RSA Conference™, the world’s leading information security conferences and expositions, today announced that submissions for the eighteenth annual RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest are now open.
Since 2005, the most promising young companies in cybersecurity have taken the RSAC™ Innovation Sandbox Contest stage to compete for the title of “Most Innovative Startup.” The competition is widely recognized as a springboard for startups, with the contest’s top 10 finalists collectively seeing more than 75 acquisitions and receiving over $12.5 billion in investments over the past 18 years. Additionally, two previous RSAC Innovation Sandbox finalists have completed IPOs in the last two years: ISB 2015 Finalist SentinelOne and ISB 2012 Finalist SumoLogic. More than 170 companies have participated in the Contest; previous winners have included Imperva, Axonius, Apiiro, and most recently, Talon Cyber Security.
Qualifying startups interested in participating in the RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest are invited to submit entries online no later than 8 p.m. PT on Friday, February 10, 2023. The top 10 finalists will be announced in March. Terms and conditions can be found here.
“Having a vibrant startup community is key to continued innovation in cybersecurity and each year, RSA Conference showcases the best and brightest driving the industry forward,” said Christopher Young, RSAC Innovation Sandbox judge and EVP of Business Development, Strategy and Ventures at Microsoft. “The RSAC Innovation Sandbox competition has served as a catalyst for hundreds of dynamic companies looking to make an impact in this ever-evolving space and I am excited to see the creativity and competition in this year’s lineup.”
RSA Conference 2023 will include a variety of innovation programs, including the RSAC Early Stage Expo, which is dedicated to promising, privately-held startups under five-years old with less than $3 million in revenue. Participating companies can showcase their solutions to the multitudes of attending innovators, decision makers, and investors. RSAC Launch Pad will also be part of the 2023 line up, featuring a fun, high energy session with innovators pitching bold ideas to industry veterans for strategy, advice and community awareness. Details and criteria can be found here with finalists presenting on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
A summary of the criteria to compete in RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest include:
- The product has been in the market for less than one year (launched between December 1, 2021 and December 1, 2022)
- The product matches an identified problem in the cybersecurity marketplace
- The product takes an original and sound approach to solving a problem and has the potential to make a significant impact on cybersecurity
- The product is validated through a client’s beta testing or purchase of product
- The product can be demonstrated live during the RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest
- The company has a management team with a track record of successfully delivering products to market
- The company is privately held, with less than $5M in revenue in 2022
After the submission period ends on Friday, February 10 at 8 p.m. PT:
- Entries will be reviewed and ranked by a global panel of judges that include venture capital professionals, CISOs and other outstanding industry experts
- The top 10 finalists will be notified in March 2023 and invited to present and pitch to a panel of expert judges on Monday, April 24, 2023
- The top 10 finalists will be recognized on the RSA Conference website with company and product profiles, and will be promoted in other RSA Conference public relations efforts
To stay up to date on the latest information about RSA Conference 2023, taking place in San Francisco from April 24-27, please visit https://www.rsaconference.com/usa.
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