Last month, we announced the 5 tech for good companies in the running for the Startup Summit Competition!
It was a tough choice for the judges but we can't wait to see those three pitch live at SUS20 at the end of the month!
CyberShell - Dr Tayyaba Nafees
CyberShell is a digital platform that provides solutions to ensure security for the software industry.
CyberShell is for software industries that need to identify cyberthreats and risks during software development and want to safeguard emerging business-critical-services. Their product: vulnerability scanning tool and training solution that provides faster and automatic insertion of the cybersecurity controls in CI/CD pipeline with user-friendly support on live cyberattacks.
Dr Tayyaba Nafees (Founder & CEO) is expertise in application security development with a PhD in Ethical Hacking. She received entrepreneurial prejudice award of a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise- Fellowship 2018-2019. She had 6 years of working experience within a team of world-leading cybersecurity experts at Abertay University. She was selected top 10 out of 200 young researchers to participate in the 6th Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2018. She won the Scotland Women in Technology award 2018, Scottish Cyber Award 2018 and competing for Innovation Through Cyber, Digital Tech Awards 2020.
Frog Systems - Phil Worms
Frog Systems is a digital mental health & wellbeing company utilising video to communicate messages of hope & signpost support to those in need.
Through its Champions Cinema, Frog showcases real stories, told by real people, to demonstrate to people feeling alone and stigmatised by their personal challenges, that there is hope and that help IS available. The software automatically signposts the user to their nearest local support services relevant to the video’s content. The platform can be fully customised and licensed by any organisation with a duty of care.
Phil Worms is an IT and telecoms veteran, with over 30 years spent in the sector. Currently the CEO of Govan based startup Frog Systems, Phil has enjoyed a long and a varied career holding C level roles with companies such as BT, Centrica, iomart Group and VarTec. In 2017, he created an extracurricular digital skills charity for young people, the Digital Xtra Fund, on behalf of the Scottish Government. Phil has sat on several national and parliamentary advisory committees discussing issues as wide ranging as the universal provision of broadband access to online child safety initiatives. He regularly contributes to trade publications and national newspapers. Phil is a Trustee of Carers Trust and a fellow of the RSA.
Social Good Connect is a digital search and match platform connecting employers and their employees to volunteering opportunities to positively impact the community.
They are on a mission to create a world where people care and are inspired to make a positive social impact. They partner with employers to embed a culture of volunteering in their organisation and help charities access an audience of skilled employee volunteers. They make it easy for private, public, and third sector communities to connect for good and measure their social impact.
In 2010, following many years in senior leadership roles in financial services, Caroline McKenna hung up her corporate boots and headed to the third sector. Caroline has extensive skills and understanding of the Social Good arena and is an award- winning CEO, Community Woman of the Year. Following completion of an Oxford university short course on social entrepreneurship she became even more passionate about working to broker the relationships between businesses and charities using the skills and passions of employees to volunteer and positively impact the community. Caroline lives and breathes volunteering, outside of work she is a Director on the board of four non-profits!
Congratulations to the three finalists!
They will be pitching live (virtually) in front of our panel of judges and the SUS20 audience on Thursday 29th October. The winner, taking a prize worth £60k+ will be announced live on the same day at SUS20!
Prizes to be won
- Fully funded place on the FutureX Silicon Valley Scale programme (worth £4K+)
- Initial business consultancy support from Johnston Carmichael
- 1 year membership to FutureX Plus
- £50,000 from the STV Growth Fund for marketing on STV
- Inclusive recruitment support package (worth £2100) with AAI Employability
- HR consultancy support package (£800) with Purpose HR
Wherever you are in the world, join us online on October 28th & 29th: get your ticket to Startup Summit today!