In 2018, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced Cyber NYC -- a $100M catalyzing investment shared between the public and private sectors designed to rapidly grow the city’s ecosystem and resources for cybersecurity. 

The New York Times called CyberNYC “among the nation’s most ambitious cybersecurity initiatives.” Corporations involved in supporting the program include Facebook, Mastercard, Goldman Sachs, edX, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“We’ve convened a world-class roster of partners to help us execute on this essential plan, which will help protect the industries and people that make this city the economic powerhouse that it is today,” said James Patchett, President and CEO of NYCEDC.

NYCEDC selected the Israeli company SOSA, to establish and manage NYC’s Official Global Cyber Center. SOSA is a global open-innovation company enabling value-driven interactions between corporations, governments, startups, and investors. SOSA offers a bespoke, curated, and unbiased tech scouting and deal-flow service to multinational corporations on top of access and visibility into its global network. 

SOSA’s deep connection to the Israeli cybersecurity ecosystem is a unique advantage. Israel has had unparalleled success coordinating public-private partnerships to facilitate effective cyber-innovation practices and policies that can be a model for the same efforts in NYC.

The state-of-the-art center in Chelsea brings together an international community of corporations, investors, startups, and talent to foster collaboration and innovation in NYC’s growing cybersecurity ecosystem. Located at 17th Street and 7th Avenue, the center offers industry-specific events, and programming, as well as coworking space for startups and investors and a cyber range -- a dedicated space to run digital security simulations and demonstrate new products and services.

Partners in the NYC Cyber Center stand alongside other leading entities at the forefront of the city’s cybersecurity innovation ecosystem while also positioning themselves to capitalize on SOSA’s network throughout the world. 

SOSA also runs a team of corporate innovation analysts out of the Global Cyber Center. This team of industry experts works in close collaboration with corporations to match business goals, challenges, and pain points with the right innovation strategies. 

SOSA’s corporate innovation areas of expertise include cybersecurity, fintech, AI, energy, mobility, CPG/retail, and logistics. Services include identifying, analyzing, and selecting startups as potential candidates for engagement with corporate partners, and more. As part of deal flow and tech scouting services the team will also organize customized private-demo days between corporations, governments, and startups.

“We are excited and honored to have been chosen by the NYCEDC to run the Global Cyber Center,” says Uzi Scheffer, SOSA CEO. “The Global Cyber Center will serve as a center of gravity for the entire cybersecurity industry and will connect to the finest talent from New York, the States, Israel, and our entire global network. SOSA has a long history of forging strong partnerships by bringing together entrepreneurs and technologies to drive solutions, and we look forward to doing the same for the cyber community as we grow our New York City presence. We will see partnerships formed, pilot projects launched, and strategic investments made that will positively impact New York and the world.”

Note, NYC’s Official Global Cyber Center is just one part of NYCEDC’s plans to grow the city’s cybersecurity infrastructure and to create new high-wage jobs with CyberNYC. According to the NYCEDC report Strengthening the Cybersecurity Talent Pipeline: Economic Development Meets Social Impact, “the volume of unfilled jobs and the lack of diversity within the industry suggest that the cyber talent marketplace isn’t working effectively and that interventions are needed.” 

Other CyberNYC initiatives include: a SoHo-Based Innovation Hub, a Facebook-CUNY Master’s Program, a Virtual Apprenticeship Program, and a Cyber Boot Camp for Underserved New Yorkers. 

SOSA is proud to be a part of the ambitious CyberNYC initiative. We are looking forward to playing our role in facilitating corporate partnerships and innovation strategies that are key to the NYCEDC’s plan. We want to leverage our global network, resources, and expertise to help transform New York City into a global hub for cybersecurity innovation. Hopefully, with all of our collective actions we can make one of the greatest cities into one of the safest. 

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For information on partnering with NYC’s Global Cyber Center contact: james.oh@sosa.co