NSF-Backed DC I-Corps Kicks Off First Cohort with 20 Federal Laboratory, University and Regional Inventors, Entrepreneur Teams

By DC I-Corps
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013 - 7:20 am

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 8, 2013 -- Silicon Valley-Tested, Lean Startup-Based Initiative Slated to Train 300 Top Entrepreneurial Research Teams Over Three Years

Light Point Security: a Software 'Jail' for Malware?

MD cyber security firm CEO wins Outstanding Alumni of the Year

By Denmark Luceriaga
Contributing Writer

The UMBC Alumni Association has selected Jeehye Yun (BS Computer Science, ’97) as the 2013 Outstanding Alumnus for Engineering and Information Technology. She will be presented with the award on October 10 at an awards ceremony in the Albin O. Kuhn Library.

Yun is the founder and CEO of Secured Sciences Group, LLC (SSG), one of the many cyber incubator resident companies based in the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park. With a goal of becoming a top-tier cyber security company, SSG’s mission is to help clients by offering world-class technology services and policy compliance management solutions.

SSG developed the compliance management software, Surveillant, that reduces the amount of information schools and businesses have to look at in government grant applications and contracts. This technology allows SSG to streamline the verification of a client’s policy compliance by eliminating redundancies in government applications. SSG makes life easier for their customers as they spend less time worrying about policy compliance.

Some features of Surveillant include recommending other policies that apply to the organization, tracking and managing evidence as proof of compliance, and tracking user activities and remediation. Along with compliance management, SSG also provides professional service in the areas of management support and information technology services.

As a member of bwtech@UMBC’s Cyber Incubator program, SSG utilizes business support services from bwtech@UMBC’s experienced entrepreneurial services team. Recently reaching full capacity, the incubator also provides office space, mentors, resources and collaborative opportunities for small startup companies like SSG. In 2012, SSG was a finalist in the Maryland Incubator of the Year Awards in the Cyber/Homeland Security category.

Along with other like-minded business in the program, Yun is attracting investors by bringing her company’s technology to mobile devices. SSG is taking advantage of its close proximity to federal agencies in Washington D.C. and is paralleling the growth of investment in the industry for security products for both government and commercial sectors.

After finishing her undergraduate degree in the late nineties, Yun taught a practical security course at UMBC, educating students about the practical aspects and pitfalls of security. She also worked with the Division of Information Technology as a systems programmer and administrator.

Before founding SSG, Yun served as Director of Computing Facilities at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) where she managed the teams supporting infrastructure of various research labs.

Continue reading at http://www.retrieverweekly.com/technology/md-cyber-security-firm-ceo-wins-outstanding-alumni-of-the-year-1.3075552#.Ulag5FPP6Sq

Contact: Ben Souder
Email: bensouder@targetgov.com
Phone: 443-543-5067 

For Immediate Release:

Local Businesswoman Gloria Larkin Testifying Before the Congressional Small Business Committee on October 10, 2013

TargetGov President Gloria Larkin discusses how small business success is affected by federal contract bundling and consolidation at the House Small Business Committee Meeting October 10, 2013 in Washington D.C.

Baltimore, MD – October 9, 2013 – Gloria Larkin, President of TargetGov, is testifying before the Congressional Small Business Committee as the Vice Chair of the Educational Foundation for Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP). She will discuss how contract bundling and consolidation remain roadblocks to the success of small businesses nationwide.

According to Gloria Larkin, federal contracting subject matter expert and Vice-Chair of WIPP’s Educational Foundation Board, bundling and consolidation hampers small businesses in the federal marketplace by increasing direct costs for bonding, proposal capture process, sales and business development activities, legal fees, accounting fees and project management fees and reducing competition.

“Testifying before Congress at this time on such an important business issue that impacts small businesses nationwide is an honor and responsibility” said Larkin. “This is the world’s fortune one customer; in fiscal year 2012, small firms received $89.9 billion in contracts from the federal government. That put hundreds of thousands of people to work right here in the U.S. providing services and products. While I would rather spend the time on my business right now, taking this time to be heard by our legislators so that they truly understand what would help small business grow business in the federal marketplace is critical to our economy.”

WIPP and Mrs. Larkin have outlined the following three recommendations that would help small business in the federal marketplace: 1. Improve the collection of data from agencies to directly measure the effect of bundling and consolidation on small business; 2. Complete the regulatory actions required in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013 and the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, and 3. Increase outreach to small business vendors regarding the consolidation and bundling process.

About Gloria Larkin:

Gloria Larkin, National Marketing and Business Expert, is President of TargetGov. Larkin has been interviewed on MSNBC, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and TheStreet.com. She is an expert author with articles regarding federal business development published in local, regional, national and international publications. She is also the author of two books: “The Basic Guide To Government Contracting” (book & Kindle) and “The Veterans Business Guide: How to Build a Successful Government Contracting Business” now in the fourth printing (book & Kindle). TargetGov clients have won federal contracts worth billions of dollars and the company focuses on government procurement and related business development and marketing services including minority certification services, contract development, proposal management, contract administration and expert federal contracting services. For more information visit www.targetgov.com.

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Ben Souder
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TargetGov At Marketing Outsource Associates, Inc.
Phone: 443-543-5067
www.targetgov.com
bensouder@targetgov.com

Small Firms Grapple With Roadblocks Caused by Shutdown

Catonsville startup Light Point relishes national attention

Cyber security firm is among five contestants in a Wall Street Journal startup competition

Cyber startup Light Point Security is feeling the warmth of being in the spotlight.

Catonsville-based Light Point has made it to the top five contestants in a Wall Street Journal startup competition that attracted 500 applications. The company still has to make it through two more challenges to win, but already Light Point is experiencing the benefits of being a winner. Investors, potential clients and media have been flocking to Light Point.

“It elevates our name, company brand,” said Zuly Gonzalez, chief operating officer for Light Point. “It’s brought us more recognition, made us a more familiar name with people.”

Light Point, which launched in 2010, has developed a software product to protect computers from Web-based malware attacks. The software allows users to browse the Web from a virtual cloud, meaning any attacks go there, instead of users’ own computers. The company is based at bwtech@UMBC Research and Development Park.

“It’s nice,” she said. “It validates that we’re doing something right — we’ve got an interesting product, an interesting company.”

Light Point is not currently raising money, but will look to do an angel investing round next year. Getting to know investors now will be a leg up when it comes time to start raising next year, Gonzalez said.

The experience has also led Gonzalez and company CEO Beau Adkins to rethink their approach to building a customer base. The pair originally planned to reach out to potential customers directly. But through the startup contest, Light Point has realized that getting in with managed service providers — companies that handle IT operations for other businesses — could build their customer base more quickly. Those companies could provide Light Point’s software as a service to their entire network of clients.

The Wall Street Journal will narrow the remaining contenders to three in the next few weeks. A final winner will be announced Nov. 4. Light Point is one of 24 companies selected to participate.

The contest does not have a prize, other than bragging rights. But winning would be a huge vote of confidence from a publication the business community trusts — that would definitely be good for business, Gonzalez said.

“It would say a lot about the company,” Gonzalez said. “We could say, ‘We’re the most innovative and risk-taking company in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal.’”

Northrop Grumman, bwtech@UMBC Graduate First Three Companies From Cyber Cync Program

2013-09-27T12:00:00-0700

BALTIMORE – Sept. 27, 2013 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's Research Park Corporation - also known as bwtech@UMBC - hosted a ceremony today for the first graduating class of the Cyber Cync Program: AccelerEyes, Five Directions and Oculis Labs.

Out of more than 500 hopeful startups across the United States, the Baltimore-based malware protection company survived the third elimination round to reach the final five, the Wall Street Journal announced on Thursday morning.

One of the judges, Wall Street Journal editor Andy Regal, commented in a video, “I’ve been harping all along about my interest in finding CEOs in this documentary series who can really communicate what their business is and we’ve had challenges with that at times, but I think the team at Light Point Security, they do it so quickly and so simply.”

Light Point Security has been featured in several videos since the start of the contest, with co-founders Zuly Gonzalez and Beau Adkins speaking about their experiences working at the National Security Agency, balancing work and family and navigating social media promotion.

The company has gained national attention for its innovative method of protecting computers and networks from malicious online files and spying. Their software allows users to browse the internet from a virtual machine in the cloud, running on Light Point Security’s computers rather than their own.

Light Point Security plans to participate as a featured speaker in the CyberMaryland 2013 conference in October. The company was also an InvestMaryland Challenge finalist last spring and has won accolades in several national and regional contests and rankings.

Hot Seat: 'How Are You Going to Compete?'