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Former Commander of the UK’s Joint Forces joins Goldilock as Strategic Advisor for Defence

General Sir Chris Deverell adds global cyber defence expertise to cyber security hardware startup’s board.

Goldilock, creator of physical network isolation solution Drawbridge, has today announced that General Sir Chris Deverell, the former Commander of the UK’s Joint Forces Command, has joined its board of advisors as Strategic Advisor for Defence. Sir Chris’s background in defence, including in the fifth dimension of military operations, cyberspace, will help guide the development and distribution of Goldilock Drawbridge, the instant physical network isolation solution which eliminates the internet attack vector itself.

Sir Chris advocates for radical innovation when it comes to defence and cybersecurity, such as recommending the Ministry of Defence appoints a Chief Digital Officer. After a decorated career in the British Army including four appointments in the Head Office of the Ministry of Defence, he founded Deverell Innovation Ventures to help complex organisations adapt and grow. In addition to his role as a Mentor in Creative Destruction Lab at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, he is a venture partner in NightDragon Growth Fund 1, and an advisor to multiple startups across a range of sectors, including AI startup, Helsing. An external member of the Council of Oxford University and a Meyler Campbell-qualified executive coach, he also advises UK and US-based financial institutions on global security risks.

“The global cyber threat theatre is growing rapidly – fuelled by increasingly sophisticated and brazen criminal and nation state actors,” said General Sir Chris Deverell. “No organisation large or small, is safe. Given the increasingly innovative cyberattack techniques being used, a paradigm shift in cyber defence thinking is required. We have to ask ourselves to what extent our systems and data should be online 24/7, and whether the new default should be connection-on-demand. Goldilock’s unique hardware-based approach to cyber security delivers on that premise, giving control back to organisation owners and managers.”

“Sir Chris is not only a highly respected military leader, but he is also a beacon for innovation in security globally,” commented Tony Hasek, CEO and Founder of Goldilock. “As Strategic Advisor for Defence, Sir Chris will be a valued addition and asset for our top management. We look forward to seeing how he can support Goldilock’s growth and ambitions in transforming the cyber landscape as we know it.”

Goldilock’s mission is based on the premise that the only thing truly safe on the internet is, paradoxically, something not on the internet. The technical challenge lies in delivering physical connection and disconnection of assets quickly and conveniently, yet in a manner not controlled over the internet. Goldilock offers a unique tool that empowers organisations and corporations to respond to cyber threats immediately, remotely and without using the internet – via a non-internet-controlled isolator, or ‘kill switch.’

Having already grown considerably, the company is now considered a top British cyber security innovator. After establishing R&D facilities in the West Midlands two years ago, it has undergone incubation via the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre’s joint NCSC For Startups program with Plexal, acceleration via the Ministry of Defence’s Defence and Security Accelerator, and various other programs including Hub71 in the United Arab Emirates and TechUK.

The company was publicly highlighted by The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre as one of five start-ups chosen to help address the persistent threat of ransomware attacks. Earlier this month it was recognised by the UK Department of Science, Information and Technology (DSIT) in partnership with Infosecurity Europe as a startup finalist for most innovative cyber SME. Goldilock was also awarded Hardware/Endpoint Device of the Year in the 2023 Technology Reseller Awards and has been invited to KPMG’s prestigious Global Unicorn Program.

Most recently, Goldilock secured $1.7 million in a seed round led by New York Angels and Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Goldilock .