CyLab, Carnegie Mellon University's cybersecurity and privacy institute, has launched an international network of technology startups and investors.
The CyLab Venture Network connects participating researchers, companies and investors to facilitate both professional connections and educational opportunities. Michael Lisanti, director of partnerships for CyLab, said the network's goal is to "ignite more startups in the security space at CMU and beyond."
"There's so many awesome ideas for startups, but not all of them, obviously, make it," Lisanti said. "What we're trying to do is pull together a network of collaborators and people who can help these startups become more successful. That includes tying them into the deep tech that's coming out of CMU, through connections with our faculty and students, as well as to investors, corporate partners, governments and just facilitating to make that all happen."
Unlike some programs at CMU, CyLab is university wide. The institute has previously partnered with major tech companies like Microsoft.
"We're looking at being that rigid connector into other parts of the university where the startups or investor partners have interest in or need a [cybersecurity] connection," Lisanti said.
Multiple participants said the network presents a learning opportunity for all involved.
Ilana Diamond, managing partner at 412 Venture Fund, a local firm in the network, said "the key thing" that this network can address is knowledge gaps between startups, researchers and investors. She noted that "somebody who has a great research idea and thinks it might be a business" but lacks business experience can learn a lot from investors, something others seconded.
"There is a bit of a gap where academic institutions can take research so far and the venture capital investment world can only go so early before it becomes too early," said John Funge, managing director of DataTribe, a Maryland-based firm that is part of the network. "It's really important for entrepreneurs that are planning on raising money to understand the constraints of their investors. Where the venture network can be very helpful is to share that knowledge."
The network brings together a variety of types of cybersecurity companies. Some are dealing with artificial intelligence security, a field that is expanding rapidly.
"Being sort of a new area in cybersecurity, I think it's a great opportunity where we can mix with other cybersecurity companies," said Nicos Vekiarides, CEO of Attestiv, a company working to detect AI deepfakes that is part of the network. "There's a great deal of research going on, so there's potential for a lot of synergies that we are hoping to leverage."
Vekiariades is an alumni of CMU, and he isn't the only one involved with the network.
"I've always been impressed by [CMU's] ability to always maintain that step ahead on technology leadership, really around the globe," Ken Zalevsky, CEO of Pittsburgh-based health data security company Vigilant Ops and a CMU alum, said. "All of that stuff is continuously evolving and they're at the forefront, so that is really, really helpful from a cyber perspective to have that in our backyard."
Vigilant Ops received an investment of about $2 million from DataTribe earlier this year as part of a $4.8 million seed round.
Lisanti expects to expand the network to include more companies and investors.
"What's really going to be interesting is what's going to happen three to five, even seven to 10 years from now," Lisanti said. "There's a lot of ways we could take this. We're trying to focus small and narrow like any good startup, but you could just imagine all the different things we could do with the right types of resources, funding and interest from our partners."
