DHS S&T Awards Nearly $1M to Five Start-Ups for Phase 2 Cybersecurity R&D

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently announced a total of $999,780 in awards to five companies advancing to Phase 2 of the Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP).  The Phase  projects were awarded through the DHS S&T Securing the Internet of Things (IoT), Solicitation.

The five companies receiving Phase 2 awards are:

  • Factom, Inc., Austin, TX – $199,980 to authenticate devices to prevent spoofing and ensure data integrity by leveraging the blockchain;
  • Ionic Security, Inc., Atlanta, GA – $199,800 to apply a distributed data protection model to solve the authentication, detection and confidentiality challenges that impact distributed IoT devices;
  • Machine-to-Machine Intelligence Corporation (M2Mi), Moffett Field, CA – $200,000 to create a deployable open source version of the SPECK cryptographic protocol to address IoT security by making a light weight crypto package that can be run on IoT devices;
  • Pulzze Systems, Inc., Santa Clara, CA – $200,000 to secure infrastructures by improving visibility and providing dynamic detection as components connect or disconnect from a networked system; and
  • Whitescope LLC, Half Moon Bay, CA – $200,000 to build a secure wireless communications gateway made specifically for IoT devices and compliant with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

After successfully completing a proof of concept demonstration in Phase 1, these five companies mark the first class of SVIP IoT Security portfolio companies to enter Phase 2, where they will produce and demonstrate a pilot-ready prototype.