Wednesday 15 January 2020 12:01 am | Updated: Tuesday 14 January 2020 6:40 pm

Government cyber programme unveils new intake of scale-ups

There has been a sharp increase in cyber attacks as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic

The London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement (Lorca) has today announced the 20 latest scale-ups to join its cohort of cyber firms.

The government-backed incubator said its fourth intake was the largest to date, and includes companies using automation and quantum to protect UK industry against online threats.

Though the majority of businesses are British, the programme received the highest volume of international applications so far, with nine overseas firms making it into the final cohort.

Among the new entries are Keyless, a London-headquartered firm specialising in biometric authentication, and Vivida, which uses virtual reality to develop cybersecurity education.

The year-long programme, delivered by Plexal at Here East in the Olympic Park, will support the firms to scale, secure investment, access new markets and participate in overseas trade missions.

“Lorca exists to bring cutting-edge technology to market and to enable the most promising cyber innovators to become globally competitive businesses,” said programme director Saj Huq.

“The international reach and the variety of solutions within our incoming fourth cohort is an exciting demonstration of both the strength and attractiveness of the UK market, as well as an illustration of the increasingly prominent role that Lorca plays as a convener and collaborator within the global innovation ecosystem.”

Lorca launched in June 2018 with backing from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and has now enrolled 55 companies into its programme, which have collectively gone on to secure £58m in investment.

The selected firms will receive support from programme partner Deloitte and engineering expertise from the Centre for Secure Information Technologies at Queen’s University Belfast.