Dr Ismini Vasileiou was invited to take part in a fireside chat at Climb 26 – The Festival of Business Growth.

The session focused on cybersecurity for spinout and start‑up founders, exploring secure innovation and the reality facing early‑stage teams.

Climb 26 brought together innovators, entrepreneurs and high‑growth businesses at the Royal Armouries in Leeds to address cybersecurity.

Dr Vasileiou was invited to attend by Forging Ahead, who were partners for the event. Her session focused on raising awareness of the risks that emerging businesses face as they develop new technologies, products and intellectual property. 

A core theme of the discussion centred on why cyber should be built into startup and founder strategy from the beginning, rather than treated as an afterthought. 

Dr Vasileiou said cyber is not just a technical issue, and that it is a business issue linked to resilience, trust, growth, investment readiness and supply‑chain responsibility.

The fireside chat looked at the human element of cyber – including phishing, phone calls, social engineering, rushed decisions, leaving devices unattended and everyday behaviours that create risk. It also emphasised that small businesses, startups and spinouts sit within wider supply chains, so they can be affected by, or become the route into, larger organisations.

The session challenged the idea that cyber is simply the responsibility of “the IT person”; it needs to involve leadership, finance, HR, operations and all staff. 

There was a focus on practical and proportionate cyber steps for small organisations, helping founders ask better questions, understand what they actually need, and avoid being oversold products or services. 

Regional cyber clusters were highlighted as a way to translate national guidance into practical local support for SMEs, startups and founders.

Through EMCSC, Dr Vasileiou, an associate professor at De Montfort University, has been a leading advocate for strengthening cyber resilience across the region, working with businesses, academia and policymakers to improve awareness and capability.

Her involvement in Climb 26 highlights the growing recognition that cybersecurity must be part of the conversation from day one – and for founders looking to scale sustainably, understanding and addressing cyber risk is no longer optional.

Dr Vasileiou added: “Start‑ups and spinouts are built on innovation, ideas and intellectual property – which makes them incredibly valuable, but also vulnerable. If you don’t protect what you’re building, you risk losing the very thing that makes your business unique. 

“The fireside chat aimed to help founders understand those risks early and take practical steps to build resilience as they grow. Secure innovation starts with people, awareness and informed decision‑making –  not just technology. Cyber should not sit at the bottom of a startup strategy; it should be embedded from day one as part of responsible innovation and business resilience.”

The Forging Ahead Project is a five-year initiative launched in May 2025 by 16 Midlands universities to power regional innovation and growth.