“Now’s the time to step up in domains like critical national infrastructure and deliver economic growth and resilience for the UK as a priority because, as the NCSC reported, we’re being hit by highly significant attacks,” said Plexal CEO Andrew Roughan. “This economic growth and reinforced security will in turn create a crucial social dividend of high value jobs, equity and equality in communities we serve.”

Our event ran in alignment with our delivery of the Cyber Runway CNI programme on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, through which our aim is strengthening the UK’s critical national infrastructure against evolving cyber threats. We’re working to achieve this by bridging the gap between the cyber capabilities of SMEs and the security needs of sectors such as energy, water, telecoms, transportation and data centres.

Building on this mission, Plexal has assembled the CNI community once again – having hosted the Cyber Runway CNI Resilience Exchange in the cyber, technology and national security ecosystem of Cheltenham.

The purpose was to deepen cross‑sector collaboration by providing a platform to identify technology solutions, hear government policy insights and recognise how CISOs operate.

An innovation snapshot

Members of the Cyber Runway CNI cohort first showcased their innovations, which are designed to tackle key CNI problems. 

• APIContext provides an API monitoring and governance platform to help enterprises ensure performance, security and compliance across mission-critical APIs.
  
• CloudPeek’s AI-native cloud security platform is designed to protect high-consequence organisations across government, defence and critical infrastructure. 

• Goldilock’s FireBreak cyber security solution delivers instant, remote and physical network isolation without relying on internet-based controls.  

• Hacktonics introduces cyber security training for industrial control systems, empowering critical infrastructure sectors to defend against evolving threats. 

• KETS Quantum Security is designed to protect critical infrastructure, telecoms and defence against quantum-era threats. 
  
• Praeferre’s AI-powered compliance and data privacy platform simplifies regulatory governance and secure digital ecosystems for enterprises. 

Government cyber outlook

During the CNI Resilience Exchange, Ben Greenstone from global advisory firm Milltown Partners shared insights on the cyber state of play. He highlighted the fragmented regulatory landscape in place, with industry-specific regulations for cyber, financial services and so on to navigate. And with regulatory variants for buyers and suppliers too, this presents procurement difficulties when attempting to sell innovative services to large enterprises.

However, the government’s upcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill proposes new laws to improve UK cyber defences and protect essential public services.

“The Bill will deliver a fundamental step change in the UK’s national security – making essential and digital services more secure in the face of cyber criminals and state actors who want to disrupt our way of life,” says the UK Government. “Reforms will underpin greater economic stability, helping grow the economy for working people, by reducing business cost and disruption, and supporting investment.”

Although still in committee stages within the House of Commons and House of Lords, Ben pointed to elements to be aware of:

• A new class of regulated entities, such as data centres.
• Stronger government powers and larger fines to incentivise better cyber security practices.
• Movement toward a single cyber regulator.
• Greater government ability to provide cross‑economy direction.

For CNI operators and suppliers, this means renewed opportunity to shift focus beyond compliance to adopting and developing capabilities.

Observing the government’s Cyber Growth Action Plan to “turbocharge growth in the UK’s cyber sector and unlock more jobs [and] support innovation,” Ben highlighted its suggestions, which include:

• Pilot programmes enabling the National Cyber Security Centre and DSIT to qualify cyber startups and connect them to government departments.
• Mandating Cyber Essentials across supply chains to create a consistent baseline across industries.
• Procurement support for SMEs.

While regulations continue to be refined, Ben’s core message for innovators was to focus on the customer and product to ensure their immediate resilience needs are being met.

What makes a CNI buyer say yes?

Dan Jeffrey, Managing Director at Daintta and former CISO of NHS Blood and Transplant, was the next speaker. He peeled back the curtain to offer SMEs in attendance some real-world knowledge of the realities for CISOs, which aren’t always clear for businesses as they try and cut through to make sales.

For starters, he noted that, for bad and for good, CISOs will often encounter very different types of sellers from opportunistic charlatans through to strategic partners – the latter of which is, of course, what cyber SMEs should aim for. Building trust here is the key and this can be achieved if you:

• Don’t overpromise.
• Show you’re willing to share risk – penalty clauses matter.
• Provide continuous visibility, including near‑miss reporting.
• Map your product to the client’s actual needs – not just revenue opportunities.
• Constrain yourself voluntarily and say no when it’s the right answer.

Sarah Pye, Innovation Lead at Plexal, says: “In some cases, the feedback we’re getting on both sides is that slow procurement is stifling innovation – and security enhancements as a result. But CISOs are naturally risk averse, which reinforces Dan’s reasoning that building trust is essential to break down barriers.

“Plexal is going to continue delivering CISO Forum events to close the gap between SMEs and CNI organisations, recognising they wouldn’t cross paths without an intervention, with the aim of stimulating more partnerships that can enhance our national resilience and economic growth. With big organisations moving slowly and SMEs capable of producing prototypes within weeks, convening these groups is essential to unlock progress.” 

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Delivered by Plexal and sponsored by Cisco and HM Government, our outcome‑focused initiative moves forward as industry, LASR researchers and innovators collaborate to solve near‑term supply chain challenges critical for safe deployment of AI in high‑stakes environments.

Our work is focused on: 

1. Secure deployment and monitoring of AI at the edge for critical national infrastructure (CNI)  

2. The origin and trustworthiness of AI components 

3. The integrity of AI models throughout their lifecycle  

Why AI supply chain security matters  

Software supply chains now face a new class of risks: pre‑trained AI models that may conceal hidden backdoors, trojans that remain dormant until triggered and AI tools capable of quietly exfiltrating sensitive data. With today’s complex web of dependencies, a single compromised component can put entire systems at risk.

Building confidence in AI therefore requires a foundation of trust, one anchored in robust AI security that safeguards models, infrastructure and data against cyber threats and malicious interference.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Annual Review highlights that supply chain compromise remains one of the most significant cyber security risks, as adversaries increasingly target software components and the interconnected dependencies supporting CNI.

As AI capabilities become further embedded across essential services, these risks now extend directly to the models, datasets and infrastructure that AI systems rely on. Strengthening the provenance, integrity and continuous monitoring of AI throughout its lifecycle is becoming central to national resilience.

With this in mind, we’ve selected a cohort of companies that can provide practical, near‑term solutions to these challenges, from securing models deployed at the edge and validating the trustworthiness of AI components to detecting drift and emerging vulnerabilities over time. Together, they help lay the groundwork for safer, more resilient AI systems across the entire supply chain. They are: 

Mind Foundry  

Mind Foundry is a UK sovereign AI company spun out of the University of Oxford, providing responsible solutions for defence and national security. Mind Foundry’s products and technology services enhance operations with connected intelligence by turning complex sensor data into trusted insights, accelerating decision-making and putting AI in human hands where it matters most.  

Secure Agentics  

Secure Agentics builds the cyber security products required for a future shaped by AI agents. Its core product is a monitoring and control platform for agentic AI, detecting when agents become misaligned, compromised or behave in unintended ways and intervenes to prevent harm. This enables the deployment and scaling of AI agents with confidence, maximising automation benefits while maintaining security, governance and oversight. 

Tikos Technologies  

Tikos Technologies is a UK deeptech startup developing an AI assurance platform for defence, CNI and financial Services. Tikos directly supports supply chain security by analysing model internals, tracing neural activation paths and detecting vulnerabilities, hallucinations and potential misuse in models, including LLMs.  

Patricia Jamelska, Innovation Lead for LASR Programmes at Plexal, says: “We’re pleased to welcome Mind Foundry, Secure Agentics and Tikos Technologies into this cohort. As AI systems become increasingly embedded across critical services, securing the AI supply chain is no longer a future concern, it’s a present‑day priority.  
 
“While many organisations are advancing AI capabilities, far fewer are addressing the risks that come with them. The practical innovation these SMEs bring is essential to strengthening the UK’s resilience and working closely with them helps us build the evidence base needed to ensure AI is secure and trustworthy.”  

About LASR  

The LASR partnership comprises world-leading experts from UK organisations including Plexal, University of Oxford, The Alan Turing Institute, Queen’s University Belfast and the UK Government, working with a range of universities and commercial partners as appropriate. By integrating the best minds from academia, industry and government, we conduct cutting-edge research, develop innovative solutions, commercialise outputs and strengthen international cooperation on AI security.

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Now in its 35^th year, the RSA Conference aims to unite and advance cyber security to build a safer society and is expected to bring in over 40,000 delegates from across the world. Its ambition, coupled with a ‘Power of Community’ focus for RSA 2026, aligns to Plexal’s mission of harnessing cross-sector collaboration for high-impact outcomes benefitting the economy, national resilience and societal progress.

Alongside attending RSA and guiding our cohort around the event, Plexal will host UK House, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, with support from the Department for Business and Trade, National Cyber Security Centre and Innovate UK. UK House serves as a hub for UK organisations exploring opportunities in the US market and international organisations looking to engage with the UK, making it ideal for our cohort of scaling innovators.

We’ll deliver panel sessions, networking opportunities with entrepreneurs, investors and professional services providers to exchange insights on UK-US experiences, trends in cyber and AI, barriers and opportunities for growth.

The cohort of companies we’ll be taking from government-backed programmes includes:

Cyber Runway – the largest cyber accelerator in the UK. It’s funded by DSIT and delivered by Plexal to drive innovation, create high-quality jobs and secure long-term economic resilience. Programme representatives will include: 

• Cyber Security Stack uses a zero-trust framework to create cryptographic, self‑auditing infrastructure. 

• Lab 1’s AI platform detects and analyses exposed data from the open web, dark web and breaches to support enterprise risk management. 

• MyCena separates identification from authentication using encrypted credentials and one‑click login. 

• Ploy issues identity and access security for hybrid and cloud environments, replacing legacy tools with a cloud‑first, automation‑driven platform. 

• SECQAI provides quantum‑secure hardware and software. 

• Telicent offers end‑to‑end secure, policy‑enforced data integration. 

• Traced’s AI‑powered mobile threat‑defence app protects against malware, phishing, wi‑fi risks and privacy threats. 

• Veriom delivers AI-enabled security for compliance across IT and software pipelines. 

The Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR) is a public-private partnership, for which Plexal is the industry engagement partner. LASR is dedicated to advancing AI security for UK national security and economic prosperity. Programme representatives will include:

• Advai provides independent testing, compliance assurance and continuous monitoring for secure, high-performing AI systems. 

• Culture.AI detects unsafe AI use, coaches employees in real time and enforces guardrails to keep organisations’ AI adoption safe and compliant. 

• Secure Agentics has developed a monitoring and control platform for agentic AI, detecting when agents become compromised and intervenes. 

CyberASAP (Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme) creates a pipeline to move great cyber security ideas out of the university lab and into the commercial market. Programme representatives will include:

• Cavero Quantum delivers quantum‑safe key exchange, continuous trust verification and passwordless authentication. 

• Cyber Innovations is a cyber security education company redefining how people learn to respond to digital threats. 

• Cybpass offers expert‑in‑the‑loop lifecycle security, compliance and penetration testing for AI pipelines. 

• Fact360 conducts AI‑powered communication network analysis for anomaly detection, insider‑threat monitoring, fraud detection and compliance. 

• Lupovis provides cyber deception and threat intelligence with its Deception‑as‑a‑Service platform, deploying decoys and traps to detect insider threats and pre‑breach activity. 

• Veribee’s AI‑powered code‑verification and repair platform detects and fixes security vulnerabilities at the source‑code level.

Commenting on its Power of Community positioning, RSA says: “Ideas become breakthroughs when shared. Challenges become opportunities when tackled together. That’s the Power of Community. Real change happens when cyber security professionals unite.” 

Diane Gilbert, Senior Innovation Lead for Programmes at Plexal, says: “The RSA Conference is a key moment in the annual global cyber security event calendar and is a unique opportunity to bring together the best of our UK technology companies.

“These are high-potential businesses at the point of activating their US expansion plans and we want to connect them with potential buyers, investors and senior contacts from the international cyber and AI security ecosystems.

“Plexal has led US trade missions before and I’ve specifically seen how impactful RSA can be for our founders. For example, zally CEO Patrick Smith moved the company’s HQ to San Francisco from Manchester as a direct result of our trade mission last year. The energy and impact we’re expecting in 2026 will be no exception and we’re encouraged by the event’s increased advocacy of community.”

Image source.

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Sovereignty is being debated in the boardrooms of businesses, halls of government, online forums and snow-capped streets of Davos, consuming citizens as well as private and public sectors alike.

Yet its interpretation in a technology context varies depending on the audience.

Some organisations think narrowly in terms of data residency or legal jurisdictions, while others have a much broader set of considerations, including cross-border operations, resiliency of critical supply chains and technology origin, investment and ownership. Then there are those that believe it’s a matter of closing the door on international parties entirely in pursuit of national interests.

However, one thing we can agree on is that ensuring our sovereignty in the UK means improved opportunities to drive long-term economic growth as a nation, demonstrate international influence and create market access to deliver on overseas trade and partnerships.

And that’s where the UK’s cyber security sector comes in.

A global-facing market thriving with innovation, talent and solutions, the cyber sector’s overall revenue has more than doubled to £13.2bn as of 2025 from £5.7bn in 2015. With the need for strong cyber security to be at the heart of all digital connectivity, whether that’s day-to-day business operations or protecting critical national infrastructure, the UK’s cyber success is a strong base from which we should build. And this fusion of national sector-specific policies, critical technologies and global collaboration enhances our sovereignty as a nation overall.

That’s why Plexal recently held a UK Cyber Sector: Scaling Sovereignty event, where we convened the cyber ecosystem and led conversation with influential founders, investors and policymakers – as chaired by our CCO Saj Huq.

Our panellists included: 

• Cat McDonald, Partner at technology investor AlbionVC, which backs early-stage companies across cyber security, digital risk and other mission-critical technology sectors.  

• Lisa Matthews, CEO of quantum-safe encryption company KETS Quantum, which is in its tenth year of operation having grown from a research spinout 

• Andrew Elliot, Deputy Director of Cyber Security at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, responsible for cyber skills policy, cyber innovation policy and government regulation of secure consumer connected devices. 

Startup sovereignty: A help or hinderance?

The ongoing sovereignty conversation across the innovation ecosystem and its increased priority has brought about the concept of becoming a sovereign company, prompting some businesses to plug this newfound buzzword into their messaging to keep up with what’s seemingly a new expectation. 

We debated what makes a sovereign company. Is it just a UK-founded or UK-focused business? If so, does this hamper opportunity – or create a company with a substantive R&D tech and talent base in the UK that pursues global opportunities?

And, given the differing avenues that overseas countries are pursuing for their own sovereignty through technology, does being from the UK help, hinder or not matter?

But it’s a combination of factors. Being a British company, with domestic interests, creating local jobs and boosting UK growth, while seizing overseas opportunities in new markets, this is the foundation for operating as a sovereign enterprise.

This was the case for Bristol-based KETS Quantum, which sits at the intersection of UK security and deeptech, with critical technology in quantum. The business has faced various export controls for international work in markets such as Denmark and Canada – although being UK-founded wasn’t a blocker for success.

What can slow down cyber startups, however, is use of supply chain components from a variety of different geographies – rather than just the UK. This international composition can create additional export control processes and restrictions, potentially delaying an overseas rollout.

This could be the result of legislation varying depending on the market – or indeed if there’s a conflict between the country a startup intends to enter and the home of the technology stack used in its product.

For KETS Quantum, however, its clear development of technology from the UK provided a degree of credibility and their approach meaningfully differentiated it from alternative, international offerings.

Davos: Collective problems need collective solutions

Sovereignty was a centrepiece during the World Economic Forum as global leaders descended upon Davos. It was broadly agreed that while sovereignty is about ensuring national resilience for each nation, it doesn’t mean countries should retreat into themselves but be willing to cooperate where interests align.

Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam declared: “Collective problems require collective solutions and everyone has to pitch in with the right burden sharing,” while Bart De Wever, Prime Minister of Belgium, warned: “We either stand together, or we will stand divided.”

For innovators within the UK’s cyber ecosystem, this is the chance to step up and deliver. 

“We can’t just do things ourselves,” said Saj. “We can’t build all the best technologies here, nor can we avoid collaboration with international partners or foster the UK’s influence on the global cyber stage in isolation. But driving international business success – and therefore growing UK companies into truly global operations to capture a meaningful share of the global cyber market is very much in the UK’s own, sovereign interests.”

The UK Government: Delivering digital confidence

Released at the start of the year, the Government Cyber Action Plan set out a roadmap to improve cyber security and resilience of the government and public sector. The aim is ensuring online safety of British citizens and securing their confidence in digital developments.

Quite rightly, Ian Murray, Minister of State for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, stated: “We cannot build a secure future on fragile foundations.”

Delivering programmes such as Cyber Runway and NCSC For Startups to support technical advancements and business growth, we understand the UK Government’s focus on building the UK’s domestic capacity for cyber. Its ambition is to scale cyber as an ecosystem fortified with products, services, innovation and skills that can strengthen our sovereignty with resilience and economic growth.

The Minister of State pointed to a “historical underinvestment” in technology and cyber security, adding “every public sector leader bears direct accountability” to fix vulnerabilities. He noted the plan is “prioritising cyber resilience and ensuring we have strong central leadership driving cross-government response.”

In line with this, our sovereignty debate pointed to the urgency for UK Government to apply our best-in-class technology to critical national infrastructure – something we’re driving through Cyber Runway CNI. This is in conjunction with UK industry adopting best practices to ensure their businesses are resilient with support from sovereign solutions.

Cyber is a foundational domain that enables and secures the broader digital economy. Offering VC insights, Cat highlighted that actively nurturing and developing the UK’s cyber capacity helps not only create great cyber companies directly but supports the resilience of our wider critical industries – public sector, finance, health, advanced manufacturing and defence. As a collective, these industries are the backbone of our nation and their resilience is critical to the UK’s sovereignty.

“The UK Government’s capacity as a buyer of cyber technology from startups and SMEs is massive for driving economic growth,” Saj detailed. “Its commitment to enhance cross-government cyber resilience is a crucial step that can add to the flywheel effect of growing the British economy.”

Moving forward: Driving global outcomes in the UK’s interests

Our conversation found that there’s a risk at play – where the rush to apply narrow or domestic-only objectives in pursuit of sovereignty lack scale and limit overall, international opportunity to make a global impact.

This shouldn’t be the case.

We can achieve sovereign outcomes for the UK alongside securing a global technology leadership position – the two aren’t in conflict with each other.

Like KETS Quantum, there are many companies operating at the intersection between cyber security and critical technologies – and this is the opportunity in our grasp.

This positioning to bridge two technology areas, such as cyber and financial services or cyber and biotech, is particularly attractive to investors. It also helps create bigger market opportunities for innovators, helps drive adoption of technologies in key sectors – and enhances the resilience of areas of our economy in which we have a global leadership position.

The collision of technologies within key verticals can support sovereignty by providing the UK with autonomy, leadership, resilience and economic prosperity – allowing startups to stand out to VCs, compared to those with more generic offerings.

“The UK is capable of achieving leadership in the emerging and critical technology areas,” Saj said, “which we’re already seeing with the work being done in AI security. Cyber security underpins many industries, including those that form critical national infrastructure.

“Sovereignty is categorically not about building everything ourselves or producing UK-only capabilities. It’s about driving outcomes in the UK’s interests and giving the UK the right control and destiny over its own resilience. This means facilitating adoption into areas that are underserved and under threat – particularly within critical national infrastructure – to keep our country safe and prosperous over the long term.”

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Our Growth Partners are experts in helping ventures grow, refine strategy and access new opportunities. They’re equipped with backgrounds including entrepreneurship, sales and business development through to venture capital and corporate innovation. In practice, they’re uniquely assigned to the startups, SMEs or scaleups that their individual expertise is best suited to ensure absolute alignment to organisational objectives.

And through Growth Partnership, participating companies benefit from our Growth Partners’ access to additional innovation resources generated by the 80 plus members of Plexal’s wider consultancy team.

In recent months, we’ve delivered Growth Clinics in London, Manchester and Cheltenham, which provided leaders an opportunity to sit down and consider what’s next, as we provided fresh perspective with an external point of view towards a clearer direction.

Emma Marshall, Senior Growth Partner, explains: “We’ve seen a common theme through Growth Partnership: founders and CEOs are spinning multiple plates. With so many competing priorities – product development, refining sales processes, building partnerships and planning fundraising there’s rarely time to pause, reflect, strategise and execute. This constant focus on the day-to-day often leads to fragmented strategies that aren’t anchored to the company’s overarching growth objectives.

“We’ve observed that this lack of clarity can stall progress. Leaders struggle to identify the root causes of growth challenges, whether that’s gaps in the sales qualification process, missed opportunities for partnerships or uncertainty around the right timing for investment. When everything feels urgent, it’s hard to focus on what’s truly important.”

With so many working relationships blossoming between our Growth Partners and SMEs alike, we felt now was a good time to spotlight each individual and why they’re excited about delivering our service with forward-thinking leaders.

Lisa Perkins, CPO and Director of Growth Partnership

About me:

I work with companies that require senior-level direction, while supporting the team on the specifics of each engagement. Part of my role is to bring together the right expertise from across Plexal and ensure our Growth Partners are fully equipped to drive meaningful, sustained impact for every business we collaborate with.

As an accomplished FTSE 100 Director, I’ve led visionary, expert teams to deliver significant results in the technology and innovation industry, forging partnerships with multinational tech organisations and the UK Government. This includes the launch of BT Group’s Superfast Broadband and the transformation of BT’s R&I, driving an innovation portfolio ensuring over £500m a year in revenue.

Emma Marshall, Senior Growth Partner

About me:

As a member of Growth Partnership’s leadership team, I act as an embedded growth lead for founders, drawing on experience from delivering national accelerator programmes, leading corporate partnerships with organisations and supporting startups and scaleups across highly regulated and complex markets.

I’ve supported startups and scaleups across fintech, cyber security, digital infrastructure, mobility, critical national infrastructure, retail, heritage and arts sectors. I work directly with leadership teams on the decisions that matter most – shaping growth strategy, securing commercial partnerships, building investor readiness and navigating procurement and regulation.

Mina Begum, Growth Partner

About me:

I understand founders are juggling product, customers, teams, fundraising and day-to-day tasks, which makes it hard to step back and see what’s blocking growth. Often the challenge isn’t a lack of effort or ambition but minimal opportunity for fresh, external perspective that’s still grounded in commercial reality.

As a Growth Partner, I work alongside founders to bring clear, experienced, outside-in thinking to pressure-test your assumptions and ask the uncomfortable questions to help teams focus on the challenges that’ll move the needle. Whether it’s refining pricing, narrowing customer focus, designing a go-to-market approach or preparing for investment, the goal is always practical progress – not theory.

Giulia Sale, Growth Partner

About me:

As a Growth Partner, I’ve seen first-hand how much difference a fractional external expert can make. Founders and leaders often get caught in the loop of firefighting, from operations to team management. Through Growth Partnership, I’ve helped incredible people and businesses step back, refocus and unlock meaningful growth.

We know that the UK is extremely competitive, which is why our support is necessary for the survival of SMEs and scaleups. I’m especially passionate about bringing more mission-led businesses into this journey, so we can improve quality of life across the UK, not just for business owners, but for their end users.

Alex Munday, Growth Partner

About me:

As a Growth Partner at Plexal, I work with early stage and scaling companies to design and execute clear, commercially-grounded growth strategies. I support founders across market positioning, go-to-market design, pricing and investor readiness, helping to translate complex products into compelling, actionable commercial narratives.

My experience spans cyber security, digital health, emerging technologies and agricultural technology with a background in commercial strategy and sales. I previously worked as a founder, having built and launched my own business end-to-end, giving me first-hand insight into the realities of product development, customer acquisition and scaling. I’m particularly focused on helping technically strong teams develop strategies to unlock sustainable growth with clarity, confidence and momentum.

Why you should choose Growth Partnership

Plexal has an extensive background of supporting startups, scaleups and SMEs across government and industry-backed programmes, helping them accomplish their goals. Each day, we leverage that knowledge for Growth Partnership, rolling up our sleeves to remove barriers faced by SME partners to bring their future into focus.

Our Growth Partners have been hand-selected for their knowledge and ability to embed directly within the companies they support. Working closely with founders and teams, they identify the most effective interventions for growth and collaborate as part of the company to deliver against the agreed strategy and create positive outcomes for our businesses.

Register your interest for the Growth Partnership here.

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• Saj Huq, Plexal CCO, will succeed Andrew to ensure business continuity and growth

Plexal, the innovation and growth company, today announces a change to its senior leadership team, with CEO Andrew Roughan choosing to stand down at the end of March after eight years of service.

Saj Huq, CCO at Plexal, will succeed Andrew to enter the role of CEO. He’ll harness his commercial expertise in the new position, having been instrumental in leading strategy, growth and partnerships across government, industry and emerging technology sectors.

14 years ago, Andrew became a key part of the London Olympics regeneration project, supporting conception and launch of Here East in the role of COO. In 2018, he joined Plexal to lead the transformation from workspace provider to innovation and growth company – at which time the business had just 16 people. Today, Plexal has more than 100 staff across the UK, with additional offices in Cheltenham – through acquisition of a majority shareholding in Hub8 – and Manchester.

Under Andrew’s leadership, Plexal has contributed £731m to UK GDP, including the generation of over 9,400 jobs – as reported by independent economic analysis firm Perspective Economics. This validates the value of long-term government investment in UK innovation and the power of private sector solutions.

Since joining the business in 2018, Saj has architected and led several of the UK’s most significant national innovation programmes, including LORCA – which supported 72 of the UK’s leading cyber startups to generate over £68m in revenue and secure more than £300m in investment. He also drove the NCSC Innovation Partnership, which delivered NCSC For Startups and established a globally recognised model for public-private collaboration in national security and technology development.

Prior to joining Plexal, Saj served as a Royal Air Force officer and pilot, later working as a management consultant at Deloitte and PwC, then going on to lead strategic transformation for a private-equity-backed financial institution.

Andrew will continue working together closely with Saj during the transition period, after which he’ll hold the position of Special Advisor to the board.

Andrew Roughan, CEO at Plexal, says: “As a leader, I’ve always been open with the team that their journey at Plexal is what they make it – somewhere they work for the long haul or a stepping stone they can proudly look back on in years to come. For me, I leave the CEO role to take my own advice as I enter the next chapter of my career. 

“I’m incredibly proud of the business Plexal has become and know that its important work will continue under the leadership of Saj and a passionate team of talented individuals bubbling with ingenuity.” 

Saj Huq, CCO at Plexal, adds: “I’m incredibly grateful to Andrew for his leadership over the years, particularly his vision, conviction and direction for what Plexal could become.  Our achievements today are the result of years of hard work, care and belief from many people and saw us welcome 35 new colleagues in 2025 alone.  
 
“As I enter the role of CEO, I feel privileged to build on the legacy of what Plexal has achieved already, leading a team of people working at the frontier of technology and who are driven to make a difference through meaningful collaboration, partnership and impact.

“We’re stepping into this next phase with optimism and momentum – continuing the journey of turning innovation into growth, resilience and societal progress for the UK.”

— 

ABOUT PLEXAL 
 
Plexal is the innovation and growth company helping to strengthen the UK’s technology capabilities through collaboration.

With teams in London, Manchester and Cheltenham, we work closely with government, industry, startups and academia to drive economic growth and reinforce national security.

Founded by Delancey in 2017, Plexal delivers four core services: creating workspaces for innovators, running innovation programmes and consultancy, building regional tech clusters and helping SMEs scale strategically.

By closing the gap between early-stage and established organisations – across the public and private sectors at home and abroad – we’ve impacted over 1,200 businesses, added £731m to the UK economy and helped create 9,400 jobs.

Headquartered at Here East on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Plexal partners with organisations including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the National Cyber Security Centre, Airbus, Amazon Web Services, Barclays Eagle Labs, Google Cloud, TfL, The Alan Turing Institute and the University of Oxford.

For media enquiries please contact: [email protected]

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The day kicked off with a session featuring NCSC For Startups alumni getting together to share their experiences navigating founder challenges. Featuring deep dives on several topics around founder challenges, including frank discussions around the hardships and realities of building a startup as well as the personal and professional pressures of the founder journey. The open and honest dialogue which followed, facilitated by Dave Palmer, General Partner of Ten Eleven Ventures, highlighted some of the barriers founders faced around three key areas: investor relations and funding dynamics, market positioning and brand strategy and geopolitical intelligence and alliances.

The meaningful and honest feedback founders were able to give each other around these topics was so engaging that participants felt that the entire day could be spent addressing these issues. However, the eventful schedule meant that it was time for the day to move on to the key lunchtime session at the Hub8 MX Innovation Centre.

Facilitated by Lisa Perkins, CPO and Director of Technology Innovation at Plexal, the dynamic discussion featured members of the NCSC For Startups alumni, Cyber Runway: Grow cohort members and the wider tech ecosystem in the Cheltenham area and beyond.

Andrew Roughan, CEO of Plexal, joined the packed room over video call and kicked off the discussion with a reminder of the address from new MI6 Chief, Blais Metreweli, just before the new year. During this, she mentioned that “the frontline is everywhere” and that we need “a whole society approach to national security”. Sentiments echoed by the Chief of Defence, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, in his own speech later that very same day. Andrew’s question for our audience followed: “Communities like ours can’t afford not to act, so what do we do?”

The lively discussion which followed highlighted some of the key topics and opportunities for innovation in the national defence landscape:

Skills

A recurring theme in the room was the urgent need to widen the UK’s cyber and tech skills pipeline – starting far earlier than universities and with much more consistency than what’s currently available. Participants highlighted the opportunity for industry professionals to lean in and help inspire and upskill the next generation, ensuring that young people gain real exposure to the technologies shaping national security. Despite the challenges, there was strong optimism that communities like ours can play a meaningful role in accelerating this progress.

Technology pace

Attendees also spoke candidly about the difficulty of keeping pace with technology that evolves faster than traditional organisations can assess or adopt it. While this creates friction for both innovators and end‑users, the conversation repeatedly returned to the opportunity to shift mindsets, streamline processes and champion quicker, more confident adoption of proven tools. The room agreed that with the right cultural change, rapid innovation can become an engine for momentum rather than a barrier.

Procurement barriers

Finally, procurement emerged as a familiar but solvable pressure point for founders, particularly when navigating long cycles and complex routes to deployment. Contributors noted that many trusted technologies are ready for use today and that faster, more pragmatic pathways (especially for solutions already validated in high‑assurance environments) would unlock enormous value for organisations and innovators alike. The collective view was that with clearer models, smarter risk‑taking and better support mechanisms, procurement can evolve into a far more enabling force.

Later in the afternoon, Hub8 Connect attendees dropped in for one-to-one sessions with HCR Law, Jack Chapman from KnowBe4, Dave Palmer, InfiniteCFO, AmicusHR and the Growth Partnership team from Plexal. This facilitated further connections and allowed the founders to take a deeper dive into topics relevant to their businesses.

As the day drew to a close, what really stood out was the collective drive within this community to turn insight into action. Whether discussing skills, technology adoption or procurement challenges, the conversations were grounded in realism but fuelled by a clear sense of shared purpose. It was encouraging to see founders, alumni and local innovators not only highlight the blockers but also volunteer solutions, perspectives and support for one another.

The enthusiasm carried into the final networking session, where new introductions were made and collaborations began to take shape. If the energy in the room is anything to go by, 2026 is already shaping up to be a year of meaningful progress for our ecosystem–powered by the people who show up, speak up and push forward.

We’re already looking ahead to continuing these conversations and building on the momentum. The next Hub8 Connect event takes place on Thursday 26th February and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back to Cheltenham for another day of insight, ideas and community‑driven innovation.

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The business prides itself on inclusivity, welcoming learners with drive and ability to qualify for placement, rather than relying on degrees. With this approach, CAPSLOCK paves the way to new opportunities and long-term career prospects for the individuals and a fresh talent pipeline for the cyber sector itself.

CAPSLOCK has been selected for various programmes delivered by Plexal, including LORCA and Cyber Runway Ignite, during which it’s been a pleasure to support and witness the team’s unwavering commitment to drive impact across communities. This is demonstrated by the more than 1,000 learners enrolled onto CAPSLOCK programmes, while 70% of graduates have secured employment in cyber security roles within six months of training completion.

This undeniable passion to change people’s career prospects has resulted in CAPSLOCK founders Lorna Armitage and Dr Andrea Cullen being recognised on The New Year Honours List 2026 to each receive an MBE for their services to cyber security.

“It really is a massive honour,” Lorna tells Plexal. “It reflects years of hard work, across our wider careers in cyber and the work we’ve done together to make the industry fairer, more open and representative of the society it serves.

“We’ve spent our careers building teams, programmes and pathways that focus on real skills, potential and attitude. CAPSLOCK gave us the chance to do that at scale. Our learners have seen their average salaries increase by more than 50%, demonstrating the life-changing impact reskilling can have.”

Clearly, Lorna and Andrea’s work is rewarding. But Lorna details that they both come from working class backgrounds, which is another motivator. “Through our training, mentoring and employer partnerships, we’ve helped people from all sorts of backgrounds move into meaningful cyber careers, often changing not just their own lives but their families’ futures too,” she says. “Seeing that impact, over and over again, is what’s kept us going.”

CAPSLOCK has designed its curriculum to incorporate real-world skills development rather than “outdated tick-box criteria.” Lorna and Andrea believe skills can be taught – but passion and curiosity are invaluable and should be nurtured rather than ignored because someone has a non-traditional background.

And while equipping enthusiastic learners with the knowledge needed to succeed in cyber, there’s another big picture benefit CAPSLOCK is generating. “The industry becomes diverse, more inclusive and better equipped to meet the demands of the future,” Lorna says.

“Coming from working class backgrounds ourselves, this New Year Honours recognition means a great deal. It shows that doing things differently – and doing them properly – matters. Diversity and inclusion aren’t add-ons for us, they’re built into how we work every day.

“The MBE feels like recognition that breaking down barriers in cyber is important work and that with the right support and belief, talent really can come from anywhere. Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do and the MBE is a testament to the importance of these values in shaping a brighter future for the industry and for society.”

Although the success of CAPSLOCK is evident, Lorna shares that imposter syndrome still creeps in. “I don’t think imposter syndrome is something you just ‘fix’ and it disappears – it comes and goes, especially when you’re running a business and constantly juggling problems, decisions and pressure,” she reasons. “When you’re in the thick of the day-to-day, it’s easy to forget the positives and the real impact you’re having.”

Fortunately, Lorna has found a formula that restores faith in her abilities. “What’s helped me is stopping to acknowledge what we’ve built and the difference it’s made to people’s lives. Having a supportive team around me – and the wider CAPSLOCK community – has made a huge difference. They’ll tell you straight when you’re doing something right and that matters. I’ve also learned to accept that feeling out of your depth now and again doesn’t mean you don’t belong. It usually means you’re pushing yourself. You keep showing up, keep learning and crack on – that’s how you get through it.”

As a familiar and friendly face in the cyber ecosystem, Lorna says being part of the community has been instrumental for the CAPSLOCK journey. “The support we’ve received from other founders, industry experts and professionals has been invaluable, especially during the early stages of building CAPSLOCK,” she says. “From practical advice to moral support, the network we’ve built has helped us navigate challenges and celebrate successes. Networking has played a crucial role, enabling us to form partnerships, gain feedback on our programmes and stay abreast of the latest trends and needs within the sector. These connections have not only fuelled the growth of CAPSLOCK but also enriched our own professional development.”

Pointing to collaboration, shared purpose and expertise that’s led to continuous improvements, Lorna notes that these elements have all made business leadership more enjoyable. “The Plexal Cyber Runway Ignite programme particularly helped forge a strong bond with fellow founders and as a group we’ve supported each other immensely,” she says.

Of course, growth is an objective for all companies to thrive – but how and why growth takes shape can vary drastically. “Our approach to growth has always been values-driven,” Lorna declares, noting that all decisions are guided by a desire to deliver impact for learners and employers. “We’ve prioritised sustainable, mission-led expansion rather than chasing rapid scale at the expense of quality.”

Starting 2026 with an MBE is already enough of a milestone moment to shout about, so it begs the question: what’s next for CAPSLOCK on the road ahead?

“Our core mission remains the same: opening cyber careers to people who might never have seen it as an option, while making sure the skills we develop genuinely meet what industry needs now – not five years ago,” Lorna says.

With that in mind, you can expect to see CAPSLOCK deepening its work with employers. The company is already delivering results for organisations including BAE Systems, BBC, BT, Dyson, ITV and PwC to diversify their workforces, while meeting their demand for cyber talent alongside supporting government departments too.

“We’re helping organisations not just hire cyber talent, but deploy it effectively, reskill existing teams and build sustainable pipelines that work for their business and their people,” Lorna explains.

“By working in long-term partnership with industry, we’re addressing the cyber skills gap in a practical way – aligning training to real roles, real environments and real demand. Innovation and inclusion will continue to sit at the heart of everything we do, not as a nice-to-have, but as the reason our model works.”

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Innovation, growth and progress,  
fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

In case you couldn’t tell, we’re in a great mood over here at Plexal HQ and the Plexmas spirit has taken hold!

2025 has been a fulfilling year for us, during which we’ve grown our team by 35 people who’ve joined our shared mission of generating economic growth and making the UK safer with innovation.

We’re doing this by uniting startups, government, industry and academia to generate sovereign solutions to national problems, strengthening the UK’s technology base and empowering leaders to scale.

Before we come into 2026 to take our efforts to the next level, we’d love you to observe our milestone moments of 2025 with us. So, grab a mince pie and beverage of the mulled variety to refresh yourself on the work we’re doing, which you could be a part of, before we charge into the New Year with intent.

JANUARY

Plexal’s LASR Hub opens to convene AI security ecosystem 
We introduced a dedicated space in London for AI security innovation in line with our role in the Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR). The LASR Hub is a shared office space designed to foster alliance and innovation in the rapid-growth field of AI security. 
 
Don’t forget human connection in the pursuit of funding and ROI 
We detailed the key lessons linked to funding and beyond as we convened Barclays Eagle Labs, 25 scaleups and ten VCs for a networking dinner that wasn’t designed to be pitch practice in between courses, but a reminder to understand each other on a human level.

FEBRUARY

Exploring the future of AI security as LASR Lates launches in London 
We hosted our first LASR Lates event at Plexal Stratford, observing the security risks posed to AI and the opportunity for innovation with an esteemed panel of experts from the AI security sector, who represented organisations including Dell Technologies, University of Oxford, Mindgard and The Alan Turing Institute. 
 
Plexal appointed to techUK Defence Board and in election for National Security Committee 
Our Defence Lead, Hamza Huda, was selected as Forum Chair and member of the techUK Defence Board for the next two years. Since this time, we’ve had three more appointments:  

• Ruby Motabhoy, Senior Lead for National Security at Plexal has been named Vice Chair of the National Security Committee 

• Diane Gilbert, Senior Lead for Programmes at Plexal has been named Cyber SME Forum Chair 

• Dr. Melina Beykou, Technology and Product Consultant at Plexal has been named on the Emerging Tech Leadership Committee 
   

MARCH

Powering progress: How innovation clusters supercharge regional growth
We orchestrated an assembly at our Hub8 by Plexal MX Innovation Centre in Cheltenham, building on the town’s position as a thriving UK cluster. We explored how alignment between initiatives in Cheltenham, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Milton Keynes can add significant momentum and benefit on a national scale. 

Global startup cohort lands in Singapore to fast track international growth with CyberBoost Catalyse 
Our international group of ten startups was selected from Europe, the US, South Korea, Singapore and Israel. They range from being bootstrapped to public companies, with seven out of ten members seeking investment, and they’re tackling important challenges from addressing fraud and detecting deepfakes to securing supply chains.

APRIL

Plexal develops always-on SME support system, Growth Partnership 
The UK Government outlined its number one mission is economic growth. Understanding that the journey of a growing business is incredibly complex, Plexal is focused on getting these companies to their peak potential with Growth Partnership. 
 
Innovators rally in Manchester for Cyber Runway Live as North West achieves sector first 
Our second Cyber Runway Live event, which we held in Manchester at The Lowry, Salford Quays, was held to celebrate our Cyber Runway community. The day included networking, pitch battles, panel discussions, workshops and the graduation of the latest programme participants from our Launch, Grow, Scale and Ignite streams.

MAY

Director GCHQ joins LASR roundtable on resilience and commercial potential of AI security at RSA Conference
At RSA Conference, LASR hosted a roundtable discussion convening international partners and thought leaders to explore shared challenges and opportunities in securing AI on a global scale. During this event, we were delighted to be joined by Anne Keast-Butler, Director of GCHQ, a key strategic partner of LASR. 

Growing your business: Establishing the mission
Drawing on his personal experience, Plexal CEO Andrew Roughan detailed how a mission should keep your company focused and stretching forward to achieve goals, reaching for something that inspires you as part of our ongoing Growth Partnership service. 

JUNE

SXSW London 2025: The role of innovation in national security 
Shaping part of the innovative dialogue taking place across SXSW London, we led an exclusive national security conversation with peers from the national security community who sit on the frontline of protecting the UK. 

Unlocking UK innovation: A conversation with Plexal’s CEO 
Anna Wood, Editor at Startups Magazine, spoke to our CEO Andrew Roughan about the importance of collaboration in the industry, Plexal’s four pillars of innovation support and why the UK needs to find its subsector niches to excel in. 

JULY

TfL and Plexal tap into emerging technologies and startup solutions with innovation operation
Transport for London (TfL) appointed Plexal as an Innovation Operation Supplier for a multi-year partnership. Plexal is leaning into our focus on achieving the potential of emerging technology through strategic collaboration and supporting the TfL innovation team with insights and resources to drive product development and transformation across the transport network. 

Cyber Security and Intelligence: The changing shape of the threat landscape
We’ve had the privilege of furthering our relationship with Cityforum, hosting the recent Cyber Security and Intelligence: The Changing Shape of the Threat Landscape discussion. Plexal CCO Saj Huq shared his takeaways from the latest in a line of forums from the event and research organisation.

AUGUST

Plexal provides dedicated support for security-focused startups with Google Cloud 
Plexal began collaborating with Google Cloud to provide security-focused startups developing breakthrough technologies with access to a breadth of resources unlocking the potential of Google Cloud. This includes support around AI innovations, which can support founders with product development, go-to-market strategies and operating model design.

SEPTEMBER

DSEI 2025: Innovative partnerships crucial for growth as Defence Industrial Strategy rolls out
Commenting on our attendance at Defence and Systems Equipment International, Plexal CCO Saj Huq explained: “Our presence at DSEI 2025 ties in with the work we’re doing across the defence sector. This includes supporting access to novel technologies, acceleration of sovereign capabilities and SME engagement, which is crucial for the UK’s growth and overall national security.” 
 
Cyber Runway returns to drive business growth, CNI resilience and North West collaboration
Cyber Runway, the largest cyber accelerator in the UK, came back and bigger than ever. Our entrepreneurship support programme returned for its fifth edition as part of the Cyber Growth Action Plan – a component of the wider Plan for Change. 

OCTOBER

Innovation clusters: The global growth opportunity 
Plexal joined the HM Treasury business delegation to the Gulf alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Our CEO Andrew Roughan flew to Riyadh alongside other UK senior leaders, with the trip forming part of a government ambition to deepen economic and commercial relations at the Future Investment Initiative, and we outlined the mutually beneficial opportunities for the UK and the Gulf in a white paper.

NOVEMBER

Elevate: From operators to visionaries in technologies and sectors spanning AI to healthcare
Barclays Eagle Labs and Plexal launched Elevate – a new initiative for exceptional founders developed from our third Scaleup Programme that prepares high-growth UK tech companies for tackling the challenges of scaling. Elevate comprises a cohort of eight founders and is centred on personal and professional evolution. 

Grown in Hackney: Second cohort comes to the end of the programme
Plexal’s free, six-month Grown in Hackney initiative offered tailored business support to help fast-track local businesses, supported by Hackney Council. Get to know the second cohort as the founders reflect on their experiences following programme completion.

DECEMBER

Plexal and Cisco call on UK SMEs to secure AI supply chain with LASR 
Plexal and Cisco announced a second innovation opportunity for UK SMEs through our collaboration with LASR, looking for those addressing challenges associated with the security of AI supply chains, such as secure deployment for critical national infrastructure.

CNI sector supported by SMEs to protect UK services, public and economy from significant attacks
Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and delivered by Plexal, our Cyber Runway CNI programme welcomed six SMEs to contribute capabilities towards strengthening the UK’s critical national infrastructure against evolving cyber threats. This gained a lot of interest, being picked up by the likes of UKTN, UKAuthority, Industrial Cyber, New Civil Engineer, IT Brief and more. It’s an area that we’ve only scratched the surface on, so more updates to follow.

Stay tuned for more news, events and opportunities from us in 2026!

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As reported by UKAuthority: “The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and innovation company Plexal have launched the Cyber Runway CNI programme to strengthen the security of the UK’s critical national infrastructure.”

Plexal and DSIT along with our Cyber Runway CNI cohort, CISO representatives from critical national infrastructure organisations and peers from PA Consulting were welcomed by Matt Capp, Senior Manager at Adastral Park, which is BT’s primary R&D site and a cluster of 100 companies. He noted how Adastral Park was a fitting location for our event, with on-site critical infrastructure for network operations, broadband, vendor equipment, integration centres, cyber security, satellite capabilities and more.

Plexal CEO Andrew Roughan set the scene for the day’s discussion, saying: “We’re going through a technology super-cycle where 25 years of progress is happening every five years. But through a permacrisis triggered by Brexit and the pandemic, the UK has lost its mojo somewhat.

“Now’s the time to step up in domains like critical national infrastructure and deliver economic growth and resilience for the UK as a priority because, as the NCSC reported, we’re being hit by highly significant attacks. This economic growth and reinforced security will in turn create a crucial social dividend of high value jobs, equity and equality in communities we serve.

“By forming an alliance and pulling the trigger on breakthrough solutions, we can enable sovereign capabilities we can be proud of at a national level, opening the doors to fresh trade and export opportunities.”

Russell Gundry, Senior Director for Clusters at Plexal, reinforced the importance of private-public collaboration to make CNI resilience an enduring campaign with a reminder that the UK Government categorises 13 sectors within CNI – from data and energy to health and transport.

Throughout the day, we led groups comprising SME leaders, government officials and CISOs to break out and exchange perspectives – a core component of Cyber Runway CNI. As detailed by UKTN: “The programme aims to bridge the gap between cyber innovation and the security needs of sectors including energy, water, telecoms, transportation and data centres.”

One party noted that the cyber risk to the UK is the highest it’s ever been, a result of attack volume and help from technologies such as AI. Additionally, it was noted that skills, investment and support for SMEs were flagged as key issues.

However, it was clear there’s mutual appetite from the public and private sector to ensure government works closely with industry to tackle this. As such, we should expect clear direction to manage threats with a revised cyber strategy.

The US-based Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was championed by one as a clear pathway that companies can use to deploy and scale quickly. Comparatively, it was suggested the UK fails in this area and advised this is solved quickly to ensure sovereign capability is built.

Getting into insights from breakouts, here’s an overview of the challenges and opportunities:

CHALLENGES

Funding, regulation and governance are considered blockers for SMEs to achieve commercial cut-through with telecoms organisations, to which CISOs said procurement processes are a barrier for them too.

Some government strategies were said to be a source of frustration, prompting a request that they should shape direction – but without limiting SMEs with slow policy development.

The procurement process within government was described as a complex patchwork to navigate. And targeting the energy sector was also said to be difficult due to factors such as finding the problem owners, while it’s common for primes to be preferred compared to SMEs.

Access to data is considered constrained, making it difficult for SMEs to provide tailored solutions to CNI organisations.

Financing is named an age-old problem, with UK investors unwilling to take as many risks compared to those in US – a location also believed to have deeper pockets. This raised the question of: how do you square UK sovereignty if people are heading overseas?

OPPORTUNITIES

Partnership models are considered favourable to establish SMEs as innovators that can deliver value to large counterparts. It’s suggested physical co-location can support the approach for better collaboration opportunities.

Revised external engagement processes to improve visibility of opportunities where technology can act as an enabler.

Better access to resources within CNI to work with real problems – currently there’s a discrepancy between what’s said at high level versus problems at low level.

More forums and workshops between government, industry and academia to move CNI forward, make connections and understand challenges.

To make progress in the UK, we need to better exploit technology. We’re good in research but commercialisation for economic benefit is also essential. Only by talking is how we make progress.

Cyber Runway CNI has just begun and we’ve got plenty more conversation and action to follow over the coming months. As IT Brief reports: “The programme is designed as a cross-sector collaboration. SMEs will gain access to CNI buyers, investors and growth advice, while CNI organisations will see new tools, regulatory insights and supply chain initiatives.”

Want to join us? Our next needs accelerator event for Cyber Runway CNI will take place in Cheltenham on Wednesday 21^st January 2026. Contact our Innovation Lead [email protected] to be part of it. 

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