Inside the Accelerator: Opsware
The Catalyst Cyber Accelerator is the first cybersecurity-focused commercial accelerator in Canada. Headquartered at the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Accelerator offers technical, strategic advice, mentorship and business resources to cybersecurity businesses that are ready to become national and international competitors.
In February, the Accelerator launched its third cohort with seven innovative Canadian cybersecurity businesses. In this series of articles, we’ll be talking to the entrepreneurs behind each business about the Accelerator experience.
Privacy automation is easy with Opsware. Their technology allows legal and engineering teams to embed privacy workflows across their organizations to simplify compliance with modern privacy laws. The technology takes a no-code approach to discovering data sources fast and eliminates the tedious work of building data maps or orchestrating privacy rights. We talked to one of the co-founders Peter Barbosa about how it works.
What is the elevator pitch for Opsware?
Opsware makes privacy operations impossibly simple for high-growth companies. We’ve been coined as the data privacy infrastructure for modern enterprises such as Apartment List or 1Password.
Most organizations don’t know what systems they manage that collects personal data. In order to achieve any kind of baseline compliance around privacy, you need to understand what personal data exists within each of these systems. This is what Opsware solves for.
What has been the evolution of the business so far?
Prior to starting Opsware I worked at a major telecom in Canada. I was hired to develop a document mapping out the internal processes and systems they had that collects personal data. This took me a better part of 2 years, with a focus on one category of product. I’ve realized this wasn’t a scalable process, and looked for a comprehensive solution in the market, and did not find one.
How did you become interested in joining the Accelerator?
We’re looking for business networks and connections, as well as the advisory services the Catalyst provides. I’m a previous founder, but you never know everything. The experience has been great, with a lot of value around the go-to market strategy and tactics.
What do the coming years look like for Opsware?
Our real end goal is to build a better experience for privacy professionals. To us, a privacy professional is anyone who handles personal data in a company — whether it’s a software engineer, lawyer, marketing, or even a receptionist who is using tools like Salesforce to make calls. Personal data is the crown jewel and needs to be protected.
Our goal is to make a better experience for them, and fit our solution within their workflows and business practices. We help companies use their privacy program as an enabler, instead of a cost centre.
