A CYBER security company has been picked to join a national scheme aimed at unlocking the growth potential of the sector’s potential stars.

Southampton business Nquiringminds has been selected for the Tech Nation Cyber Programme 2.0, which is targeting companies whose tech can improve security for businesses and individuals.

Mike Jackson, entrepreneur success director for Tech Nation, the government-backed national network for tech entrepreneurs, said: “The UK is already an acknowledged leader in cyber security, raising £7.8billion between 2015 and 2019, placing the UK third in the world for cyber after the US and China.

“In these unprecedented times that we face in light of Covid-19, there has never been a more important time to invest in and support innovative cyber solutions. At Tech Nation we are delighted to announce the second cohort of Cyber 2.0, to help unlock the growth potential for early-stage cyber scaleups.”

Nquiring minds provides tools to secure, share and analyse data at scale. Its platform Trusted Analytics combines data from different sources, solving the problem of establishing trust between data from different origins.

Nicholas Allott, chief executive and founder of Nquiringminds, said: “NquiringMinds are delighted to be selected onto Tech Nation’s Cyber programme.

“The customer base for our Trusted Analytics technology has been increasing steadily and we are on the precipice of a new growth phase. The mentoring and peer to peer support the cyber programme will bring, we believe will be invaluable to our future plans.”

Tech Nation picked 22 businesses for its latest programme. It will address key issues facing cyber founders, including scaling internationally, scaling company culture and navigating access to clients and stakeholders.

Previous successes from the scheme have included White Bullet, a provider of AI risk scoring software, which doubled its annual recurring revenue, expanded into Asia and forged potential projects in the US.

Red Sift raised 8.8m US dollars and started its expansion in the US market, while Awen Collective won a 12-month project with the Ministry of Defence and increased incoming orders fivefold from the previous year.

Elizabeth Corse, Tech Nation’s entrepreneur engagement manager for the south east, said: “I am delighted to see NquiringMinds joining Cyber 2.0. I know from my conversations with companies that have already been through the Cyber programme just how valuable the company is going to find this programme. It’s not just peer-to-peer support, it’s sector-specific peer-to-peer support which comes at an unprecedented time.”