Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

Colworth Park becomes a catalyst for entrepreneurship with new cybersecurity venture

Written by Paula Devine | 26 Jun 2017

Colworth Park, a science park which offers a collaborative environment for its occupiers to share and develop new ideas, is home to a new cybersecurity venture – Colworth Solutions.

With over 30 tenants now occupying Colworth Park, its emphasis on collaboration and co-working is creating new partnerships. One recent new venture on the Park is the cybersecurity start-up Colworth Solutions. Two new tenants at Colworth Park, a cybersecurity education specialist Layer 8 and a copywriting company Arrowmaker Communications, teamed up to create this digital knowledge-sharing platform and cyber-security training tool.

Colworth Solutions was set up to provide online educational content to businesses, to enable them to better equip their staff to spot and stop insecure cyber-behaviours. The start-up provides written articles, tips, audio, podcasts, quizzes and polls, enabling employees to learn about the signs of potential threats and share information about secure behaviours with their colleagues – from the receptionist to the CEO.

Managers have access to tools that enable them to see the results of the quizzes and polls taken by employees, identify where secure behaviours are lacking in their organisation, and take corrective action – thus protecting their business. They also have access to leadership materials to drive changes across the organisation.

The new venture was formed during a conversation over coffee between Simon Fletcher, Managing Director at Arrowmaker Communications and Tony Dimech, Commercial Director of Layer 8, in the breakout space in Colworth House. Berkshire-based security marketing consultant Shaan Sood was then brought on board, and the Colworth Solutions name chosen, in honour of the entrepreneurial environment in which the business was born.

Simon Fletcher, Managing Director at Arrowmaker Communications, said: “Colworth Park breeds entrepreneurialism and collaborative working. In just a few short weeks, we have been able to create a business that will make a positive difference in the fight against vulnerability to cyber-crime. With one company in the US recently hit for over $100 million in a phishing scam, it’s an urgent need for companies both large and small.”

Tony Dimech, Commercial Director of Layer 8, said: “The opportunity to forge partnerships like this, as a direct result of relocating here, is a massive bonus to our business.”

Keith Purdie, Business Development Director at Colworth Park, said: “This is exactly what we were hoping to see when we opened up Colworth House to new tenants. We wanted to create an environment that encouraged the conversations that lead to sharing ideas, and developed into new ventures such as this. The potential for Colworth Solutions is huge, and I wish them every success.”

Keith Purdie, Business Development Director, Colworth Park
keith.purdie@colworthpark.com
01234 867126

Topics: Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, digital

Paula Devine

Written by Paula Devine

Paula is Head of Membership and Global Services at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

More stories...