Top tips for getting your cyber business off the ground
We recently caught up with another HutZero 2016 graduate: Donal Carville, founder of Circadian Capital. Circadian Capital’s first product, Quill, allows Enterprises to recognise their customers and detect imposters by focusing on their online behaviour.
We wanted to see how he has progressed to-date and tell his founder’s story.
We’re thrilled that since HutZero 2016, Donal and his business have gone from strength to strength. Donal has won a research grant, three months of fully-funded engineering work for his business via CSIT Labs, and a place as a ‘Future Founder’ on CyLon. He has also just recently won funding from the Oxford Seed Fund, beating stiff competition, meaning he can now employ some technical help to get his first POC off the ground.
“HutZero was, without a doubt, the biggest catalyst for all of that,” stated Donal.
Donal applied to HutZero for two main reasons:
1) To gain validation around his idea.
“I felt my idea was a good one but had absolutely no context or information.” Participating in HutZero helped Donal refine his idea and how he could best carve out a niche in the industry.
2) Expand his network in cyber security as well as his industry knowledge.
“I started HutZero knowing precisely one person in cyber security — I now know hundreds across different business functions.”
Beyond this, some of the most valuable information Donal gathered was around product-market fit for his idea; “I now understand how to charge for my service, what my competitors are doing and how I need to distinguish myself in the cyber security sector.” All of this valuable insight has been vital in getting Circadian Capital off the ground and driving the business forward.
When he joined HutZero, Donal was a sole founder. The biggest lesson he has learned on his journey so far has been that you cannot set up a business and make it successful without support and collaboration. “The good will of others, whatever form that takes, is a really critical element for success.”
One of the main aims of HutZero is to provide an opportunity to connect with the other like-minded individuals who are part of the programme, as well as a platform to network with cyber security experts in larger corporates and to build those important connections necessary to launch your startup. This symbiotic relationship also helps organisations to stay abreast of the trends of innovation and all that is happening in the startup scene. Donal’s biggest challenge so far has been getting his voice heard. “We startups need to figure out ways to amplify our voices, and this takes a lot of time and energy,” he says. Programmes such as HutZero help to highlight the importance of new innovative technologies and give a voice to entrepeneurs.
We asked Donal what his advice would be to anyone considering applying for HutZero;
“Do it! — no equity, one-week commitment, what’s not to love? and you’ll hook yourself into a network of cyber-minded people and a fantastic startup community.”
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Donal and Circadian Capital!
HutZero 2017 runs from the 4th-8th September. Application deadline is the 30th July, so apply now to be sure not to miss out.
Run by Cyber London and the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), HutZero’s free two-stage programme connects 20 budding UK entrepreneurs with potential co-founders and a broad network of cyber and innovation experts.
HutZero is the UK’s leading bootcamp designed to transform early stage ideas into workable proposals and potential new businesses.
For more information on the programme please head to our website: https://www.hutzero.co.uk
You can also contact us on hello@hutzero.co.uk with any question you may have.

