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!
