Key Takeaways
- Infosecurity Europe 2026 will host a new Cyber Startup competition featuring five emerging cybersecurity firms.
- The competition will be held on Tuesday 2 June, with finalists pitching live to senior industry leaders, investors, and buyers.
- Judging panel includes industry veteran Shlomo Kramer, Close Brothers CISO Mun Valiji, and CFC Underwriting CISO Kirsty Kelly.
- Winner receives a free exhibition stand at Infosecurity Europe 2027, PR support from Origin Communications, and a brand‑workshop package from Dusted.
- The five startups—Cytidel, Datambit, Konvu, Ploy, and Red Carbon—address vulnerability intelligence, deep‑fake detection, AI‑driven triage, autonomous access management, and AI‑analyst SOC support, respectively.
Overview of the Infosecurity Europe 2026 Cyber Startup Competition
Infosecurity Europe 2026 introduces a dedicated Cyber Startups Zone on the show floor, alongside a live pitch competition designed to spotlight the next wave of cybersecurity innovation. Five hand‑picked finalists will each have the opportunity to present their technologies to an audience comprising senior industry leaders, venture capitalists, and potential enterprise customers. The event aims to foster direct connections between innovators and the market, accelerating adoption of cutting‑edge solutions while providing startups with valuable exposure and feedback.
Competition Format and Timing
The pitch session is scheduled for Tuesday 2 June, fitting neatly into the conference agenda to maximise attendee participation. Each finalist will deliver a timed live presentation on stage, followed by a brief Q&A with the judging panel. This format encourages concise, impactful storytelling and allows judges to assess both the technical merit and market viability of each offering. By concentrating the pitches into a single session, the organisers ensure high visibility and facilitate networking opportunities immediately after the pitches conclude.
Judging Panel Expertise
The competition benefits from a distinguished judging panel that blends entrepreneurial experience with operational security insight. Shlomo Kramer, a prolific founder and investor behind companies such as Check Point, Palo Alto Networks, Imperva, Cato Networks, and Sumo Logic, brings a deep understanding of what it takes to scale a cybersecurity venture. Mun Valiji, group CISO at Close Brothers, offers a practitioner’s viewpoint on how emerging technologies integrate into enterprise risk management. Kirsty Kelly, group CISO at CFC Underwriting, contributes expertise from the insurance sector, where cyber risk assessment and mitigation are paramount. Together, the judges are well‑positioned to evaluate innovation, scalability, and real‑world applicability.
Prize Package for the Winning Startup
Victory in the Cyber Startup competition confers a comprehensive prize designed to accelerate growth and market presence. The winner will receive a complimentary exhibition stand at Infosecurity Europe 2027, providing a prime platform to showcase their product to a global audience. In addition, Origin Communications will deliver targeted public‑relations support to amplify media coverage and thought‑leadership opportunities. Finally, Dusted brand consultancy will conduct a future‑brand workshop, helping the victor refine positioning, messaging, and visual identity for long‑term success. This combination of visibility, publicity, and strategic branding aims to give the winning startup a decisive competitive edge.
Cytidel – Vulnerability Intelligence Platform
Cytidel offers a real‑time intelligence layer that sits between an organization’s security tooling and its decision‑making processes. By correlating vulnerability data with threat‑actor activity, the platform highlights which flaws are actively being exploited and where remediation efforts should be prioritized. This shift from reactive patching to intelligence‑led risk management reduces alert noise, optimizes resource allocation, and equips security teams to anticipate fast‑moving threats. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Castlebar, Mayo, Ireland, Cytidel targets enterprises seeking to mature their vulnerability management programmes.
Datambit Limited – Deepfake Detection for Audio and Video
Datambit tackles the growing menace of synthetic media by providing a platform that determines whether audio or video content has been artificially generated or manipulated. Its explainable, high‑confidence outputs are suited for investigative, legal, and operational contexts, enabling organizations to restore trust in digital evidence amid rising deep‑fake‑driven fraud, impersonation, misinformation, and reputational attacks. Established in 2023 and based in London, Datambit serves sectors where authenticity verification is critical, including finance, law enforcement, and media.
Konvu – AI‑Native Vulnerability Triage
Konvu automates the investigation phase of vulnerability management by connecting to existing scanners and running agent‑driven checks across code, configuration, and optional runtime signals. The platform returns evidence‑backed exploitability decisions directly into established workflows, helping security teams keep pace with attackers who weaponize flaws at unprecedented speed. By reducing the time required to triage and validate vulnerabilities, Konvu aims to eliminate a key bottleneck in modern security operations. Founded in 2024, the company is headquartered in New York, USA.
Ploy – Agentic Access Intelligence Platform
Ploy delivers autonomous visibility and control over identity‑access relationships across SaaS apps, cloud environments, identity providers, and collaboration tools. Recognizing that identity‑related incidents account for roughly 80 % of breaches and that most organisations experience multiple identity events annually, Ploy’s platform continuously monitors entitlements, detects anomalous access patterns, and enforces least‑privilege policies without manual intervention. Founded in 2023 by Jacob Prime (CEO) and Harry Lucas (CTO), Ploy operates from London and targets enterprises seeking to shrink their attack surface through intelligent identity governance.
Red Carbon – AI‑Analyst Workforce for SOC Efficiency
Red Carbon deploys a virtual workforce of six AI analysts designed to alleviate alert fatigue and enhance SOC productivity. These AI agents perform low‑level analysis, threat‑intelligence enrichment, compliance checks, auditing tasks, and more, allowing human analysts to focus on higher‑value activities such as incident response and threat hunting. By integrating seamlessly with existing security stacks, Red Carbon aims to improve operational efficiency, optimise analyst skill utilisation, and strengthen overall cyber‑resilience. The company, founded in 2020, is headquartered in Torino, Italy.
Conclusion and Registration Invitation
The Infosecurity Europe 2026 Cyber Startup competition promises to be a highlight of the event, showcasing five innovative solutions that address pressing cybersecurity challenges ranging from vulnerability intelligence and deep‑fake detection to AI‑driven triage, autonomous access control, and SOC augmentation. With a prestigious judging panel, a valuable prize package, and a dedicated showcase zone, the competition offers participating startups unparalleled exposure to investors, partners, and enterprise buyers. Interested attendees and potential participants are encouraged to register for Infosecurity Europe 2026 via the official conference website to witness these pitches first‑hand and engage with the future of cybersecurity innovation.