Sometimes, a startup kicks off with a bit of turbulence. But in the case of Proof Labs, a newfound cybersecurity technologies startup in Albuquerque, the ride has smoothed out.
Proof Labs was incorporated one year ago and started with a unique idea: run a lab to test Internet of Things devices for cybersecurity — often referred to as "smart" devices, or products that connect to the internet — ahead of hitting the market.
"We were developing a software suite where the people who invent those technologies, or the manufacturers … they can test their own [device]," said Dick Wilkinson, the chief technology officer at Proof Labs. "And so what we were trying to do is create a toolset so that people that are testing equipment can test it against a really rigorous standard.
"We would build that standard into the toolset and it makes the testing easy for them."
But, there was a problem. Proof Labs needed to find venture capital, and it was hard to convey the need for their product, according to Wilkinson.
So the business, which is based out of the Simms Building at 400 Gold Ave. SW in Downtown Albuquerque and co-founded by Wilkinson and Ricardo Aguilar, pivoted to focus on satellites.
As a consultant, Aguilar has been contracting with the Department of Defense in New Mexico for "pretty much his entire career," according to Wilkinson. For his part, Wilkinson spent 20 years in the U.S. Army.
New Mexico poses a prime opportunity for building Proof Labs' business — which includes cyber-assessments — with the U.S. Air Force working with private organizations like Q Station and the New Mexico Trade Alliance to find technology that can help solve technical challenges.
"Q Station … before they even opened the doors, I [sic.] happened to be walking down the street in Nob Hill and I saw 'Air Force Research Lab' on a door there and I thought 'oh, oh, we're not on base' and it says Air Force like I want to know what's going on in there. And so I knocked on the door," Wilkinson said. "I was just immediately drawn to what Q Station is about because it's, you know, the Air Force Research Lab but it's a business incubator. That was the perfect fit for us."
A total of three people work at Proof Labs currently, including partner Miguel De Santiago in Roswell. In the future, Proof Labs anticipates having to hire security experts and technicians, according to Wilkinson, who added that the company could be called "profitable this quarter" once a check from Central New Mexico Community College hits.
"I [sic.] junior level technicians that can come out of New Mexico Tech, New Mexico State, you know those electronics programs that they have. I think those are going to be some of our future employees," he said.
