Fintech Belgium MeetUp on Cybersecurity – Keynote – M.Akkerman – Pamica – 13-09-19

1. Closing
Scaling your Business in a
Dangerous Cyber-World
Michel Akkermans

2. The irony in this is that Tier 1 banks probably
have more people in their security operations
than a challenger bank has within its whole
organisation,”
– James Richardson, Bottomline Technologies

3. Ingredients for Scale-ups
 Vision and brand - “I’m the greatest”, create cohesion
 Not a product, but a solution - offer global problem
solving capability
 Time to market - first mover advantages
 Customers and references - sell, sell, sell and deliver well
 Geographical footprint
 Talent - expert people that combine technology with business
 Management - top notch executive team, cultural diversity
 Investors – building successful company requires investments,
select investors carefully

4. Scale-up Lessons from the Field
 The smaller the domestic country,
the more important the international dimension
 The world is moving East and South
 Grab opportunities when they arise
 Beware of zombies and vampires
 Be a cultural chameleon
 Be there! There is no substitute for showing up yourself
to be with customers and staff
 Sleep when you are dead
 Cyber-Security & Compliance: take it serious!

5. Cyber-Security & Compliance
 The cyber-world is ugly – protect your business
– You are exposed to a broad spectrum of cyber threats and
sophisticated attacks.
– If inadequately addressed, the cyber security challenges will
materially impair your business growth and innovation capabilities.
 Regulatory pressure increases as new cyber-threats
emerge
– Compliance is a must-have
– Your prospects are often regulated organizations
– The sector is highly demanding in terms of data protection
– Be effective - rely on certifications and 3rd party audits
 Don’t improvise – adopt long-term vision for Cyber-
Security and integrate security at the core of your solution
 Hire internal & external experts (CISOaaS)

6. Financing Scale-ups –
What Investors Want to Know
 Market and size (TAM)
 Competition and how to deal with it
 Your product, its key differentiators, existing customer
base and prospect list
 Revenue and EBITDA projections - growth model
 Team and execution
 Compliance & Cyber-Resilience

7. Thank you!
Questions?