Singapore cyber security firm Sixscape secures $2 million from venture capital fund

SINGAPORE - A homegrown developer of secure communication software for desktop and mobile devices has raised S$2 million in funding from Tembusu ICT Fund I, a software-focused venture capital fund headquartered in Singapore.

The company, Sixscape, specialises in next-generation secure communication solutions for consumers and businesses.

Online communication channels such as e-mail and chat messaging typically come with some form of security, but can still be vulnerable to hacking and other cyber attacks.

The Sixscape apps' instant messaging and file transfer functions use the same security protocol found in end-to-end secure e-mail, which is a first for the industry.

Mr Lawrence Hughes, Sixscape's co-founder and chief technology officer said: "We plan to become a global leader in secure messaging, which we have simplified by automating digital certificate management and network configuration."

Mr Hughes developed and delivered training in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for Verisign, a PKI pioneer company.

Public Key Infrastructure is a set of roles, policies and procedures that enable users and computers to securely exchange data over the Internet, with the identity of the other party verified. Without PKI, information can be encrypted and exchanged but without assurance of the identity of the other party.

Mr Brijesh Pande, managing partner of ICT Fund I, said: "Sixscape is a truly disruptive cryptography company, with authentication and encryption solutions that enable secure and scalable communications and transactions. Sixscape's unique distributed PKI technology has the potential to make military-grade encryption and authentication possible for large-scale deployment in the Internet of Things and 5G era."

The fund is said to be the only venture capital fund in Singapore investing solely in software start-ups.

Tembusu ICT Fund I is one of six funds selected by the National Research Foundation as part of its Early Stage Venture Fund II scheme. Tembusu Partners chairman Andy Lim is on the fund's investment committee, and his wife, former politician Lim Hwee Hua, is a senior adviser to the fund.

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