Thales unveils first results of its Cyber@STATION F programme

 Station F Cybersecurity

After six months of acceleration, the nine startups on the Cyber@STATIONF programme have jointly developed three demonstrators. With the end of the first six-month season in sight, Thales is preparing the next phase of the accelerator programme and in July 2018 will announce the startups selected to take part in Season 2.  

  • After six months of acceleration, the nine startups on the Cyber@STATIONF programme have jointly developed three demonstrators.
  • Thales is now preparing the next phase of the accelerator programme and in July 2018 will announce the startups selected to take part in Season 2.
  • Through the Cyber@STATIONF programme, Thales accelerates the development of selected startups by providing advice, technical expertise and access to the Group's five core markets.

Thales has selected and supported nine startups out of almost 100 applications on its cybersecurity programme at STATION F for the last six months. Four are French; the others are from Poland, Israel, the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Through the Cyber@STATIONF programme in line with the Group’s digital transformation and Digital Factory, Thales accelerates the development of selected startups by providing advice, technical expertise and access to the Group's core markets.
 
Thales deliberately selected startups with complementary roles in the cybersecurity chain to encourage them to work together, share their skills, and maximise interaction and innovation. As a result, certain startups have successfully co-developed joint demonstrators with the Group. Supported by employees who acted as coaches, Thales has provided each startup and demonstrator with an appropriate level of support depending on their needs, requests, skill sets and specific characteristics.
 
At the end of the programme's first season, the startups have developed three demonstrators:

  • The first demonstrator, Collaboration without Revealing Data was co-created with KeeeX, Inpher and QED-it. It brings the benefits of big data and artificial intelligence to datasets provided by several players in an ecosystem while guaranteeing data protection. This innovation encourages collaboration between data providers so they can offer value-added services to customers, for example in healthcare (disease prevention) and industry (to avoid unnecessary maintenance and repair operations), without losing control of their data (GDPR compliance, business confidentiality, etc.).
  • The second demonstrator, Secure Critical Infrastructure, created with Alsid and Nethone, focuses on internal cyberthreats to better protect critical infrastructure such as satellite systems. To address a constantly changing threat environment, the startups are using artificial intelligence and threat intelligence techniques to secure the sensitive data transmitted between satellites and control centres on the ground.
  • The third demonstrator, Car Sharing, created with KeeeX, QED-it and MultiSense, offers a way to check the authenticity of the information provided by owners and renters using a car sharing app, improving the user experience and securing the transaction because none of the data is shared. The state of the vehicle at the beginning and end of the rental is certified by an electronic signature. Multi-factor biometric authentication is needed to access and start the vehicle, guaranteeing that the user is really the approved renter.

 
The partnership with STATION F is helping to strengthen the existing cybersecurity ecosystem and is fully aligned with the Thales Group's digital strategy of finding new technological solutions through collaboration within that ecosystem. Thales values relationships with startups based on sharing, complementarity and shared learning in order to drive the future of cybersecurity.
 
 
The startups on the Cyber@STATIONF programme:
 
Alsid designs cyberdefence solutions to help major companies secure the core of their information systems.
 
Biowatch is developing a wearable biometric technology based on vein recognition as an alternative to current authentication methods (PIN, passwords, cards, keys, fingerprints, face recognition).
 
Inpher and its encryption specialists are using big data and machine learning technologies to improve the combination of security and usability.
 
KeeeX offers fully operational blockchain solutions for securing, signing, chaining, sharing and timestamping any kind of document (>250 formats). Tags are added to improve searchability, and the documents are anchored by default onto the Bitcoin blockchain to prove their existence on a given date. This is the only universal embedded data protection technology that can prove that a document is an original by guaranteeing its source, integrity and date.

MultiSense BV is a specialist in multi-biometrics and advanced software solutions with a unique technology merging multi-factor biometrics (face and voice recognition, signature and fingerprint) with GPS and NFC (Near Field Communications) technologies and a number of patented liveliness check processes. These technologies are incorporated in Authentication Platform Management (APM) systems for major companies.
 
Nethone is a cutting-edge user profiler providing AI-driven business intelligence and fraud prevention to create custom machine learning solutions that convert threats into profitable decisions, automatically and in real time.
 
QED-it has developed the Zero Knowledge Blockchain platform, which uses Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) technology to share proofs with an entire ecosystem for legal or business purposes without unveiling any underlying data.
 
Skeyecode offers a cryptographic solution to guarantee that even when a device is infected by malware, attackers are unable to compromise the financial transaction or user authentication. Simplified two-factor authentication (2FA) leverages the latest advances in cryptographic technology to offer a highly secure, frictionless software alternative to hardware/software 2FA.
 
Yogosha's Bug Bounty platform relies on a global network of ethical hackers and helps clients implement a thorough search for security vulnerabilities. The startup works with its customers to tailor its Bug Bounty missions to their specific requirements and objectives. Customers start by defining their target and their budget, then estimate the price of the bugs and validate the reports submitted by Yogosha researchers. The startup has put in place a Bug Bounty programme on its own infrastructure to improve the security of the platform.