Takeaways from the 2025 Cyber Runway Plexal Cohort

Written by Conor Heslin, Account Director at Eskenzi PR Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with 12 members of the 2025 Plexal Cyber Runway. The Cyber Runway is “the largest cyber accelerator in the UK. It is designed to address some of the biggest challenges facing cyber security, such as diversity and inclusion and regional representation, and supports the most promising innovators at various stages of growth.”  Eskenzi PR has always taken its obligation to strengthen the cybersecurity community extremely seriously. This is reflected in the events we arranged throughout the year to celebrate and champion our industry, including the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards and the Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards. As such, we spent time last week working with this year’s Cyber Runway cohort to help them understand the importance of PR, and how important PR can be for cybersecurity companies in differentiating themselves. Here are 3 takeaways from the session:  The cybersecurity talent pipeline is alive and well in the UK Eskenzi PR has been undertaking sessions such as this for years. One of the most encouraging things that we’ve noted is that the interest in cybersecurity has not dwindled across the intervening years: Their remains eager ready and willing cohorts of budding cyber entrepreneurs who want to learn as much as they can about the mechanics of how to become successful cybersecurity companies, and in the process, help to keep us all safe online.  The fundamentals of what makes good PR remain the same One of the key portions of the talk is one which explains the logistics, and building blocks of what makes successful PR activity. I asked the cohort- as all good PR people should do every day – to place yourself in the shoes of a journalist. Imagine how you can be as helpful as possible to a journalist who receives hundreds of emails a day and may need to file multiple bylines a day, without much time for research.  By providing valuable, timely insight on a story (such as via a rapid response comment) you can provide invaluable external insight into a story, and add 150 words to their byline in the process. Understanding this, and placing this fundamental at the heart of your PR strategy is a fantastic building block for a cybersecurity company whose PR programme is in its embryonic stage.  PR can help a small company to punch above their weight from a media perspective While the big budgets, household names and glitzy advertising campaigns that large cybersecurity players boast can make the world of PR and marketing feel daunting for organisations such as those in the Plexal cohort just starting their journey, one of the points which we make clearest during our sessions, is that when PR is done well, it can help to level the playing field. While large organisations have the benefit of manpower, they can often find themselves struggling more than smaller, scrappier organisations in terms of approval processes. This means if you can be quicker, you can outstrip your larger competitors, and be more daring in the process.  Another important distinction is the use of social media in developing a PR brand for yourself. While PR agencies and programmes cost money, engaging with PR tactics across social platforms like LinkedIn is free. If you follow the right influencers, journalists and publications, there’s nothing to stop you from publishing blogs, articles, and commentary on security incidents and beginning your PR programme as soon as you’re ready.  If you want to hear more about how Eskenzi PR can help you to kick-start your PR programme, get in touch here!