Stone & Chalk and AustCyber have merged.

“In making our two organisations one, we are combining the greatest concentration of cybersecurity expertise in the country with the most developed technology commercialisation infrastructure that Australia has ever built.” - Alex Scandurra, CEO, Stone and Chalk.

Founded in 2015, Stone & Chalk is a not-for-profit organisation with a proven track record in developing successful growth and support frameworks for emerging tech sectors. As part of this mission, we continually look to expand and grow our capability beyond fintech to all emerging technologies.

To boost Australian domestic industrial capability in critical and emerging technologies, we have merged with cybersecurity peak body, AustCyber. AustCyber’s mission is to support the development of a vibrant and globally competitive Australian cybersecurity sector and in doing so, enhance Australia’s future economic growth in a digitally-enabled global economy.

Together, we will provide a powerful voice to better shape the policy and regulatory landscape for critical and emerging tech products and services. Startups and scale-ups will gain greater access to domestic and international customers, capital, talent and expertise. This integration will also create highly-skilled jobs for Australians and provide a highly attractive means to retain economic benefit as emerging tech industries continue to grow.

Our founders will receive vital support and expertise from AustCyber to ensure they are cyber resilient as they continue to scale. Likewise, this integration will strengthen our reach to support cybersecurity founders, providing them access to our full suite of commercialisation support services. These include investment support, customer and talent acquisition, corporate partnerships, ecosystem support, and curated mentorship from commercial leaders. Together, emerging tech startups will gain access to an even stronger Impact Network™ and resource base.

“In a world where the security of our entire economy is increasingly contingent on the strength of our domestic industrial technology capability, the integration of Stone & Chalk and AustCyber will enable our joint organisation to pursue a resilient and prosperous future not just for founders, enterprise, and governments, but for all of Australia,” says Alex Scandurra, CEO, Stone & Chalk.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that Australia can no longer depend so heavily on imported technology and have critical dependencies in supply chains. I am inspired and humbled to have the privilege of supporting the rapid growth of Australia’s cyber and emerging tech companies, and with them the development of Australian industrial capability in strategically significant areas of emerging technology for our country,”

AustCyber will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stone & Chalk, retaining its standalone brand, staffing structure and National Network of Cyber Security Innovation Nodes. It will also continue to operate as one of the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Centres.

“Digital trust is more important than it has ever been for all organisations across our country,” AustCyber’s CEO Michelle Price said.

“In this environment, it has never been more urgent to provide commercialisation pathways for Australia’s cybersecurity founders, and build a cyber-resilient Australian industrial capability to support our nation to prosper in the years to come.”

“It is in our nation’s interests to be investing in scalable, flexible and sophisticated ways and means to nurture and propel forward emerging tech industries. AustCyber has demonstrated its ability to do this for cybersecurity and it is critical we apply similar approaches to other areas of emerging tech, that also embeds cyber resilience, for national and economic security benefit as well as to help shape the impacts these technologies are having and will continue to have on all Australians.”

“I have long respected the capabilities of Stone & Chalk and know that joining forces will provide our existing ecosystems with the tools they need to evolve, develop and thrive. It will also support those areas of the economy developing strategically important technologies whose industries are still forming and the understanding of economic and societal impact still taking shape.”

Learn more: www.shapingthefuturetogether.com.au