DataTribe Challenge

Your Path to Funding Starts Here

As founders ourselves, we have never liked the feeling of being the entertainment that comes with participating in most pitch competitions. So, in creating the DataTribe Challenge, we have centered it on the North Star of creating a platform that is a valuable use of time for the founders participating.

Submit your startup to potentially be selected to be part of a startup competition like no other.

The DataTribe Challenge is a unique program to accelerate your cybersecurity startup. Workshop your messaging and meet potential investors and customers. We will pick five finalists to join the program, receive coaching from our team of startup veterans, present at the live event, and benefit from free promotion and press coverage. Finalists share $25,000 in prizes and all will receive the title of DataTribe Challenge Finalist.

Coaching | Connections | Competition

Event Details

Submissions Due: September 27th, 2024

Finalists Announced: October 18th, 2024

DataTribe Challenge Live Event: November 13th, 2024

Submissions Have Ended

Currently Reviewing

About the Challenge

The DataTribe Challenge is a unique startup competition for pre-seed and seed stage cybersecurity and data science startups. It’s a platform for startups to connect with DataTribe, to tighten their pitch, to gain industry exposure, and to make connections with prospective investors and customers.

This is our 7th Annual Challenge. This year, Five Challenge applications will be selected to be recognized as Finalists. Finalists will participate in Challenge coaching leading to the Challenge Finalists Event. At the invitation-only Finalists event, the Finalists will present to a panel of judges in front of 150 CISOs, investors, and industry leaders. In addition to the five Finalists, an additional 10 entrants will be selected to receive invitations to attend the Finalists event.

Mark your calendars for October 18th, 2024, when we’ll reveal this year’s finalists.

We’ll begin the messaging workshop with the finalists starting the week of October 21st . The Finalists event is scheduled to take place in the DataTribe Challenge Auditorium in Maple Lawn, Maryland on November 13th, 2024.

Why Participate

We are very conscious of how busy founders are. So, we take great care in trying to make the Challenge both easy to apply to as well as valuable for selected participants. The key benefits for all entrants include a direct path to getting in front of DataTribe and the potential to be selected to participate in the program as a Finalist. Finalists split the $25K prize, receive messaging and strategy coaching by a DataTribe team member, and the opportunity to present in front of an audience of industry leaders at the Challenge Finalists event. As well, Finalists benefit from awareness-building through the Challenge promotion and the recognition of having been selected as a Finalist. Through the collaboration and coaching, Challenge participants form lasting relationships with the DataTribe team. We become advocates for your success. The DataTribe team routinely helps Challenge alumni on their entrepreneurial journey even years later.

Why We Do the DataTribe Challenge

At DataTribe, we remain unwavering in our commitment to nurturing startups into world-class enterprises. We’ve carved out a distinctive reputation as a partner to exceptional teams operating at the forefront of innovation. These teams often draw experiences from the world’s most prestigious, and high-stakes technology environments, the Intelligence Community and national labs. We want to meet cybersecurity founders and to help drive progress and elevate the standards in the fields of cybersecurity and data science.

How To Get Involved

Interested companies must submit an application that includes a deck and relevant information. DataTribe will review submissions for technical merit, market potential, and readiness of the team. Companies that are interested in competing must also be pre-Series A with maximum funding to date not exceeding more than $1.2M. You must have an cybersecurity or data/analytics-oriented product, beta, MVP or concept to present.

For additional details, please consult our terms and conditions.

Judges for the Challenge:

Bob Ackerman

AllegisCyber, Founder & DataTribe, Co-Founder

George Barnes

Red Cell, Partner & Fmr. Deputy Director of NSA

Betsy Bevilacqua

Co-founder Tabiri Analytics, Fmr. CISO Chainalysis & Butterfly Network

Ron Gula

Gula Tech Adventures & Tenable, Co-Founder

Arno Van Der Walt

CISO Marriott International

Speakers for the Challenge:

Anita D'Amico

Code Dx, Founder & Fmr. CEO

Derick Naef

Microsoft, Principal Product Manager Lead & Refirm Labs, Fmr. CEO

Gregg Smith

Technology Advancement Center, CEO & Attila Security, Fmr. CEO

Testimonials

Managing Director, DataTribe

– John Funge

“Over the last six years, the Challenge has evolved into an excellent platform for entrepreneurs to refine messaging, make connections, and accelerate their fundraising efforts. We’re always humbled by the quality of submissions – as founders look over the horizon to chart the future of cyber. The Challenge is a lot of fun and we look forward to working with participants.”

Co-Founder, DataTribe; Founder, AllegisCyber

– Bob Ackerman

“We launched DataTribe to tap into the deepest reservoir of cyber engineering research in the world, which is in Maryland, and to leverage that to build next generation, cutting edge cyber security companies. We saw that as an opportunity, but we also felt that it was absolutely essential to building the next generation of successful cyber companies.”

Co-Founder DataTribe; Dragos and Enveil Named 2020 WEF Technology Pioneers

– Mike Janke

“This is the first time in modern venture capital that two companies from the same startup foundry have been selected as World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers. Dragos and Enveil are prime examples of our thesis that the best cybersecurity and data science technologies are coming out of the US Intelligence and R&D community. It’s an amazing honor for these companies to be selected by the World Economic Forum and true validation for the growing innovation coming out of DataTribe and the MD/DC/VA area.”

CEO & Founder, Vigilant Ops

– Ken Zalevsky

“Achieving recognition in the 2023 DataTribe Challenge was a significant accomplishment for Vigilant Ops. The collaborative approach of DataTribe has been incredibly valuable to us, providing not only capital but also resources, expertise, and a strong network. Their partnership has been instrumental in our growth and development, and with their support, the future of Vigilant Ops is exceptionally bright.”