SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RSA Conference™, the world's leading information security conferences and expositions, today announced that submissions for the nineteenth annual RSAC Innovation Sandbox and fourth annual Launch Pad contests are now open.

Since 2005, the most promising young companies in cybersecurity have taken the RSAC™ Innovation Sandbox (ISB) contest stage to compete for the title of "Most Innovative Startup." The competition is widely recognized as a springboard for startups, with the contest's Top 10 Finalists collectively seeing more than 80 acquisitions and receiving over $13.5 billion* in investments over the past 18 years. Additionally, two previous RSAC Innovation Sandbox Finalists have completed IPOs in the last three years: ISB 2015 Finalist SentinelOne and ISB 2012 Finalist SumoLogic. More than 180 companies have participated in the contest; previous winners have included Imperva, Axonius, Talon Cyber Security, and most recently, HiddenLayer.

Qualifying startups interested in participating in the RSAC Innovation Sandbox contest are invited to submit entries online with a deadline of 8 p.m. PT on Thursday, February 22, 2024. The Top 10 Finalists will be announced in early April. Terms and conditions can be found here.

"During my tenure as a judge at RSA Conference, I am continuously astonished and impressed by the dedication, creativity, and innovation the talented entrepreneurs in our community bring each year," said Asheem Chandna, RSAC Innovation Sandbox judge and Partner at Greylock. "I am eager to see what new innovative solutions the 2024 contestants will bring to the stage."

For earlier stage companies that are not quite ready for the Innovation Sandbox stage, RSAC Launch Pad will once again be returning to the innovation programming lineup. Launch Pad is a fun, high energy session with innovators pitching bold ideas to a highly coveted panel of venture capitalists for strategy, advice, and community awareness. Details and criteria can be found here. Submissions run through Thursday, February 22, 2024 with Finalists presenting at Conference on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.

RSA Conference 2024 will include a variety of innovation programs, including the RSAC Early Stage Expo, which is dedicated to promising, privately-held startups under five-years old with less than $5 million in revenue. New in 2024, RSAC Next Stage will feature up to 10 additional rapidly growing startups offering new innovative technologies in the market as an extension from RSAC Early Stage Expo. Next Stage serves as a steppingstone for startup exhibitors before graduating to the exhibitor floor.

A summary of the criteria to compete in RSAC Innovation Sandbox contest include:

• The product has been in the market for less than one year (launched between December 1, 2022, and December 1, 2023)
• The product addresses an identified problem in the cybersecurity marketplace
• The product takes an original and sound approach to solving a problem and has the potential to make a significant impact on cybersecurity
• The product is validated through a client's beta testing or purchase of product
• The product can be demonstrated live during the RSAC Innovation Sandbox contest
• The company has a management team with a track record of successfully delivering products to market
• The company is privately held, with less than $5M in revenue in 2023

After the submission period ends on Thursday, February 22 at 8 p.m. PT:

• Entries will be reviewed and ranked by a global panel of judges that include venture capital professionals, CISOs, and other outstanding industry experts
• The Top 10 Finalists will be notified in mid-March 2024 and invited to present and pitch to a panel of expert judges on Monday, May 6, 2024
• The Top 10 Finalists will be recognized on the RSA Conference website with company and product profiles, and will be promoted in other RSA Conference public relations efforts

*most recent numbers according to Crunchbase

To stay up to date on the latest information about RSA Conference 2024, taking place in San Francisco from May 6-9, please visit https://www.rsaconference.com/usa.

About RSA Conference
RSA Conference™ is the premier series of global events and year-round learning for the cybersecurity community. RSAC is where the security industry converges to discuss current and future concerns and have access to the experts, unbiased content and ideas that help enable individuals and companies advance their cybersecurity posture and build stronger and smarter teams. Both in-person and online, RSAC brings the cybersecurity industry together and empowers the collective "we" to stand against cyberthreats around the world. RSAC is the ultimate marketplace for the latest technologies and hands-on educational opportunities that help industry professionals discover how to make their companies more secure while showcasing the most enterprising, influential and thought-provoking thinkers and leaders in cybersecurity today. For the most up-to-date news pertaining to the cybersecurity industry visit www.rsaconference.com. Where the world talks security.

SOURCE RSA Conference