Event write-up: Black Hat Europe 2019

In early December, the Awen Collective team descended on Black Hat Europe 2019 at ExCeL London!

Our CEO and CTO, Daniel and Jules, and our developers Jamie, Seren and Lara were on hand at the Tech Nation Cyber Pavilion to distribute both knowledge about the excellent cyber security software solutions we provide to operators of industrial control systems, and also high quality welsh cakes to match!

Alongside us were both representatives from Tech Nation Cyber, and fellow Cyber 1.0 alumni companies, Skurio and Keepnet Labs.

We had some great conversations with operators of vital industrial control systems who were interested in our software, with investors interested in the growing demand for industrial cyber solutions, and with fellow cyber security professionals, interested in sharing knowledge on cutting edge solutions. Oh, and some lovely people who just really liked Welsh cakes!

We also took the opportunity to see what other great cyber solutions were being exhibited at Black Hat, and attend some very interesting briefings. A highlight was a presentation on exploiting vulnerabilities in a Siemens S7 PLC, one of the most common devices used within industrial control environments.

We’d like to thank Tech Nation for inviting us to exhibit on their stand, and to the organisers of Black Hat Europe for putting on such a great event.

Awen goes to the USA

As part of the prestigious Tech Nation Cyber programme (1st cohort), Awen took the opportunity to visit the USA in the week commencing the 2nd of September 2019.

Our CTO, Jules Farrow, attended the trip, with various others from the Tech Nation Cyber cohort. The trip included:

• A visit to the British Consulate in New York for workshops and networking with investors and corporates.

• A visit to Sands Capital in Washington DC for more investor networking.

• Attendance at the Billington Cyber Conference, thanks to Tom Billington, followed by networking at the British Embassy in Washington DC.

It was a great week, where we built new business connections and further explored the possibilities afforded by expansion into the Americas.

If you’re local to South Wales too and would like to learn more about our experience with Tech Nation Cyber and our learnings on the US market, we’ll be recounting some tales at the South Wales Cyber Cluster September Meeting on Tuesday 17th, come and join us!

The British Embassy, Washington DC

View from Sands Capital, Washington DC

View from the British Consulate, New York

Networking at Sands Capital, Washington DC

Awen Collective wins a place on the Tech Nation Cyber programme

The 1st Cohort for the Tech Nation Cyber programme has been announced and consists of the 20 leading Cyber-Security companies across the United Kingdom. We have the pleasure to announce that Awen Collective is in this wonderful scale-up programme.

We are very excited about this opportunity, which will help us to build on the fantastic work that our team at Awen Collective have done so far, and to assist with scaling and growth, marketing and international expansion. This programme will help us to address Digital Forensics & Incident Response within Critical Infrastructure & Manufacturing, not just within the UK and EU, but across the whole world.

We are looking forward to the launch event in the Cotswolds at the beginning of May, where we will connect and re-connect with the other companies in this inaugural cohort, as well as the cyber-security leaders who will be assisting with the workshops and events.

We are looking forward to working with all of the cohort members, which include our fellow South Wales Cyber Cluster member Fortium Technologies, and the company that won the NCSC/DCMS Cyber Dragons Den the year before we did iProov.

The announcement has been made on the Tech Nation blog, and has also been published on Information Age. Plus you can follow the news on Twitter with the hashtag #TechNationCyber.

To learn more about the products and services at Awen Collective please visit the rest of our website. Or contact us directly by emailing hello@awencollective.com, we would love to hear from you.

““We are delighted to have been chosen for the first cohort of the Tech Nation Cyber programme. We are excited to get started and continue to grow with the support from this wonderful programme and we look forward to establishing new business alongside our fellow cohort members.””

— Daniel Lewis, CEO and Cofounder, Awen Collective

““Cyber security represents an increasingly important part of our daily lives, and Wales already plays a leading role in keeping our data and systems safe while training up the next generation of experts. This programme will initially support two Welsh companies in Caerphilly and Cardiff in developing their potential and I look forward to seeing other companies from across Wales getting involved in the future.””

— Kevin Foster MP, UK Government Minister for Wales

““In recent years the success for a handful of UK Cyber Security innovators is more than could be imagined. They have enhanced the nation’s reputation for producing world-class technology, while also helping to pave the way for many more startups hoping to follow suit. Concurrently the market for cyber security is continuing to grow at a rapid pace and this conspires to make our cohort of scaleups exciting ones to watch.””

— Ollie Bone, Cyber Programme Lead at Tech Nation

Follow the news about the programme on Twitter through #TechNationCyber