• LORCA Live, the annual showcase for the government-backed cybersecurity innovation programme, launches today as a week-long virtual conference
  • Multimedia content will focus on growing the UK’s cybersecurity sector, the new risk landscape caused by COVID-19 and the role cyber startups can play in the UK economic recovery
  • LORCA Live set to be the largest conference for the UK cyber startup ecosystem this year

LORCA, the government-backed cybersecurity innovation programme delivered by the innovation centre Plexal, has today launched LORCA Live, the annual showcase for the UK cyber startup ecosystem that this year will be a week-long virtual conference.

The conference, which will include a daily live broadcast from Plexal, a new podcast series, virtual workshops for entrepreneurs, video interviews with leaders in cyber hubs around the world and written thought leadership content, is set to be the largest virtual conference for the UK cyber startup ecosystem in 2020.

Content will focus on four key themes: the new risk landscape caused by the global health pandemic, growing of the UK cyber ecosystem, emerging security challenges faced by industry and the future of skills and employment for the cybersecurity sector .

Nearly 60 speakers and contributors will be participating in the week-long conference, running from 14 to 18 September, including representatives from academia – Oxford Internet Institute, University of Cambridge, Queen’s University Belfast; law enforcement – GCHQ, MI5, the National Police Chief’s Council; cyber scaleups – Darktrace and Digital Shadows; global cybersecurity corporates – BAE Systems, IBM, BlueVoyant; investors – Accel, Beringea, Paladin Capital and the government.

The 72 cohort companies supported by LORCA over the last two years will also feature at the event, providing video showcases of their services and solutions and engaging in digital networking throughout the week.

Demonstrating the importance of cybersecurity in an increasingly digital world, LORCA Live will examine issues such as electoral interference, disinformation, sharing public health data and cyber warfare.

Additional speakers from beyond the cyber sector include Russ Shaw, the founder of Tech London Advocates, William Dixon, Head of Future Networks and Technology at the World Economic Forum and Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive – the company behind global games phenomenon Football Manager.

LORCA Live is launching a week after LORCA announced that cohort companies had attracted more than £150m in growth capital just two years after it was founded. LORCA cohort company fundraising accounts for 69% of all cyber investment raised in the UK since the country went into lockdown.

Delivered by Plexal, the innovation centre and workspace established by Delancey, alongside Deloitte and CSIT, LORCA (London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement) is the DCMS-backed cybersecurity innovation programme that is supporting the cyber innovations needed most by industry and society.

To experience LORCA Live, attendees need to register for access. Registration is available here: www.lorcalive.co.uk

For More Info Contact:

Tom Chamberlain
Seven Hills
Tel: +44 7854 461301
Tom.chamberlain@wearesevenhills.com

Sophie Ingham Clark
Communications Manager
Delancey
Tel:+44 (0)20 7448 1961
Sophie.ingham-clark@delancey.com

Katharine Walsh
Head of Communications
Delancey
Tel: +44 (0)20 7448 1461

Notes to Editors

About LORCA
LORCA’s objective is to grow the UK’s cybersecurity sector and make the internet safer for everyone by supporting the most promising later-stage companies. Through its forums, programmes and events, it convenes academia, innovators, government, investors and industry (including partners Lloyds Banking Group, Dell Technologies, Kudelski Security, Kx and the Global Cyber Alliance) into a cross-sector, noncompetitive and collaborative ecosystem.

Designed and delivered by the Plexal innovation team, LORCA’s 12-month accelerator programmes are matched to each cohort’s needs. Members benefit from international trade delegations, opportunities to engage with industry, mentoring and workshops on everything from marketing to scaling globally. They also benefit from engineering, commercial and technical support from delivery partners Deloitte and CSIT.

LORCA launched in June 2018 with backing from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) as part of the government’s National Cyber Security Strategy.

LORCA members have raised £153m in investment and won over 650 contracts and are on track to create over 800 jobs by 2022. Notable success stories include cyber company ZoneFox being acquired by Fortinet, CyberOwl winning a contract with the Ministry of Defence as a result of being involved with the programme and working with delivery partner Deloitte and Privatar raising over $150m.

About Plexal
Plexal is an innovation centre and coworking space located in the fast-growing Here East technology and innovation campus in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It was launched in 2017 and was founded by clients of specialist real estate investment advisory company Delancey.

Collaboration is at the heart of Plexal’s approach to innovation. Its innovation team delivers bespoke programmes for clients like Innovate UK and Transport for London, and specialises in forging connections between industry, academia, investors, startups and scaleups to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society while getting ideas market-ready.

Plexal has been appointed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to deliver the London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement (LORCA): an innovation programme aimed at scaling cybersecurity solutions that are needed most by industry.

It’s also delivered OpenDoor: an inclusion accelerator aimed at scaling solutions that can make society and our economy more inclusive while addressing the challenges of under-represented groups.

Designed as a mini-city (it has its own indoor park, a high street, indoor street food and a prototyping workshop), startup and scaleup members of Plexal’s workspace benefit from a comprehensive programme of events and in-house professional services. Members work in areas like mobility, AI, healthtech, cybersecurity, fintech, the Internet of Things, VR and more.

For more information visit: plexal.com