MEET THE MELBOURNE ACCELERATOR PROGRAM BUILDING THE FUTURE OF CYBER SECURITY STARTUPS

IN the wake of the WannaCry ransomware attack, companies are more often considering how personal data is protected. It appears no business is too big to avoid the threat of ransomware, as global companies including Disney and Sony have reported cybersecurity breaches which have resulted in heavy financial losses.

In response to this growing threat posed by modern hackers, Scott Handsaker, the CEO of Melbourne's new cyber security accelerator program CyRise, believes the best solutions are couched in entrepreneurship.

Handsaker says Australia has the potential to be a global leader in the cyber security space, and he on a mission to support its innovation.

Handsaker's company CyRise will accept five early-stage cyber security startups into its accelerator program this September.

These startups will be mentored by industry leaders including Craig Davies of the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network, Didier Elzinga of Culture Amp and Debro Bordignon of Dimension Data Group Australia.

Handsaker says CyRise will forge connections between entrepreneurs and corporate partners, attract around $50,000 in capital to each business, include a trip to Israel and the USA and also allow the businesses access to office space in the CBD.

Business News Australia spoke to Handsaker on the topic of cyber security in business ahead of the national CyRise roadshow event. Read more

David Simmons - Business News Australia - 21 July 2017