On 9 April, we took part in the Cyber Founder Tour in Sophia Antipolis, an event dedicated to the creation and acceleration of cybersecurity start-ups.
Held in the ALPHA building, at the heart of the technology park, the event brought together researchers, entrepreneurs, industry representatives and institutional stakeholders around a common goal: to foster and structure the cybersecurity start-ups of the future.
A format designed to drive projects forward
The day is structured around three key elements:
- a morning of inspiration, featuring insights from entrepreneurs and round-table discussions
- a networking session, encouraging informal exchanges
- and, above all, an afternoon of one-to-one meetings, allowing participants to discuss their projects with experts (tech, market, finance, legal)
This format is particularly valuable because it goes beyond simply sharing ideas: it allows projects, hypotheses and strategies to be put to the test in a practical way.
Academic–industrial collaboration: a key issue
At this year’s event, our CTO, Jonathan Brossard, took part in a panel discussion on a fundamental topic: collaboration between academic research and industry. This topic lies at the heart of innovation in cybersecurity.
On the one hand, research produces significant technical advances: reverse engineering, vulnerability analysis, new analytical methods. On the other, industry imposes significant constraints:
- scalability
- integreation to complex environments
- regulatory constraints
- operational constraints
The challenge is not simply to transfer research to industry but to successfully align these two worlds without losing either technical rigour or the ability to deploy at scale.
Concrete exchanges with the ecosystem
Beyond the conferences, one of the highlights of the day was the one-to-one meetings with industry representatives and institutional stakeholders.
These discussions enable participants to:
- align a product vision with real-world needs
- identify opportunities for collaboration
- understand market constraints
- and adjust their strategy
It is often during these discussions that projects evolve most rapidly.
The ecosystem present, including notably stakeholders from research, support and funding, demonstrates just how cybersecurity is now a key issue at both regional and national levels.
A key point: structuring the cyber ecosystem
This type of event highlights a fundamental point: 👉 cybersecurity cannot be built in isolation
It relies on a balance between:
- academic research
- technological innovation
- industrial needs
- regulatory frameworks
- and funding
The Cyber Founder Tour perfectly illustrates this dynamic by bringing these stakeholders together in one place, with a clear objective: to accelerate the transformation of ideas into concrete solutions.
What we take away from MOABI
At MOABI, this type of event is directly in line with our positioning.
We operate at the intersection of advanced cybersecurity research and practical industrial applications
These exchanges enable us to compare our technical approaches, refine our use cases and better understand the expectations of industry and institutions
They also confirm a key point:
👉 issues relating to software security and the software supply chain are becoming increasingly central to discussions.
Conclusion
The Cyber Founder Tour confirms the importance of these hybrid formats, which sit halfway between a conference, mentoring and targeted networking.
In a field as complex as cybersecurity, progress comes not only from technology, but also from the ability to bring the right stakeholders together at the right time.
We are delighted to have been able to take part and engage with the ecosystem.
