Hook Security Wins Judges' Choice at the 2022 NEXT Venture Summit

On September 22, 2022, Hook Security won the Judges' Choice award at the NEXT Venture Summit pitch competition in Greenville, South Carolina. Hook beat nine other finalists and earned an automatic spot to pitch on stage at Venture Atlanta in October 2022.

The win was covered by the Upstate Business Journal, and both SCRA and Venture Atlanta shared the news on September 27, 2022.

How the competition worked

The NEXT Venture Summit is an annual capital conference in Greenville that brings investors, speakers and entrepreneurs together. 2022 was its seventh year. The competition ran in three rounds:

• Thirty of the top startups from North and South Carolina were named semifinalists and presented short videos at a screening party on September 8 at Fluor Field (Upstate Business Journal).
• Attendees voted ten finalists through to a lightning round (DIG SOUTH).
• On September 22 the ten finalists pitched to a panel of more than 30 investor judges representing 27 investment firms, in front of more than 300 investors, startups and community partners.

"We had a really great group of folks. I think this is a testament to everybody's readiness to get back out in public and make connections," said Eric Weissmann, executive director of NEXT.

The field covered payments, bicycle manufacturing, infrastructure and real estate.

What the win earned

Judges' Choice came with an automatic slot at Venture Atlanta 2022. Venture Atlanta announced Hook as the final company chosen to pitch, completing a lineup of 86 technology companies.

"Hook Security, an SC Launch Inc. portfolio company, has earned a coveted spot to pitch at Venture Atlanta in October after winning the Judge's Choice award at the NEXT Venture Summit. Hook Security beat out nine other finalists." (SCRA, September 27, 2022)

Why judges responded

Most security awareness training at the time relied on fear: catch people clicking, then assign a long remedial course. Hook's pitch was the opposite. People learn from training they enjoy, so Hook built short, funny videos and a training moment the instant someone clicks, with no shaming. A few weeks later, Hypepotamus captured the idea in a headline: security is way too important to be taken seriously.

Timeline: Hook's fall 2022

• August 18: St. Pete Catalyst reports TampaBay.Ventures' first investment in Hook.
• August 26: NEXT names 30 Venture Summit semifinalists, including Hook.
• September 8: Semifinalists present at the screening party at Fluor Field.
• September 13: Hook is named one of ten finalists.
• September 22: Hook wins Judges' Choice.
• September 27: SCRA and Venture Atlanta announce Hook's spot at Venture Atlanta.
• October 11: Hypepotamus profiles Hook's humor-first approach to security training.

Where it led

The NEXT win came in a year of momentum. A month earlier, TampaBay.Ventures had invested in Hook after meeting the team through the Tampa Bay Wave CyberTech|X Accelerator. In May 2023, TampaBay.Ventures led Hook's seed round.

See every milestone on Company News.

About NEXT

NEXT is an organization that supports entrepreneurs across the Southeast by building a community of founders, investors and mentors, and it produces the annual NEXT Venture Summit in Greenville.

FAQ

What is the NEXT Venture Summit?

The NEXT Venture Summit is an annual capital conference in Greenville, South Carolina, produced by NEXT. It connects Southeast startups with investors and runs a multi-round pitch competition.

What did Hook Security win?

Hook won the Judges' Choice award on September 22, 2022, beating nine other finalists chosen from 30 semifinalists across North and South Carolina.

What was the prize?

Judges' Choice earned Hook an automatic spot to pitch at Venture Atlanta in October 2022.

About Hook Security

Hook Security is a security awareness training and phishing simulation platform built for MSPs and SMBs. Its PsySec methodology uses psychology and humor to create real behavior change. Media resources are in the Hook press kit.