The Global Security Challenge runs international business plan competitions to find and select the most promising security technology startups in the world. The GSC holds regional selection events and a Security Summit in London to bring together innovators with government, industry and investors. The GSC belongs to InnoCentive, which acquired the original owner OmniCompete in 2012. OmniCompete also launched the Energy Storage Challenge in 2010.
The GSC was founded by MBA students of London Business School in spring 2006; the first competition took place in summer 2006. By 2007, the Technical Support Working Group, an interagency group of the US Government, sponsored the annual grant award of $500,000 Dollar for the winning security startup. The GSC runs regional finals in Singapore at the National University of Singapore, in Washington DC at The University of Maryland and Brussels at the Brussels School of International Studies ahead of the GSC London Security Summit in autumn, hosted by London Business School.
GSC finalists and winners from the last three annual competitions have subsequently raised over $117 million in new venture funding and grants. The top-selected startups also have secured large contracts with government clients, such as the US Department of Energy, the US Navy and the US Department of Defense, and with industry behemoths, such as Siemens and Bayer AG from Germany. One regional finalist in 2007, TenCube, recently got acquired by McAfee and the cyber 2009 winner Ksplice was acquired in July 2011 by Oracle.
Start-Up Winner from 2006: Ingenia Technology (UK)Start-Up Winner from 2007: NoblePeak Vision (USA)Start-Up Winner from 2008: TRX Systems (USA)Start-Up Winner from 2009: Adaptive Imaging Technologies (Israel)Start-Up Winner from 2010: mPedigree (Ghana)Start-Up Winner from 2011: Arktis Radiation Detectors Ltd (Switzerland)Best Security Idea 2008: Homergent Inc (USA)Best Security Idea 2009: Remedium Technologies (USA)Best Crowded Places Security Idea 2008: Crowd-Vision (Switzerland)Best Crowded Places Security Idea 2009: iOmniscient (Australia)Winner of Cyber Security Challenge 2009: Ksplice (USA)Winner of Cyber Security Challenge 2010: Masking Networks (USA)Winner of Cloud Security Challenge 2010: CloudSwitch (USA)Security SME of the Year 2009: Kromek (UK)Security SME of the Year 2010: iwebgate (Australia/UK)Security SME of the Year 2011: Agnitio (Spain)Energy Storage Idea of the Year 2011: ?The members of the GSC Judging Committees are leaders from venture capital funds, government, universities and industry.
Defence Science & Technology Agency (Singapore Government)Home Office (UK Government)UK Ministry of Defence (Counter Terrorism Science & Technology Centre)National Science FoundationTechnical Support Working Group (TSWG) - US Department of DefenseOffice of Naval Research - ONR GlobalKleiner Perkins Caufield & ByersAdvent Venture Partners3V SourceOne CapitalCap VistaNovakBiddle Venture PartnersPaladin Capital GroupPegasusBridge Fund Management LimitedRedshift VenturesSAIC Venture Capital Corp.Siemens Venture CapitalLondon Business SchoolMississippi State UniversityNational University of SingaporeUnternehmerTum (Technical University of Munich)University of KentUniversity of Maryland, College ParkAccentureBAE SystemsBooz Allen HamiltonBarclays BankBoschBWI-IT (IBM, Siemens & German Armed Forces)IBMMITRESemCorp IndustriesSmiths DetectionFinal Judging Committee 2009
Dr. John Morgan, Deputy Director of Science and Technology, CTTSO (TSWG), US Dept. of DefenseTodd Brethauer, CTTSO Science Advisor, TSWG, US Dept. of DefenseNiloo Howe, Managing Director, Paladin Capital GroupDave Mullin, BAE SystemsDr. Richard Leaver, CEO, Blue Star CapitalStephen Bonner, Head of Information Risk Management, BarclaysDr. Alastair MacWillson, Global Managing Partner, Global Security Practice, AccentureMike Chalfen, General Partner, Advent Venture PartnersChris Winter, Partner, New Venture PartnersFinal Judging Committee 2010
Dr. John Morgan, Deputy Director of Science and Technology, CTTSO (TSWG), US Dept. of DefenseDarius Cheung, Co Founder & CEO, tenCubeStephen Bonner, Head of Information Risk Management, BarclaysDr. Alastair MacWilson, Global Managing Director - Security, AccentureDr. John Callahan, Associate Director for Information Superiority and Communications (IS&C), Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG)Peder Jungck, Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, CloudShield Technologies, Inc. - an SAIC CompanyCarles Ferrer, General Partner, Nauta CapitalTodd Brethauer, CTTSO Science Advisor, TSWG, US Dept. of DefenseDave Mullin, Manager, Investment in Innovation, BAE SystemsEldar Tuvey, General Manager, Cisco Systems, CEO of ScanSafeMike Chalfen, General Partner, Advent Venture PartnersChris Hodges, Director, The Carlyle GroupBill Phelps, Executive Director, AccentureAdam Ogilvie-Smith, Office for Security & Counter-Terrorism, UK Home OfficeColin Evans, Managing Director, Digital BarriersThe GSC hosts several regional Semi-Finals and one Grand Final (Summit) at leading research universities around the world:
University of Maryland, College ParkNorthwestern UniversityNational University of SingaporeUniversity of KentLondon Business School is the host of the annual GSC Security Summit. The 5th annual GSC Security Summit occurred on November 11+12 2010 in London.Keynote Speakers 2010:
The Rt Hon Baroness Neville-Jones, UK Security MinisterDr. Lisa Porter, IARPA Director, Office of the Director of National IntelligenceDarius Cheung, McAfee, Co Founder & CEO, tenCubeAdrian Chamberlain, CEO of MessageLabsPast Speakers:
Chris Darby, CEO of In-Q-TelRt Hon Lord Drayson, UK Minister of State for Strategic Defence Acquisition ReformSir Richard Dearlove, former Chief of British Secret Intelligence ServiceDr. Ruth A. David, CEO of ANSER and former Deputy Director for Science and Technology at CIAWong Kan Seng, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Minister of Home AffairsDr. Eric Haseltine, Associate Director of U.S. National Intelligence for Science & Technology, Office of the Director of National IntelligenceHansjoerg Geiger, former President of Bundesnachrichtendienst (German Federal Intelligence Service, BND)Best of BiotechEntrepreneurs' ChallengeTournament In Management and Engineering SkillsDARPA Grand Challenge
