Kaspersky Lab is furthering its quest to stamp out malicious software with a new program to discover and train the next generation of security experts.

Michael Cusanelli, Associate Editor

February 27, 2015

2 Min Read
Eugene Kaspersky CEO of Kaspersky Lab
Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is furthering its quest to stamp out malicious software with a new competition to discover and train the next generation of security experts.

Kaspersky announced the launch of Security Startup Challenge 2015, a contest that will pair security provider startups with business, cybersecurity and industry experts from around the globe to develop new ways to stop cybercrime. Kaspersky said it hopes the program will help burgeoning security providers to establish themselves as major players in the IT industry while creating new solutions to help eliminate cyberthreats.

“As the cyberthreat landscape becomes more and more dangerous, the world needs new ideas, new concepts and new approaches to cybersecurity,” said Eugene Kaspersky, chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, in a statement. “Technology startups have been massive wealth-generators for their owners and for society as a whole over the last few decades. Our company was a startup not that long ago, and I can confirm that it feels great to fight the bad guys and build your own business from scratch while doing so.”

The competition, which will run March through August, is a joint initiative between Kaspersky Academy and venture industry partners Mangrove Capital Partners and the ABRT Venture Fund. Individuals and teams have until April 28 to apply, after which a special committee will select 40 competitors to battle it out for an $80,000 prize fund and post-program support.

Participants will be mentored by a team of more than 30 industry experts who will help them to learn about the cybersecurity industry and how to build a successful business, according to Kaspersky. The program also will be open to startups looking to develop new skills in areas such as fintech (financial services), health care, mobile, the Internet of Things and the cloud.

Kaspersky will kick off this year’s challenge with a preliminary series of two-day workshops across the world, followed by a three-month acceleration program that will include distance teamwork and two bootcamps in Luxembourg, according to the announcement. Finalists will meet for a closing event at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“We need to innovate our approach to cybersecurity to meet the demands of this new hyper-connected world,” said Michael Jackson, partner at Mangrove Capital Partners. “This accelerator, the first of its kind, will bring together cybersecurity startups from all over the world and ensure that those which hold the most promise receive all the help and support they need to grow at internet speed.”

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About the Author(s)

Michael  Cusanelli

Associate Editor, Penton Technology Group, Channel

Michael Cusanelli is the associate editor for Penton Technology’s channel properties, including The VAR Guy, MSPmentor and Talkin' Cloud. He has written articles and produced video for Newsday.com and is a graduate of Stony Brook University's School of Journalism in New York. In his spare time Michael likes to play video games, watch sci-fi movies and participate in all things nerdy. He can be reached at [email protected]

 

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