In 2026, the Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP), which is funded by the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and delivered by Innovate UK, celebrates its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, the programme has bridged the gap between academia and industry, accelerating the commercialisation of cutting-edge cyber technologies from inside UK universities. So far, programme alumni have raised well over £75m in follow-on investment, resulting in 45 cyber companies, including 30 spin-out companies formed, four acquisitions and multiple licences to industry. The success of the programme is evident, as DCMS has committed a further £10m over the next four years in additional funding to CyberASAP.
On the 1st October 2026, at the QEII Centre in Westminster, London, government, industry, academia, investors and innovators will come together to celebrate the programme. The anniversary event will showcase CyberASAP’s achievements over the last decade, celebrate the success of its alumni and explore the future of cyber security innovation in the UK. Attendees can look forward to a keynote address by Baroness Gustafsson of Chesterton CBE. Baroness Gustafsson was part of the team who founded Darktrace in 2013 and most recently was Minister of State (Minister for Investment) jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury.
CyberASAP is uniquely positioned within the cyber innovation ecosystem as the UK’s only pre-seed cyber security accelerator dedicated to academics. For ten years, the programme has helped researchers transform cutting-edge cyber security ideas into commercial ventures, enabling innovations with the potential to make the UK safer, more secure and more resilient. At a time when close attention is being paid to digital sovereignty, CyberASAP is critical for growing the next generation of British cyber businesses.
Emma Fadlon, Director of CyberASAP, said “a decade is a significant milestone for any programme, let alone a pre-seed cyber security accelerator. CyberASAP has stood the test of time and delivered some exceptional results, as the statistics show. What’s truly unique about CyberASAP is its ability to give academics the chance to develop and commercialise tech that has the potential to create real change nationally and beyond.”
One pertinent CyberASAP success story is AI security company Mindgard. A spinout from Lancaster University, Mindgard was co-founded by Dr Peter Garraghan and took part in CyberASAP’s Year 6 cohort in 2022. Since graduating from the programme, Mindgard has raised several multi-million-pound and dollar funding rounds, including £3 million in 2023 and $8 million in 2024. Most recently, in August 2026, the company announced that it had closed a $30 million Series A financing led by Album VC, with participation from Karma Ventures and existing investors .406 Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, IQ Capital and Lakestar. According to Mindgard, the Series A followed accelerated deployment of its technology among Fortune 2000 companies and AI innovators across financial services, pharmaceuticals, gaming, digital services, semiconductors and healthcare.
Alumni of CyberASAP remain part of the Innovate UK ecosystem after graduating, benefitting from opportunities, such as mentorship and trips to showcase abroad. This year, for example, six alumni attended RSAC in San Francisco to showcase some of Britain’s most exciting early-stage cyber innovations.
The 10th cohort started the programme in April 2026 and the final 14 teams selected for the final phase of the programme are developing Proofs of Concept to address cyber security in sectors ranging from Critical National Infrastructure to FinTech, AI Security to IoT. In February 2027, the cohort will pitch to investors and industry at its annual Demo Day.
