Why this cybersecurity startup is moving from Virginia to Maryland

When this year’s winners of the InvestMaryland Challenge were announced, Bricata stood out.

Amid the Maryland companies who finished atop the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development competition, the cybersecurity company was listed as hailing from Vienna, Va.

But as of June 1, Bricata’s home state will change. The seven-employee company is moving its headquarters to the bwtech@UMBC cyber incubator in Baltimore County.

The company was founded in July, 2014, as the four cofounders saw an opportunity to produce network security systems that leveraged the open-source platform Suricata to perform faster and capture more data than current technology allows.

Like many early-stage companies, CEO John Trauth sees money as a key in growing. Since CTO Iain Davison spent two years developing Bricata in his basement, the startup is at the phase where they have what Trauth called a “fairly mature” product. Now, they want to build out the product to the point where it is a full on “threat exchange,” expand sales capabilities and, in connection with both of those, bring on new employees.

“It’s a living thing, and you have to keep feeding it if you want to grow,” Trauth said.

To get access to that food, Trauth thinks Maryland is the best place for the company to be right now. Along with winning $100,000 from the InvestMaryland Challenge, Trauth recently heard from Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Mike Gill.

Read more at http://technical.ly/baltimore/2015/05/21/cybersecurity-startup-moving-virginia-maryland/