When it comes to the cybersecurity industry, many people may not realize that Sacramento is rich with talent and resources, making it well-suited for companies to pick Sacramento to start a cybersecurity product or services company. In fact, there are many cybersecurity experts in the Sacramento region who feel that Sacramento is ripe and ready to be a hub for cybersecurity companies.

At StartupSac’s Cybersecurity and IoT showcase virtual event in October we convened a panel of cybersecurity experts to explore the rich resources and talent that we have here in the cybersecurity field. Moderated by Carmen Marsh and featuring cybersecurity experts Malcolm Harkins, Matthew Rosenquist, and George Usi, the panel discussed why Sacramento is a great location to launch a cybersecurity business.

Why would someone pick Sacramento to start a cybersecurity product or services company?

George Usi, CEO of Omnistruct, a cyber risk company in Sacramento, pointed out the region’s rich history in internet technology, which has created fertile soil for today’s technologies to grow.

“In the 90s the big thing was internet stability and keeping up with the internet. And here in the Sacramento area, as well as in the Davis area, where a lot of the original internet standards for network management and oversight and locking down what we call management rails and internet backbones a lot of those movements started here and so we know we have the talent. So that’s the first thing is talent,” said Usi.

Access to accelerators and ways to boost a venture are another advantage of Sacramento that Usi pointed out. “It really is also a a great place to accelerate your business. So there’s all kinds of we want to call them new accelerator opportunities and if you’re an entrepreneur, access to accelerators or things that boost your
business— they exist here through local funds as well as through what we call Bay Area transplant.”

Two oft-cited advantages of Sacramento for any technology startup are its proximity to the Bay area with all of it’s resources, as well as the lower cost of living of Sacramento compared to San Francisco or Silicon Valley. Usi explained, “Folks that are coming from the Bay Area looking to start businesses at a lower cost of living would be the third most important thing is that we do have an advantage in terms of our proximity—we’re close to the Bay where you can see a lot of resources and assist resources as well as take advantage of those resources. I myself recently attended a really amazing program called SLEI LBAN which is out of Stanford University. It was very close and easy for me to attend that for an executive course and able to upgrade myself because a lot of business entrepreneurs that are out there have to figure out how to build yourself up and those resources are available both here in Sacramento as well as in the surrounding areas.”

CISO and Cybersecurity Strategist Matthew Rosenquist pointed out that Sacramento is the capital of California, the most populous state in the nation, with the biggest budget and that there are over 40 million people that the California government serves.

“They’re always looking for technology and this is that hub. Our California’s GDP is over three trillion dollars. So anywhere in the world that you look, California is the place for technology. California contributes over 480 billion dollars just in our GDP alone and then when you look at the hub of where those are, you’ve got Silicon Valley for a lot of innovation. You’ve got Sacramento here where you’ve got a lot of the government, so you’ve got a lot of built-in customers. You really do in this space and they’re trying to service customers that are tech savvy—the rest of California. You’ve got the infrastructure, you’ve got some of those tools and target audiences that are just right for the picking and government needs innovation just like the rest of us…If you want to be in a focal point, an area where the world looks, look to Sacramento.” said Rosenquist.

Chief Security & Trust Officer Malcolm Harkins reiterated the advantage of Sacramento’s location and added, “As Matt mentioned, we’re in one of the largest economies in the world. Just in the state alone. And as George mentioned, the talent is here. You’ve got Intel in Folsom. You’ve got old HP in Roseville. You’ve got health care hubs. There’s technology everywhere with Health.net down in Rancho, VSP, and Sacramento they have a lot of technologists in their organizations. So the talent pool is there. We’ve got great universities around—Davis, UoP down from Stockton. You’ve got Sac State,  you’ve got Chico [State] not that far away, plus the community colleges. So you have a a young and growing and youthful talent pool.”

In addition to the discussion about why Sacramento is a great location to start a cybersecurity product or services company, the panel covered a lot of great advice and tips for startups looking to launch a cybersecurity business, including:

  • Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
  • How to get started and find support for ideas
  • How to find mentors and advisors

Check out the video of this panel discussion.