GSC Tutorial

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 it was time for a quick GSC tutorial:

Who enters this kind of thing??
This year, 42% of these innovations originated from universities, 12% are corporate spin-outs and 29% came from unaffiliated entrepreneurs working out of their "garages".

Is it worth my while to enter (i.e. what happened to the Finalists from GSC 2006)?
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: If you have a good, innovative technology that can help protect people then you should most definitely enter the GSC. I think you can see from the below information on the companies that entered the 2006 competition that great things have been happening for them.

• Ingenia Technology received a significant contract from a US Federal Law Enforcement agency and launched a partnership with Bayer AG in Germany. "Ingenia Technology experienced a phenomenal year since winning the 1st Global Security Challenge in 2006." (Mark McGlade of Ingenia)
• Vumii acquired new customers, such as the US Navy and the US Dept of Energy. They raised $3.9m in funds and established reseller relationships with SAIC, amongst others. "As a direct result from our participation in the GSC, Vumii acquired increased global credibility and benefited from greater global brand recognition from the investment community, security solution community, and potential employee population." (Randall Foster of Vumii)
• TIRF received two new US government contracts, they are now talking with VCs for fundraising and Smiths Detection is currently evaluating their technology.
• ScanWalk is further advancing its biometric solution.
• Secerno was named one of Europe's Top-100 startup companies by RedHerring this year. They've established a partnership with KDDI and signed a major deal with expressHR.

How can I give my business a chance to earn international acclaim?
We will announce the opening of next year’s competition at our website (http://www.globalsecuritychallenge.com/) or you can also register for our Newsletter - which is a great way to stay involved and see when the deadlines/application forms for the GSC 2008 will become available.

What if I want to sponsor or speak at next year’s conference?
If you are interested in becoming more involved in any of the GSC conferences please email us at gsc2008@globalsecuritychallenge.com.

What if I think the salmon was overcooked at this year’s conference – who can I complain to? Who can I talk to about great ideas I have for next year?
We always love to get feedback. In the coming weeks, we are reflecting on this year's event and discussing the next steps for ensuring continued success of the Global Security Challenge. We are also connecting our startup entrants and tracking their growth paths. If you have any comments and suggestions how we can further improve the GSC, please email us your opinion and write SPAM in the message line. Just kidding, we really do want your comments…so please start the bombardment!

Next Generation Night-Vision Technology Wins the Global Security Challenge 2007

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 from Massachusetts in the USA has developed a new generation of video surveillance camera cores and components with breakthrough night vision performance. These products are based on TriWaveTM, a revolutionary image sensor technology that enables the rapid detection and identification of people and objects in zero ambient lighting conditions.

Jeff David, the Deputy Director of the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) at the U.S. Department of Defense and Chairman of the GSC Judging Committee said: “Security has no boundaries. To ensure the safety of our world, it is critical to identify the most innovative security technologies by applying a global perspective. We are glad to sponsor the grant award for the winner of the Global Security Challenge to further encourage innovators worldwide to continue to act on their dreams.”

A Worldwide Competition:
Before coming to London, the five finalists had already made it through two rounds of judging. The last of which were regional competitions held with universities in Washington DC, Singapore and Munich. The other four finalists this year have developed technologies that can identify people through biometric analysis of how they type, scan the eye to assess a person’s health, protect against multiple explosions, and recognize faces despite changing light, facial expressions and the presence or absence of beards, moustaches or spectacles.

The Judging Committee of the GSC Grand Final 2007:
• Jeff David - Deputy Director of TSWG at the U.S. Department of Defense;
• Stephen Bonner - Director of Risk Management at Barclays;
• Gian Brown - President of the SAIC Venture Capital Corporation;
• Dr. Alastair MacWillson - Managing Partner of Global Security Practice at Accenture; and
• Jon Wills - Security & Resilience Programmes Director at BAE Systems.

TSWG of US Government sponsors $500K grant for winner of Global Security Challenge 2007

Sponsor of the $500k grant: TSWG of US Government
This 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 is the U.S. national forum that identifies, prioritizes, and coordinates interagency and international research and development (R&D) requirements for combating terrorism. The TSWG rapidly develops technologies and equipment to meet the high priority needs of the combating terrorism community, and addresses joint international operational requirements through cooperative R&D with major allies. (http://www.tswg.gov/)

Read today's media note by the U.S. State Department on TSWG and the GSC here

GSC Keynote Speaker: Honorable Lee Buchanan

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 keynote speaker due to personal reasons. Join us on Thursday at the Hotel Russell for the Grand Final conference.


Honorable H. Lee Buchanan
Former Assistant Secretary for Research, Development and Acquisition
United States Navy

The Honorable H. Lee Buchanan, PhD, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, responsible for all research development and procurement of defense systems for the Navy and the Marine Corps. Dr. Buchanan also served as the Deputy Director of the Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA) in the role of Chief Operating Officer for the central Research and Development organization for the Department of Defense. There he directed a multibillion-dollar program of basic and applied research conducted by industry, universities and national/military laboratories.

Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: XID-Technology

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 – Singapore

XID, a ‘Face Technology’ company incorporated in 2003 in Singapore, targets the Security and Media Markets. It is the inventor of the patented and award-winning ‘Face synthesis technology for face recognition’. XID has deployed the world largest outdoor face recognition system for foreign blue collar workers. The portfolio includes face detection, face recognition, real-time face appearances prediction from a single photo (synthesis), 3D face modelling, 3D face animation and 3D face replacement in a 2D video.

Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: Psylock

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 – Germany
Psylock provides a unique biometric technology that authenticates computer users securely on any computer, without requiring hardware or installation and with very precise recognition rates. Each user is authenticated by the specific way he or she types at a common computer keyboard. The analysis not only validates dependant parameters, like the speed and rhythm of typing which can vary depending on the circumstances, but also stable parameters of typing like left- or right-handedness, typical typing mistakes, correction methods and more. The result is calculated based on complex statistical models and artificial intelligence.

Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: NoblePeak Vision

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 – USA

NoblePeak Vision provides camera core and imager products that are sensitive over the visible to short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrum and that provide breakthrough night vision performance with applications in the security, transportation and defense markets. NoblePeak’s unique integrated approach allows the entire infrared image sensor to be manufactured in a standard silicon process line, yielding never before achieved reliability and economics. Founded in 2002, NoblePeak Vision is a private company funded by Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners. The company is headquartered in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: EyeMarker Systems

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 – USA

EyeMarker Systems is an emerging company committed to the commercialization of innovative ocular screening technology. The expertise found within EyeMarker, combined with that of its partners and collaborative research institutions, provides a solid foundation for the development of an Ocular Scanning Device to benefit the Defense, Emergency response, Homeland Security and Clinical medicine markets. EyeMarker Systems was founded in 2001 and established headquarters and research capabilities in Morgantown, West Virginia, in close proximity of West Virginia University and the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center.

Profiles of the Top-5 Startups. Today: Auxetix

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 Kingdom

The Auxetix blast mitigation fabrics use a completely new kind of technology that provides enhanced multiple-event protection for windows by exploiting the unusual behaviour of the helicalauxetic system. The fabrics, which are composed of large numbers of thin high-strength fibres wrapped around elastomeric cores, can also be used to line military vehicles and aircraft, enhance body armours, in transportation crates, and for the protection of stored ordnance.

The technology responds to a blast by expanding which allows a blast front to pass through the material slowing it down and reducing its capacity to kill or injure.

GSC announces the 5 most promising security start-ups in the world

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 competing at our Grand Final on Nov 8th in London for the $500,000 grant award that is sponsored by TSWG of the U.S. Government.


The 5 Most Promising Security Start-ups in the World:

• Auxetix from England – creates an advanced material that protects individuals from explosions.
• Eyemarker from USA – scans user's eyes to assess their health.
• NoblePeak Vision from USA – detects and identifies objects in poorly illuminated environments.
• Psylock from Germany – identifies users via the rhythms of their keyboard typing behavior.
• XID Technology from Singapore – predicts and creates a three-dimensional model of a person’s face from a two-dimensional video image.

Join us in London on November 8th for the Grand Final of the Global Security Challenge to see these technologists present their ideas to the audience and our judging committee.

Comments about the GSC from MOD, Siemens and startups

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 is a process that thrives on competition. The high standard of exciting entries in today’s Global Security Challenge is proof that competition is often a vital catalyst in driving that process forward.” For the Minister's full speech at last year's GSC, click here.

Dr. Uwe Albrecht, Managing Partner of the Corporate Fund at Siemens Venture Capital said: “The Global Security Challenge offers a chance for entrepreneurs to overcome hurdles and find partners and customers.”

From the Start-Ups' Perspectives:
"Thanks for holding the contest. It is important to bring attention to solutions that can make all of us safer."

"Thank you for your feedback. Preparing our submission for the Global Security Challenge was a worthwhile exercise for us, even though we weren't successful"

What happened to last year's winner of the Global Security Challenge?

One Year on for Ingenia Technology

Ingenia 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 agency with growing interest with other government agencies.


• In Europe, Ingenia has launched a partnership with Bayer Technology Services of Germany who will be a systems integrator for LSA into a number of verticals including their traditional pharmaceutical sector.


• Some of Europe’s major brands are now piloting or planning to pilot the technology within the coming months. Ingenia is now embarked on a growth strategy and planning for global expansion through partnerships.

What is Ingenia Technology?

The Laser Surface Authentication (LSA) technology developed by Ingenia is a new technology which mimics the biometric principle in humans, but applies it to inanimate objects such as documents, goods and packaging. Like human biometrics, the fingerprint is derived from naturally occurring microscopic randomness that is inherently present in virtually all surfaces. Human biometric technologies such as fingerprint recognition and iris scanning work on the principle that no two people have the same small scale detail in the shape of their fingertips or irises and that these naturally-occurring variations in detail can be used as a unique identifier for the individual. Naturally occurring randomness is an extremely attractive proposition for brand protection, anti-counterfeiting given that every item has a unique surface signature which can be recorded in a digital ‘fingerprint’ by the laser scanner.

An article from the GSC Team about closing security gaps

Germany: €123 million. EU: €1.4 billion. Closing Homeland Security Gaps: Priceless.

by Janeen Chupa and Simon Schneider

It started out simply enough – two graduate students with some free time and a desire to do good. What we ended up learning was a pretty substantial lesson; that European governments need to change their thinking when looking for innovation in security technologies to protect our airports, cities and borders.

Evolving Threats
Everyone understands that technologically the threat is diverging, becoming both more simplistic (eg roadside IEDs) and more technologically advanced (eg cyberattacks). And while a technological response is not a panacea it can help. In recent years, many of the gaps have been shared with the public as NATO, EU and even MI5 complained about the evolving technological advances of the threats they face.

Last November, the Director General of MI5, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, illustrated these advancing threats in a speech, stating “today we see the use of home-made improvised explosive devices; tomorrow's threat may include the use of chemicals, bacteriological agents, radioactive materials and even nuclear technology.”

While governments aim to involve the private sector in the creation of advanced security technologies, entrepreneurs, often the truest innovators, are left aside. Not only is it a challenge to find security startups in Europe, the ones we met complain about large hurdles as they try to sell to government entities with long procurement cycles causing cash flow problems. They also face not having access to venture capital, especially in Europe, which hurts even more as they have to put in much more time and money in research than a web 2.0 startup.

So it seemed to us and everyone else that finding the developers and giving them money for research should solve the problem.

The European governments seemed to agree with that analysis as they earmarked large funds for security research. The German government announced it will spend additional €123 million on research in the coming years. While the EU also just allocated €1.4 billion funding for security research in technology solutions for civil protection, bio-security, protection against crime and terrorism in its EU Framework 7.

We originally thought that finding these technologies would be the hard part and if we could bring together the truly innovative with those who support such work, then these technologies would make it to market. So one year ago we initiated a business plan competition called the Global Security Challenge to bring attention to the best technologies by bringing together the innovators, venture capitalists and customers.

We assumed the disconnect would lie between scientists and policy makers and that finding the right innovators to fund would prove to be quite a challenge. It does take a lot of work and grass-root efforts, but they can be found.

Innovation Gaps
The actual problem is that there is a missing step between researching and implementing technological innovation. Infant ventures need as much focus and nurturing as researchers and yet there is a dearth of support. As business students we were stunned that market measures that typically bring about necessary advancements were not being used in homeland security market. This isn’t what we learned in the classroom, in particular when there was so much money to be made.

So what we’ve come to believe is that supporting entrepreneurs should play a critical role in any security technology policy, particularly as we see the scope of threats increasing.

The US has taken the first step in the right direction by creating a dedicated incubator for security technologies through the help of the NSA. In Europe there have been many calls by security leaders for a similar type of organization. Tom Enders, the former CEO of EADS acknowledges this gap when he said in speech at the European Defence Agency last year that, “We need a technology incubator to generate breakthrough approaches.”

Innovation is going to come from the entrepreneurs and no one can afford to wait for good ideas to make it through the maze that is the current European homeland security market – if they make it at all. Which leaves the question, how will Europe nurture its innovators?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Simon Schneider and Janeen Chupa are MBA students at London Business School and founders of the Global Security Challenge, the biggest business plan competition in the world. Download this article in a PDF Format

How to Write a Business Plan? Tips from London Business School

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 ideas can't clearly be articulated then they can be dead in the water.

So a tip from our judges is that startups must make sure the BP has structure and there is a clear understanding of its purpose. Here are a few good tips written by Dr Michael Hay, Professor of Management Practice at London Business School:

"Your business plan is a sales tool. It is essential that it looks good and reads well. Professional presentation is critical. Beyond this you should observe the following guidelines:

1. The text should be cogent, concise and clearly laid out;



2. Focus on key issues, avoid extraneous details. Knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to include;



3. State clearly what makes your product different or better and exactly where you intend focusing. Trying to do too much is indicative of a poor understanding of what you could do best;



4. Formulate objectives that are unambiguous, consistent, credible and compatible with industry experience;



5. Show that you really understand how your target market operates, what your customers want, how you will distinctively meet these needs and on what basis you will compete successfully.



6. Display a clear understanding of your investor’s needs and interests;



7. Avoid complete infatuation with your product and how it will be produced;



8. Demonstrate that the team you have assembled has the balance and the track record to exploit the market opportunity as well as the determination to stick with the venture;



9. Openly address risks and problems, explaining how you intend dealing with them;



10. Ensure that the plan is intelligible and complete in itself, having no need of additional data or explanation. Think also about who could most compellingly sell your plan in a ten-minute oral presentation.

Finally, never lose sight of your audience. Remember that there may not be a single, homogeneous audience. Tailor your plan to meet the needs of your different audiences. Write your plan for a specific audience, not for yourself. "

Click here for the full document

New IT-Security Partner: Microsoft

Microsoft Parnership

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 this new partnership underscores Microsoft's commitment to the mission of the GSC.


Ed Gibson - Microsoft's Chief Security Advisor

One of our strongest advisors to the Global Security Challenge is Ed Gibson, who has supported us from our beginnings in 2006. Ed is the Chief Security Advisor of Microsoft Ltd in the UK. His primary role is to serve as an advisor to Microsoft’s customers, and the public, on the work Microsoft is doing to improve the security of its products. This role comes on the heels of his retirement from 20-year career as a Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI. During this period, Gibson was a recognized expert in investigating complex, international money laundering schemes, asset identification and confiscation, and intellectual property theft. From early 2000 to mid 2005, Mr Gibson was assigned to the FBI’s Legal Attache office, US Embassy in London, as an Assistant Legal Attaché. There, he was responsible for all FBI cyber, hitech, cyber-terrorism, and infrastructure investigations in the UK.

In a recent interview, Ed describes Microsoft's security strategy:
"As I always say, it’s about people, process and technology and at Microsoft our security strategy is very much aligned to these three areas. The threat landscape is continually evolving and challenges appear in the form of malware, inappropriate security policies and the regulatory environment. Our security efforts are therefore focussed on the area of partnerships, innovation and prescriptive guidance. Microsoft is working in partnership with Government and industry groups to thwart security threats."

(...for the full interview, click here)

...unearthing security technologies of tomorrow (London - Nov 8)

Global Security Challenge Conference - November 8

Be 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 an optimal business environment. Five technology startups will compete against each other at the Grand Final in London for $500K grant award and mentorship from Paladin Capital Group.

Some of Our Speakers:

• Sir Richard Dearlove - former Chief of British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
• Alastair MacWillson - Managing Partner of Global Security Practice, Accenture
• Jeff David - Deputy Director of TSWG, U.S. Department of Defense
• Stephen Bonner - Global Director of Information Risk Management, Barclays
• William Beer - European Security Practice Director, Symantec
• Ken Minihan - former Director of US National Security Agency (NSA)

Why Should You Attend?
Cutting edge technology start-ups from all over the world entered the Global Security Challenge 2007. About 200 delegates from industry, government, academia, venture capital and entrepreneurs will attend this day-long conference.

Tickets:
To book tickets, go to: www.globalsecuritychallenge.com/conference/registration.html

Top 15 security startups worldwide

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 the industry sectors their technologies fall under:

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE

• NoblePeak Vision (USA) – enabling the rapid detection and identification of people and objects at night without active illumination.


• Virtual Observer (Australia) - virtual camera coverage based on remote sensor activation on existing infrastructure

DETECTION / MITIGATION of EXPLOSIVES and CHEMICALS

• Aigis Blast Protection (UK) – dramatically minimizes damages of explosions through advanced materials


• Auxetix (UK) – fortifies protection against multiple explosions through helical-auxetic nets


• Laser Detect Systems (Israel) – recognizes explosives and chemicals from 10 meters distance


• Southern Innovation (Australia) – decreases cargo screening time by increasing the capture and the quality of information in a scan

BIOMETRICS

• EyeMarker (USA) – scans the eye to rapidly and non-invasively assess a person’s health.


• Psylock (Germany) – identifies users through biometric analysis of typing behavior


• XID Technology (Singapore) – face synthesis technology for real-time 3D prediction/replacement in a 2D video

IT-SECURITY

• Codenomicon (Finland) – defends against online attacks and malware through intelligent network servers


• iViZ (India) – demand penetration testing software based on artificial intelligence


• MagiQ (USA) – hardware-based quantum key distribution to protect data transported over fiber networks.


• Mica (USA) – disruptive encryption software combining asymmetric keys with unique relationship identifiers.


• Stealth Technology (USA) – privacy-preserving data mining software to enable information sharing between agencies or enterprises.

MOBILE SECURITY

• TenCube (Singapore) – comprehensive mobile security suite that allows users to disable/access their phone remotely

Human Factor at Heart of European Commission's Security Research

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 of technology, organisation and humans in security. Below is a summary of her important speech in her own words:

"Security technologies and policies accompanying them, raise many different ethical and legal concerns amongst the European citizens. The strength of these concerns directly influences public support and acceptance of both government policies and the security technologies themselves.

Many of the adopted new security measures for example in counter-terrorism are associated with the potential loss of privacy or infringement of liberty. Furthermore, the use of certain security technologies raises different ethical and legal concerns, many of which may relate to the invasion to privacy, reliability, social exclusion, feared damage to humans and environment and public regulation problems.
In a European context, divergent ethical, religious, historical and philosophical backgrounds can lead to a variety of approaches on ethical and legal questions. In research projects dealing with sensitive issues where ethics and justice meet security all relevant actors (lawyers, industry, data protection officers) must work together to achieve a fair and effective balance.

Therefore, the human factor is at the heart of Europe’s Security Research. In addition, specific actions are undertaken to provide insight and advice for security policy makers." (by Christiane Bernard, European Commission)

Tough selection process for GSC Judges

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 judges are instrumental in the GSC and often had very difficult times selecting their choices among the very high-quality entries in this year's Challenge.

The members of the GSC Judging Committees are leaders from venture capital funds, government, universities and industry:

• 3V SourceOne Capital
• Accenture
• BAE Systems
• Barclays
• Bosch
• BWI-IT (IBM, Siemens & German Armed Forces)
• CapVista
• London Business School
• Mississippi State University
• MITRE
• MOD Counter Terrorism Science & Technology Centre
• National Science Foundation
• National University of Singapore
• PegasusBridge Fund Management Limited
• Redshift Ventures
• SemCorp Industries
• Siemens Venture Capital
• Technical Support Working Group (US Department of Defense)
• UnternehmerTum (Technical University of Munich

Successful GSC event in Munich

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 high-quality of the entrants it was a tough job for the judges to select the 1st and 2nd place among these top European contestants. After 2 hours of deliberations and individual interviews with the entrepreneurs, they told the audience their decision - emphasizing again the difficulty of chosing the winners among these five high-quality innovative ideas.

The 1st place winner is Auxetix, from the UK. Their mitigation fabrics use a completely new kind of technology that provides enhanced multiple-event protection for windows by exploiting the unusual behaviour of the helical-auxetic system. The fabrics, which are composed of large numbers of thin high-strength fibres wrapped around elastomeric cores, can also be used to line military vehicles and aircraft, enhance body armours, in transportation crates, and for the protection of stored ordnance. The technology responds to a blast by expanding which allows a blast front to pass through the material slowing it down and reducing its capacity to kill or injure.

The 2nd place winner, Psylock provides a unique biometric technology that authenticates computer users securely on any computer, without requiring hardware or installation and with very precise recognition rates. Each user is authenticated by the specific way he or she types at a common computer keyboard. The analysis not only validates dependant parameters, like the speed and rhythm of typing which can vary depending on the circumstances, but also stable parameters of typing like left- or right-handedness, typical typing mistakes, correction methods and more. The result is calculated based on complex statistical models and artificial intelligence.

Challenges remain for security/defense startups despite sector growth

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 ($3.5 billion in 2006 YTD) "

While this is good news for security entrepreneurs, hurdles remain. According to VBR, later stage funding rounds by VCs for security/defense startups are typically 20%+ smaller than for CleanTech and MedTech startups, although they face similar high R&D costs and long sales-cycles to government procurement offices.

The VBR study also confirmed that Europe is still lagging behind the US in terms of financing young startups in the security space: in 2007 so far, 109 security startups from the US received venture funding compared to only 70 across Europe.

Ex-President of BND to speak at GSC in Munich

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 of the German government. Dr. Geiger spent the majority of his impressive career with the legal and technical aspects of data protection in government, industry and university. His speech will focus on the protection of privacy and civil liberties in our global society that is extremely interwoven with technology.

DHS' Research Philosophy

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 arrive at one revolutionary new technology, you have to plant 1,000 flower seeds, of which you select 100 projects, of which 3 prototypes will be developed that will lead to the George Foreman Grill. I applaud the mission of the Global Security Challenge that understood this principle of fostering innovation and the innovative entrepreneurs who competed in this competition with their high-quality technologies.”

In his presentation the Under Secretary also outlined representative technology needs for Maritime Security:

• Wide-area surveillance from the coast tobeyond the horizon; port and inland waterwaysregion -detect, ID, and track


• Data fusion and automated tools for commandcenter operations


• Vessel compliance through non-lethalcompliance methods


• Enhanced capability to continuously trackcontraband on ships or containers


• Improved ballistic personal protective equipment for officer safety


• Improved WMD detection equipment for officer safety; improved screening capability for WMD for maritime security checkpoints

Munich Semi-Final on October 2nd

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 and German Armed Forces)
• ...and other leaders from industry, venture capital and academia.

To register for our limited tickets to the event and to view the event's full agenda, go to our webpage's section on the European Semi-Final

Selection of Top-5 European Security Startups

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 through advanced materials
• Psylock (Germany) – identifies users through biometric analysis of typing behavior
• Codenomicon (Finland) – defends against online attacks and malware through intelligent network servers
• Auxetix (UK) – fortifies protection against multiple explosions through helical-auxetic nets
• Laser Detect Systems (Israel) – recognizes explosives and chemicals from 10 meters distance
  

The GSC joins the blogger community!

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 America
Our North American Semi-Final in Washington DC, hosted together with Mississippi State University, featured interactive discussions and fascinating presentations about emerging technologies. The winner of the US-leg, NoblePeak Vision, created a new generation of visible to SWIR video surveillance camera cores and components with breakthrough night vision performance. The 2nd placed winner, Eye Marker, has developed the world's first handheld device capable of looking at markers in the human eye to determine exposure to toxins and nerve agents.

Asia
The Asian-leg of the GSC was hosted together with the National University of Singapore. The event brought together speakers from government, industry, academia and venture capital, who sparked attention-grabbing discussions with the audience. The winner of the Asian Semi-Final is XID Technology from Singapore that invented a face synthesis technology for real-time 3-D prediction in a 2-D video. The judges selected IviZ from India as the 2nd place winner, who created an on-demand penetration testing software based on artificial intelligence.