Taking Innovation to Market": ...
VCs are Hungry for Security Startups: $73million in July (deals roundup: july '08)
July 31 2008 | 1 comment(s)
Here is another roundup of recent funding rounds in security startups. We publish this list of recent VC deals regularly to inform entrepreneurs about active investors in the security space. Read here about our April deal roundup, our May deal...
Energyville: new educational online game about impact of energy on security in your virtual city
July 29 2008 | 1 comment(s)
Chevron and the Economist Group created an educational online game, called Energyville in which users design the energy infrastructure to meet the demand of their own virtual city. Throughout the game, users can learn about the advantages and disadvantages of...
The Economy Hits Venture Capital: Latest trends show no growth
July 28 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The National Venture Capital Association has put out some interested statistics about the state of play in venture capital in the US. Interestingly, it shows a complex picture. For Q2 2008 the amount invested when compared to Q1 ($7.5B into...
Imperial College London sets up new "Institute for Security Science & Technology"
July 25 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Two announcements in the last weeks manifested Imperial College London's place on the map for security and defence research in the UK:First, Sir Roy Anderson, the current Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Ministry of Defence was selected as new...
Another GSC Finalist Raises New Round - $16m - Bringing Total of GSC Alumni to over $35 million
July 23 2008 | 1 comment(s)
Another alumni of the GSC Competition just announced a new funding round. UK based Secerno Ltd (Finalist GSC 2006), which develops database security software, closed a $16 million funding round led by London's Amadeus Capital.We are proud about the achievements...
10 Days Left to Submit Your Security Ideas for Chance to Win $20,000 Dollar
July 21 2008 | 4 comment(s)
Only a few days left to submit your security idea to the two currently open security innovation competitions of the Global Security Challenge: Best Security Idea$10,000 cash awardmentorship by Siemens Venture Capitalpresent your idea/research in front of government & investors...
New Director of UK's Intelligence Agency - GCHQ - Appointed
July 21 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Iain Lobban has been named as the new Director of GCHQ. He will take over from Sir David Pepper at the end of July 2008 following Sir David's retirement. More from the GCHQ's Press Release: "The next Director of GCHQ...
Farnborough Air Show in UK: new technologies and faces at BAE Systems
July 18 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The GSC Team was invited as guests of BAE System to attend the Farnborough Air Show yesterday. Besides watching the latest commercial and military aircrafts, we also did a tour of BAE's latest security solutions, such as unmanned vehicles...
Swiss Biometric Start-Up & Siemens Join Forces in Battle Against Online Banking Fraud
July 16 2008 | 0 comment(s)
As the Economist reported, a Swiss security startup company and Siemens AG joined forces to deliver a biometric fingerprint solution that adds another layer of security to online transactions:"Banks in Europe and South Africa are testing a device that authenticates...
Traditional defense giant Raytheon focuses on security technologies
July 15 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Major American defense contractor Raytheon is increasing its focus on civil security market. Better known for its state-of-the-art military systems such as the surface-to-air Patriot missile systems, Raytheon has been applying its military technology to civilian applications such as...
Leaders from UK Home Office, US Pentagon and UK Ministry of Defence to Debate at GSC Grand Final
July 14 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Here is a short update on the already confirmed key speakers for our GSC Grand Final Event in London on November 13 · Dr. John Reid, MP, former Home Secretary and former Secretary of State for Defence (UK Government) ...
New Security Challenges in the IT Sector. What Can Europe Do? (by Moritz Schneider)
July 11 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Guest column by Moritz Schneider, political journalist from Berlin.More than 250 million Europeans are now regular Internet users, 80% of them have broadband connections and 60% of public services in the EU are fully available online. According to the European...
New Security Technology: projecting a silent microwave scream inside your head
July 9 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The US military has bankrolled early development of a non-lethal microwave weapon that can cause sound inside the target's head. The Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio ("MEDUSA") is based on a well-known phenomenon, but the link to potential military...
Exlusive Interview with Sponsor of the $10,000 Crowded Places Idea Award
July 7 2008 | 1 comment(s)
Exlusive interview with Fiona Strens, co-director of Secure-Futures Ltd, a UK-based company to catalyse innovation and investment, focused on key national security. In our interview, Fiona talks about why they sponsor the $10,000 award for the GSC Crowded-Places competition...
UK's Ministry of Defence: Looking to Cash Out of QinetiQ Stake
July 4 2008 | 0 comment(s)
As we blogged about before, the UK Government retained a sizable but minority stake in Qinetiq which was floated in 2006 and has a current value of £1.32 billion. Now rumours are swirling that the Government is ready to sell...
Global Warming as Security Issue: US National Intelligence Council Report
July 3 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Climate change has become an important issue in recent years, but rarely has it received as much attention as a security issue as it did last week. Dr. Thomas Fingar, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis, delivered a briefing...
Next Generation of CCTV - Hearing is Believing
July 2 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Research being undertaken at the University of Portsmouth aims at making smarter CCTV cameras that can respond to noise. According to the university's press release, the cameras will use artificial intelligence software to "learn" the "sounds of breaking glass, someone...
VCs are Hungry for Security Startups (deals roundup: june 08)
July 1 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Here is another roundup of recent funding rounds in security startups. We publish this list of recent VC deals regularly to inform entrepreneurs about active investors in the security space. Read here about our April deal roundup, and our May...
Asia's New Navy Fleets: flexing the muscles just to protect from terrorists?
June 30 2008 | 0 comment(s)
As The Economist reported, there has been a massive built-up of naval capabilities by Asian countries that could be the start of a new arms race in Asia: "In the past two years China's navy has acquired new destroyers,...
More on meta-materials - acoustics cloaking for sonic proof room and stealth vessels
June 27 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Spanish scientists have recently published blueprints for a physically realisable acoustics cloak. This acoustics cloak would channel sound waves around an object, much like flowing water around a smooth pebble. This would essentially render the object impervious to sound. The...
New Security Association in the UK: SITC
June 26 2008 | 0 comment(s)
On Wednesday, your correspondents went to the opening event of the newly established Security Innovation and Technology Consortium (SITC), backed by UK's SEEDA. SITC recently appointed Stephen Swain as its first Chief Executive Officer. Stephen comes to SITC from Control Risks,...
2012 Olympics Budget to Rise Above £10 billion Due to Security Requirements
June 25 2008 | 0 comment(s)
As reported by the Telegraph, the UK National Audit Office (NAO) says security costs, the uncertainty over the financing of the Olympic Village and a lack of a coherent plan for the legacy of the Olympic venues threaten to send...
3 New Things in France's Defence & Security: coordinator, money and NATO reintegration
June 24 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the results of the recently completed defence review in which he announced a few major changes, as reported by The Economist: €200 Billion for Defence"Out of 320,000 defence posts, civilian and military, 54,000...
New Materials for Better Antennas...the invisible type
June 23 2008 | 0 comment(s)
US Air Force put out an interesting call recently, it was for antennas made from metamaterials. This seems to be just the beginning of applications for metamaterials, which DangerRoom.com describes as the material that might eventually lead us to invisibility...
GSC in Bloggerland - blogs about our international security startup competition
June 20 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Here is a brief roundup of a few blogs mentioning our cause of empowering security startups: Sharon Weinberger at Danger Room: "More Prizes for Homeland Security Ideas""The Global Security Challenge is offering $500,000. My all time favorite acronym, TSWG, also...
Corporate VC Funds - alternate financing route for security startups
June 19 2008 | 1 comment(s)
VCs come in all shapes and sizes; with different attitudes towards entrepreneurs and different investment strategies. But there is another group of VCs that might not jump to mind when you are looking for money. Several big industry players have...
Crowded Places are a Focal Point for UK National Counter Terrorism Strategy
June 18 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NACTSO) of the UK, is a police unit co-located with the Centre for the Protection of the National Infrastructure and funded by the Association of Chief Police Officers. The work of NaCTSO is primarily...
Mr. Chertoff, Tear Down That Wall! - more innovative technologies needed for US borders
June 17 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to put some 700 miles of fencing along the border between the United States and Mexico by the end of George Bush's term, according to an article by the Economist last week:...
$10,000 Dollar for Best Security Idea: Submission Deadline Extended to July 31st
June 16 2008 | 2 comment(s)
The Global Security Challenge announces today that the deadline for submission to our "Best Security Idea" competition has been extended to July 31st 2008, due to popular demand by researchers and innovators worldwide. We also announce today that the winning...
A "Cyber Force" as 4th Military Domain in the UK next to Navy, Air and Land?
June 13 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Your correspondents went to the annual conference of the Cyber Security KTN in London yesterday. Besides seeing a bunch of familiar faces, there were some good debates and speakers. Graham Wright, the Director of Targeting & Information Operations for the...
A VC's View on Why Startups Fail
June 12 2008 | 0 comment(s)
David Feinleib, who is a VC at Mohr Davidow Ventures, wrote a great article about why startups fail. David had some interesting points having been on both sides of the term sheet: "They spend too much on sales and marketing...
Seaglider Research Starts its Commercial Launch with iRobot
June 11 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Yesterday's announcement of licensing Seaglider technology to iRobot is an encouraging example of government funded research at a university that will now be commercialized through the help of a private company. iRobot acquired the exclusive license from the University of...
4 Myths about Starting Up Your Own Business
June 10 2008 | 0 comment(s)
An interesting story on Market Watch talks about four myths for starting up your business, that shouldn't hold you back. Here is an excerpt of the story: It takes a lot of money to finance a new business. Not true....
New X-Ray Technologies for Air-Cargo Security
June 9 2008 | 0 comment(s)
We are all (way too) familiar with the airport screening of accompanied luggage, but this is only a minor fraction of what aircrafts carry. The rest consists of commercial freight, which is more difficult to scan, as the Economist reported:...
Germany About to Enact Tougher Surveillance Tools for Police
June 6 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Germany's government decided on a new law that would give police more rights to conduct online searches, video surveillance of homes and phone monitoring. Of course, the Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is a big supporter of this draft law that...
Next Generation of Radio Technology Needed
June 5 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Communicating in a city of talkers seems to be a big problem in Washington DC. Not only are there so many problems just in linking up disparate first responder groups but there are also major problems with radios that don't...
How to Pitch to a VC? Part II on Communications
June 4 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Pitching your start-up company to a venture capitalist is a tough experience and its important for entrepreneurs to have a clear elevator-pitch when presenting to a VC, as we described in Part 1 of our series for "How to Pitch...
Dual-Technology to Broaden Your Technology's Commercial Appeal
June 3 2008 | 0 comment(s)
We at the GSC are strong advocates of dual-use technologies, by which we mean the application of emerging security technologies not only to government clients but commercial entities as well. We wanted to note a recent example of how security...
Booz Allen Hamilton Supports Security Innovators as American Partner of GSC 2008
June 2 2008 | 0 comment(s)
With only a few weeks left before the submission deadline for the GSC startup competition, we are delighted that Booz Allen Hamilton sponsors our American Semi-Final 2008. The event will be held on the campus of the University of Maryland...
MOD's Outreach and Support Component Kicks Off
May 30 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Yesterday, your faithful correspondents visited the kickoff meeting for the UK's new Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) outreach effort. As reported before on our blog the CDE is a new creation stood up to not only increase the supply base...
Exclusive Interview with a UK Security VC - how to raise funds for your startup?
May 29 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Exclusive Interview with Richard Leaver, the CEO of PegasusBridge Defence & Security Fund Limited, one of the first defence & homeland security funds in Europe and sponsor of the Global Security Challenge 2008. In our interview, Richard talks about security...
UK's QinetiQ is eyeing acquisitions in US defence market
May 28 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The US market for homeland security technologies never seems out of favour. QinetiQ, a spinout of the UK government and now a defence contractor funded in part by Carlyle Group, said today "it was eyeing more acquisitions in the US...
VCs are Hungry for Security Startups (deals roundup / may 08)
May 27 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Here is another roundup of recent funding rounds in security startups. We publish this list of recent VC deals regularly to inform entrepreneurs about active investors in the security space. Read here about our April deal roundup. Company Sector...
I'm your Angel - Tips of Dealing with Angel Investors
May 23 2008 | 2 comment(s)
The owner of a two-year old, Lijit Networks, had some wise words to say about angel funding. It dealt with the issue finding angels if you don't already have an established network as a really early stage company - a...
Siemens VC to Mentor Winner of the GSC Ideas Award
May 22 2008 | 0 comment(s)
As we mentioned a couple weeks ago on our blog, the GSC has added competitions for people with good ideas for security technologies. This is meant to support innovators who haven't yet formed a business or finished their prototype. We...
Straight from the Under Secretary's Mouth: $$$ for security innovation
May 21 2008 | 0 comment(s)
DHS Under Secretary for S&T, Jay Cohen, spoke on the hill about how his directorate gives out money. The main goal is to invest in science and technology that protects against catastrophic events -- making the Nation safer. The S&T...
Carlyle Back on Form: $2.5 billion defense private equity deal
May 20 2008 | 2 comment(s)
The Carlyle Group is going back to its roots by buying into the US Government portion of the splitting Booz Allen Hamilton for $2.54 billion. According to the Washington Post, Carlyle - with about $81 billion in assets and recently...
Part II: Exclusive Interview with Winner of GSC 2007 - How to win $500K in the Global Security Challenge?
May 19 2008 | 0 comment(s)
This is Part II of our exclusive Interview with Phil Davies, Vice-President Sales & Marketing of NoblePeak Vision, which won the Global Security Challenge 2007. In our interview, Phil reveals tips for winning our $500K startup competition. GSC: For a...
Exclusive Interview with Winner of GSC 2007 - How to win $500K in the Global Security Challenge?
May 16 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Exclusive Interview with Phil Davies, Vice-President Sales & Marketing of NoblePeak Vision, which won the GSC 2007. In the 1st part of our interview, Phil talks about life of a security startup. In the 2nd part, he reveals tips for...
Placebo Effect in Security Solutions?
May 15 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The Economist reported about a council in London that uses voice-risk analysis (VRA) as a way of identifying fraudulent claims for social-security benefits. "VRA is not new. The version used in this test at Harrow was developed by an Israeli...
GSC Guides UK's New Enterprise Framework
May 14 2008 | 0 comment(s)
On 12 March 2008 the UK Government launched a new Enterprise Strategy:"The Strategy's central vision is to make the UK the most enterprising economy in the world and the best place to start and grow a business. The strategy...
National University of Singapore hosts Asian Semi-Final of GSC
May 13 2008 | 0 comment(s)
We are happy to report that our partner university for the Asian leg of the Global Security Challenge (GSC) is again the National University of Singapore. National University of Singapore (NUS) consistently ranks amongst the top universities worldwide. In fact...
Startup Competitions Pay-Off
May 12 2008 | 0 comment(s)
There was a nice write-up about startup competitions in the FT last week. Here are the main points why entrepreneurs should enter competitions according to Emma Jacobs' article in the Financial Times: Winning is good for business;Companies that enter competitions...
*New* Crowded-Places Award Launched Today - Win $10,000 for Your Idea
May 8 2008 | 0 comment(s)
New competition taps into inventiveness of entrepreneurs and universities as 71% of security start-ups originate there. The Global Security Challenge and Secure Futures, a UK based national security innovation firm, announced today their commitment to an initiative designed to help...
London's CCTV Needs Facelift
May 7 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Britain claims to be the country with the highest concentration of CCTV cameras, and certainly every time there is a big profile crime we are shown video footage of the victim and or perpetrators. When a suspected terrorist was shot...
Instead of VC - Alternate Ways to Finance your Startup
May 6 2008 | 1 comment(s)
If you are tired of bootstrapping your firm, an equity investment by a VC might not always be the best option for you. With the average cost of starting a business in the area of $70,000, entrepreneurs should also look...
How to Pitch to a VC?
May 5 2008 | 2 comment(s)
Having spent a lot of time with leading venture capitalists as part of our competitions, we put together a few tips for how to effectively pitch to a VC: 1. Get "Screened"Every VC has his own screening tool to source...
Hyper-Competition Has no Place for Prejudice
May 2 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Michael Arrington wrote a great article about the attractiveness of Silicon Valley for technology entrepreneurs and we absolutely agree with his sentiment that "hyper-competition has no place for prejudice", as it also perfectly applies to the various competitions we at...
How to Contract with the Pentagon the Wrong Way
May 1 2008 | 0 comment(s)
According to DefenseTech.org, there is still too much fat built into the defense procurement system. It appears that the pentagon is still paying more for products than they should. The Washington Post also put a spotlight on the GAO report...
Terminator Come True: Rise of the Machines
April 30 2008 | 1 comment(s)
Researchers from Modular Robotics Lab at the University of Pennlysvannia are working on cool robotics technologies; their latest robot can put itself back together after being exploded. If you dont believe it, watch the movie I found today on Marc...
Silent Cyber Security Initiative: the new "Manhattan Project"?
April 29 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Evidently the US Government is responding to the dramatic increase in cyber attacks against its assets in the last fiscal year. Depending on who you talk to the project is massive and calls for a dramatic reduction in points of...
VCs Are Hungry for Security Startups
April 29 2008 | 1 comment(s)
Here is a roundup of recent venture capital funding rounds in security startups, which amounted to over $120 million so far this year. Technologies ranged from data security to facial recognition and alternate GPS solutions, invested by VCs from...
Competition Dying in Defence Industry?
April 28 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Today Messrs Zakheim and Kadish - now senior executives at Booz Allen Hamilton though you might remember them as former US Defense and Missile Defense Agency heads, respectively - wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post about the...
Interpol Afraid of Olympics Attack - Surprise?
April 25 2008 | 1 comment(s)
"The head of Interpol said Friday that there is a "real possibility" that the Beijing Olympics will be targeted by terrorists or that anti-China groups could attack athletes." An article by MSNBC today states that Interpol is sending out...
People are the Biggest Unknown for Security Leaders
April 24 2008 | 1 comment(s)
Your correspondents spent the day yesterday at InfoSec Europe in London. We were looking for innovators and talking to the big integrators and corporates. One of the most interesting parts was a panel we sat in on. It was hosted...
Signs of Acceptance of a Globalized Defence Policy?
April 22 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Last June, the US signed a defense trade cooperation treaty with the UK and proceeded to sign a similar one with Australia in September. These treaties will allow the States to trade most defense technologies more quickly with the UK...
Turning People into Tools for the War on Terror
April 21 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The ubiquity and advanced capabilities of today's mobile phones have led a few American researchers to the idea of utilizing people and their gadgets as automated bomb sniffers. Professors from Purdue University invented a system that would utilize smart mobile...
Global Security Challenge Competition 2008 Opened for Entrants Today!
April 15 2008 | 6 comment(s)
Global Security Challenge, the largest international security innovation competition, is open for entries, offering security start-ups worldwide the opportunity to showcase their inventions and compete for over $500,000 in cash-grants. The GSC, which is in its third year, aims to...
Controversy about UK's Holding Period for Terrorist Suspects - Why not use technology to enhance police capabilities?
April 14 2008 | 1 comment(s)
Jacqui Smith, the UK Home Secretary recently stated that the terrorist threat is growing and threatens to overwhelm the ability to police. These claims come as she is requesting that parliament approve a change to the period for which...
Some government backed innovation still misunderstood
April 9 2008 | 3 comment(s)
The UK MoD's recent move to open a "pilot centre for defence enterprise" has come under fire within the press. Evidently this new centre for incubation will be located in the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. The proximity...
German Government Provides €29 Million in Funding for Explosive Research
April 6 2008 | 4 comment(s)
Germany's Federal Ministry of Research is providing €29 million in funding for 16 new collaborative projects for the detection of toxic and explosive substances. Altogether 73 partner entities are involved in these 16 projects, ranging from universities, scientific institutes,...
The DHS Inspector General Takes a Look at Airport Security
March 31 2008 | 1 comment(s)
The Office of the Inspector General at DHS recently released an unclassified summary of its undercover testing of airport screening, entitle an Audit of Airport Passenger and Checked Baggage Screening Performance. The OIG evidently sent in undercover agents to...
Standoff Detection - what are the benchmarks for such technologies?
March 24 2008 | 0 comment(s)
One of the most difficult problems to solve in security technologies in the ability to know whether a person holds or a vehicle contains explosives. As we discuss standoff technologies today let's first make sure that we are talking about...
Exit Opportunities for Security Startups Look Bright
March 17 2008 | 3 comment(s)
VC Money is Sign of Healthy ExitsWe blogged last week about the availability of VC money for security startups. The selected entrepreneurs who made it to the final rounds of the Global Security Challenge collectively raised over $19 million following...
UMD is named American Partner University of the Global Security Challenge 2008
March 12 2008 | 0 comment(s)
We are happy to announce that the University of Maryland is the 2008 host of the American leg of the Global Security Challenge. The University of Maryland is a world class institution widely recognized for its work in the...
Global Security Challenge's finalists raise over $19 million in new capital
March 10 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The Global Security Challenge (GSC) is proud to announce that our finalists and winners from the last two annual competitions have subsequently raised $19.6 million in new venture capital, grants and angel investments. This is in addition to the...
IARPA... Open for Business
March 5 2008 | 1 comment(s)
It has been called the spy-version of DARPA, but the Intelligence Advanced Research Activity Project or IARPA has opened on the campus of the University of Maryland, a partner university of the Global Security Challenge. IARPA (pronounced EYE-ar-pah) is...
German spy software gets a limited "Go"
March 3 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The Constitutional Supreme Court of Germany (Bundesverfassungsgericht) decided last week that the online investigation of a suspect's computer is permissible under the German constitution. Technology-wise, this would mean that the police can purposefully infect a suspect's computer with spy...
Rail Security - the Slow Metamorphosis of Trains into Airliners
February 27 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Many aviation experts continue to complain that security controls at airports are inefficient and ineffective. Their arguments are only strengthened by the fact that testing the system usually reveals breathtaking gaps. Nevertheless, terrorists are known to be adaptive by...
A Look at Defence Investing: Funding from Asia
February 25 2008 | 0 comment(s)
As it becomes more and more important to find and fund cutting edge technologies, we see countries turning to the venture capitalist route. Singapore is one of those countries and today we'll look at the fund established there and...
Web 2.0 - New Terrorist Threats or Security Opportunities?
February 20 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The (ab)use of emails by terrorists has been a well known issue in the intelligence industry. In the averted train-plot in Germany last year, terrorists tried to (unsuccessfully) outsmart authorities' surveillance of email traffic by not actually sending out...
More Statistics about Funding Security and Defence Startups
February 19 2008 | 0 comment(s)
We thought we'd share some remaining statistics about the innovators that entered the GSC last year. Approximately 51% of the startups that entered were self-funded while nearly 30% had been funded by VCs. The remaining 19% had a mix...
Cyber Defence - warfare of the future?
February 13 2008 | 0 comment(s)
With the heavy reliance of military, banks and even civilians on the Internet today, it's no surprise that criminal and terrorist activities are focusing their efforts on reeking havoc on the web these days. While it used to be...
The Balance of Military Spending in 2008
February 11 2008 | 0 comment(s)
According to IISS's annual assessment of world-wide military capabilities and expenditures, Military Balance 2008, as the world gets richer more money is spent on defence. During times of economic prosperity it is easy to justify growing defence spending as...
The EU Counter-Terrorism Strategy: how is technology involved?
February 6 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The Counter-Terrorism CoordinatorAfter the Madrid bombings in 2004, the EU appointed its first Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Gijs de Vries, with the ambitious mission to facilitate exchange of information about border control, the security of travel documents and to promote police...
Science and Innovation as a part of the UK's Counterterrorism Strategy
February 4 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Maintaining a culture of innovation is difficult under the best of circumstances and within very big organizations and governments it is probably easier to through up your hands in frustration than to build in a system that properly finds, funds,...
EU View: "Technology alone cannot guarantee security, but security without technology is impossible"
January 30 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The GSC team just came back from a trip to Brussels where we met with leaders of the European Commission, The European Council and European Defence Agency. We will report on a few insights about how the EU has positioned...
Office Expansion for start-ups: a look at the office market through Porter´s Five Forces
January 29 2008 | 1 comment(s)
As some of you may know, the GSC is growing and therefore needs new office space. I have had the luxury of experiencing something that most entrepreneurs must face- the dreaded office search. I am now convinced the way to...
Emerging Technology Outlook: 2nd generation biometrics
January 23 2008 | 0 comment(s)
As organizers of the largest innovation competition in the security world, one of the Global Security Challenge's tasks is to map emerging innovations, such as 2nd generation biometrics. Below is a quick overview of where we stand with 2-gen biometrics...
About the UK's Counter-Terrorism Strategy
January 21 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Laws alone will not stop terrorism, but since we must be prepared to deal with terrorism, the United Kingdom devised a strategy in 2003 (known within Government as CONTEST) for countering terrorism. With it, the UK aims to reduce the...
An Innovative Way of Funding Startups: Israel's Chief Scientist
January 16 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) is part of the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor of the State of Israel. Several other ministries also have a Chief Scientist - such as the Ministry of Defence and the...
NaCTSO's November 2007 Statistics on Business CT Needs
January 14 2008 | 0 comment(s)
A Closer Look at the UK Home Office's NaCTSONaCTSO, which is funded and operated by the Association of Chief Police Officers, is the National Counter Terrorism Security Office. These brave souls are charged with partnering with the Security Service to...
Help for (security) SMEs by European Commission
January 9 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Financial Support for Security ResearchLast year the European Union recognized the need and importance of helping innovators in the security sector, by announcing that as part of its EU Framework 7, €1.4 billion would be set aside to fund...
GSC Conference Trailer (2007)
January 7 2008 | 0 comment(s)
We opened the GSC 2007 with a short "James Bond" spoof to acquaint the audience with our project in a short and hopefully humerus way. In our short clip, M. and 007 discuss the Global Security Challenge. Enjoy! Click...
GSC in the News Roundup
January 6 2008 | 0 comment(s)
The Global Security Challenge received great press coverage in the past few weeks. Here is a quick summary with a few soundbites: Mission for James Bond's Q: seek venture capital ´"...MBA students at London Business School staged the inaugural security...
GSC Tutorial
December 4 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Well I hope those of you who attended the 2nd annual GSC Grand Final enjoyed it as much as I did! For those of you who were unable to attend, but want to know more about the GSC I thought...
Next Generation Night-Vision Technology Wins the Global Security Challenge 2007
November 12 2007 | 0 comment(s)
NoblePeak Vision was awarded a $500,000 grant sponsored by TSWG of the U.S. Government and mentorship with Paladin Capital Group for winning the 2nd annual Global Security Challenge today.Founded in 2002 as a spin-out from Bell Laboratories, NoblePeak Vision...
TSWG of US Government sponsors $500K grant for winner of Global Security Challenge 2007
November 7 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Sponsor of the $500k grant: TSWG of US GovernmentThis year's grant for the winning entrepreneur of the Global Security Challenge is sponsored by the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG), an interagency group of the U.S. Government, based in Washington DC.TSWG...
GSC Keynote Speaker: Honorable Lee Buchanan
November 6 2007 | 0 comment(s)
We are honored to announce that the Honorable H. Lee Buchanan will deliver the morning keynote address of the Global Security Challenge 2007. Mr. Buchanan is replacing Lt. General Minihan, who had to cancel his trip to London as our...
Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: XID-Technology
November 5 2007 | 0 comment(s)
In a short series, we are profiling the 5 finalists that will present at the Grand Final of the Global Security Challenge 2007 on November 8th in London. The fifth part of the series today presents XID.XID Technology - SingaporeXID,...
Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: Psylock
November 4 2007 | 0 comment(s)
In a short series, we are profiling the 5 finalists that will present at the Grand Final of the Global Security Challenge 2007 on November 8th in London. The fourth of the series today presents Psylock.Psylock - GermanyPsylock provides a...
Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: NoblePeak Vision
November 3 2007 | 0 comment(s)
In a short series, we will profile the 5 finalists that will present at the Grand Final of the Global Security Challenge 2007 on November 8th in London. The third of the series today presents NoblePeak Vision. NoblePeak Vision -...
Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: EyeMarker Systems
November 2 2007 | 0 comment(s)
In a short series, we will profile the 5 finalists that will present at the Grand Final of the Global Security Challenge 2007 on November 8th in London. The second of the series today is EyeMarker. EyeMarker Systems - USAEyeMarker...
Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: Auxetix
November 1 2007 | 0 comment(s)
In a short series, we will profile the 5 finalists that will present at the Grand Final of the Global Security Challenge 2007 on November 8th in London. Starting the series today is Auxetix. Auxetix Ltd -United KingdomThe Auxetix blast...
GSC announces the 5 most promising security start-ups in the world
October 29 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Security technology start-ups from all over the world entered this year's competition. After tough judging rounds in Singapore, Munich and Washington DC the top-5 finalists were selected by independent judges from academia, government, industry and venture capital. They are now...
Comments about the GSC from MOD, Siemens and startups
October 24 2007 | 2 comment(s)
We received many comments since the inception of the Global Security Challenge. Wanted to share a few opinions from government officials, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs about the GSC:Lord Drayson, the U.K. Minister for Defence Procurement commented: "Promoting excellence and innovation...
What happened to last year's winner of the Global Security Challenge?
October 22 2007 | 0 comment(s)
One Year on for Ingenia TechnologyIngenia Technology has experienced a phenomenal year since winning the 1st Global Security Challenge in 2006.This year Ingenia Technology qualified as a U.S. Government contractor and has received a contract from a Federal Law Enforcement...
An article from the GSC Team about closing security gaps
October 18 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Germany: €123 million. EU: €1.4 billion. Closing Homeland Security Gaps: Priceless.by Janeen Chupa and Simon SchneiderIt started out simply enough - two graduate students with some free time and a desire to do good. What we ended up learning was...
How to Write a Business Plan? Tips from London Business School
October 17 2007 | 2 comment(s)
One of the things that we've come to realize is that writing a business plan that will successfully garner the attention of venture capitalists is easier said than done. We see a ton of great business ideas but if those...
New IT-Security Partner: Microsoft
October 15 2007 | 0 comment(s)
We are pleased to announce that Microsoft decided to become a formal partner of the Global Security Challenge. We are excited about this development as we have already worked closely with Microsoft leaders in various parts of the world and...
...unearthing security technologies of tomorrow (London - Nov 8)
October 12 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Global Security Challenge Conference - November 8Be a part of the world's largest competition aimed at finding the most innovative security technology startup in the world. This conference brings together senior government officials, business leaders, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in...
Top 15 security startups worldwide
October 10 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Ahead of our anticipated announcement of the five finalists next Monday, we wanted to highlight again the 15 innovative technologies that qualified for the highly selective regional Semi-Finals of the Global Security Challenge competition 2007. Here they are, sorted by...
Human Factor at Heart of European Commission's Security Research
October 9 2007 | 2 comment(s)
At the European Semi-Final of the GSC in Munich last week, we heard a fascinating speech from Christiane Bernard, from the Enterprise & Industry Directorate of the European Commission.Mrs Bernard stressed the importance of the human factor in the interaction...
Tough selection process for GSC Judges
October 8 2007 | 0 comment(s)
One of the pillars of the Global Security Challenge is to bring business leaders, scientists and government experts on one table to judge the many fantastic innovations that entered this year's GSC from all corners of the world. These impartial...
Successful GSC event in Munich
October 3 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Our European Semi-Final in Munich yesterday was very successful. After the keynote speech of Dr. Geiger - the former President of the Bundesnachrichtendienst - the five startups pitched to the audience and our distinguished panel of judges. Because of the...
Challenges remain for security/defense startups despite sector growth
September 27 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Recent research, conducted by the independent Venture Business Research (VBR) group in London shows growing investment activities in the security space. "Total investment in private security (IT and homeland) and defense companies has exceeded over $4.7 billion in 2007 YTD...
Ex-President of BND to speak at GSC in Munich
September 26 2007 | 0 comment(s)
We are very happy to announce our keynote speaker for the GSC conference next Tuesday in Munich:Dr. Hansjörg Geiger was the President of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (Federal Intelligence Service, BND) from 1996 to 1998. The BND is the foreign intelligence agency...
DHS' Research Philosophy
September 25 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Speaking before the audience at our GSC event in Washington on Sept 5th, Jay M. Cohen, Under Secretary for Science & Technology of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security commented about his philosophy in developing disruptive innovations in security technology:"To...
Munich Semi-Final on October 2nd
September 24 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Join us for our European Semi-Final, held at the Technical University of Munich on October 2. Our speakers come from:European Commission,Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Ministry of Defence of the U.K., Siemens Venture Capital, BWI (a private-public partnership of IBM, Siemens...
Selection of Top-5 European Security Startups
September 23 2007 | 0 comment(s)
Our judging committee just finished its tough selection process to arrive at the five European Semi-Finalists that will go to Europe's GSC Semi-Final in Munich on Oct 2nd. Here they are:Aigis Blast Protection (UK) - dramatically minimizes damages of explosions...
The GSC joins the blogger community!
September 21 2007 | 1 comment(s)
It was about time for the GSC to start a blog as well. So here we are, our team just returned from our regional semi-finals in Asia and the US. Here is a quick summary:North AmericaOur North American Semi-Final in...
