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RSA Conference 2025 Will Introduce $50 Million Annual Investment Program For Top 10 Finalists

RSAC’s annual Innovation Sandbox competition celebrates its 20th anniversary next year.

Last updated on Nov 21, 2024
Joel Witts Written by Joel Witts
RSAC 2024

Starting in 2025, RSAC Innovation Sandbox Top 10 Finalists will each receive a $5 million investment, RSA Conference has today announced.

The Innovation Sandbox has become a leading platform for showcasing up and coming cybersecurity market leaders. Past winners include Imperva, Wiz, SentinelOne, Talon Cyber Security, and Hidden Layer. 

Previous finalists have collectively seen more than 90 acquisitions and raised over $16.4 billion in investments; several have also become publicly traded companies. 

Last year’s winner, deepfake and AI-generated media detection platform Reality Defender, recently expanded its Series A funding to $33 million USD. 

The competition receives around 150 applicants annually and is watched by more than 750 investors, cybersecurity leaders, entrepreneurs, and members of the press. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges drawn by the cybersecurity community.

Next year will mark the first year ever that financing has been awarded to finalists. All ISB finalists will each receive a $5 million uncapped Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) investment, provided by affiliates of Crosspoint Capital Partners. 

RSAC will use a portion of the returns received from the investments made in the Top 10 finalists to support the cybersecurity community. RSAC has announced it is developing a new forum to provide winners with additional exposure, coaching, mentorship, and connections to the CISO community.

“Historically, the RSAC Innovation Sandbox competition has anointed winners in cybersecurity long before they became winners in the marketplace. We are excited to introduce simplified, founder-friendly financing for the companies selected by the independent and neutral process of the RSAC Innovation Sandbox to further fuel cybersecurity innovation,” said Dr. Hugh Thompson, Executive Chairman of RSA Conference.

 “When Wiz participated in the RSAC Innovation Sandbox contest in 2021, we were a young company in an emerging cybersecurity category,” said Anthony Belfiore, Chief Security and Strategy Officer of Wiz. “The exposure that we received from the ISB platform and RSA Conference helped us attract more customers earlier in our journey. This was extremely helpful for us. This new investment program is a game-changer.”

Additional details on the RSAC ISB submission process will be available in January 2025.

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Joel Witts

Content Director

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Joel Witts is the Content Director at Expert Insights, meaning he oversees all articles published and topics covered. He is an experienced journalist and writer, specialising in identity and access management, Zero Trust, cloud business technologies, and cybersecurity. Joel is a co-host of the Expert Insights Podcast and conducts regular interviews with leading B2B tech industry experts, including directors at Microsoft and Google. Joel holds a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from Cardiff University.