From 13 to 18 September, a Dutch cybersecurity delegation travelled through Texas and Georgia as part of a cyber mission across Dallas, Austin and Atlanta. The delegation included Dawnguard, Invictus Incident Response, VirtualMetric and HSD partners Key2XS and ON2IT Cybersecurity International.

The mission was coordinated by InnovationQuarter, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Business Support Office in Texas, as part of the Partners for International Business (PIB) Cybersecurity USA programme. The mission aimed to bring Dutch cybersecurity companies closer to the US market, gain first-hand market insights and build new international relationships.

Exploring the US Cybersecurity Market and Building Connections

Throughout the mission, the delegation visited organisations including Lockheed Martin, Archaea Energy, AMD, the Texas Workforce Commission, Equifax and Xebia. These visits provided opportunities to exchange experiences, challenges and perspectives while gaining a better understanding of the US market.

The programme also included AMA sessions with the Secnora team, Mark Piening of Protopia AI, Keith Peer of LockThreat and Brigitte Vantieghem of Syba.io, as well as a mentor session at Capital Factory. The delegation took part in roundtables and market discussions with organisations including the European American Chamber of Commerce Texas, US Trade Consult and the Water Tower.

On 17 and 18 September, the delegation was welcomed in Atlanta by the Consulate General of the Netherlands. During meetings with stakeholders from across Atlanta’s tech ecosystem, the participating companies explored challenges and opportunities in areas ranging from utilities and public infrastructure to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The programme also included exchanges with Invest Atlanta, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia.

The discussions throughout the mission provided the participating companies with insights into doing business in the United States and opportunities to exchange knowledge, share expertise and expand their networks. They also highlighted cybersecurity challenges shared by the Netherlands and the United States and the value of international cooperation in addressing them.

The visit to Atlanta built on relationships established during an earlier visit to the region. As this was the delegation’s second visit to the city, it provided an opportunity to deepen connections with the local cybersecurity community and explore possibilities for further collaboration.

Strengthening Dutch-US Collaboration

The mission was made possible by the contributions of local organisations, experts and partners who shared their insights and opened their networks to the Dutch delegation.

These connections helped strengthen relationships between the Dutch and US cybersecurity communities, providing a basis for continued knowledge exchange and international collaboration.