Jade Null is the kind of person who wants to understand how things work by taking them apart.
Before Null was even a teenager, they were hacking into web applications, poking at vulnerabilities and seeing if the systems would break. Not out of malice, but out of sheer curiosity. If a system had defences, Null wanted to know how far they could push them. If there was a way in, Null would find it.
“I was missing that connection to Manitoba. I was missing that connection to a local startup ecosystem.”
Jade Null, GlitchSecure
That curiosity led them to bug bounty programs, where they turned their knack for finding security flaws for companies offering financial rewards to ethical hackers. But while freelancing for an information security firm, they discovered the process of penetration testing was often bogged down by repetitive, tedious tasks.
It wasn’t enough to just break things. Null wanted to fix inefficiencies in offensive security workflows too.
So, they started building tools to automate the boring parts.
“I didn’t actually mean to start a company, I just wanted to make my life easier,” said Null. “That snowballed into handling more clients, and then that snowballed into building more software. Those two fed into each other until I thought, ‘Maybe I’ve got something here.’”
Null’s software makes security testing faster and more effective. Before long, they had built an entire platform around catching vulnerabilities before attackers could exploit them. And in 2022, GlitchSecure was born.
The Winnipeg-based startup specializes in “offensive security,” where companies hire GlitchSecure to simulate cyberattacks that uncover vulnerabilities.
Null says GlitchSecure aims to set itself apart from other offensive security companies by blending expert consulting with automation and delivering real human support without the hefty price tag. Today, it works with software companies across FinTech, EdTech, and other verticals, serving both early-stage startups and larger enterprises.
GlitchSecure found a sense of community in Manitoba’s startup scene through North Forge, a Winnipeg-based incubator that brings founders together through industry events. For Null, that community has been key to avoiding the trap of building in isolation.
“There’s not a lot of us doing this in Manitoba. Winnipeg is getting bigger and bigger, but it still has small-town vibes,” they said. “But I was missing that connection to Manitoba. I was missing that connection to a local startup ecosystem. I was craving a sense of connection and started to attend North Forge events.”
North Forge is a not-for-profit that provides cost-free programming and resources to help science-based, tech-enabled, and advanced manufacturing startups grow from ideation to securing funding. Its facilities include one of North America’s largest fabrication labs, giving startups access to the tools and technologies needed to build nearly anything.
Null joined the North Forge Founders Program to gain in-person connections with a supportive community that understands the highs and lows of startup life — from the emotional rollercoaster of being a founder to hiring a team for the first time and navigating the complexities of fundraising.
In the spring of 2024, GlitchSecure made its first big fundraising decision. After months of relationship building, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) offered the startup a term sheet from its Seed Venture Fund. Null initially declined the offer based on the collective decision of the entire GlitchSecure team.
“We knew we were growing, we knew we would keep growing, and we knew we didn’t need money to keep growing because we had already been profitable,” Null added.
Within months, GlitchSecure saw significant revenue growth, reaching $750,000 in annual recurring revenue, and by fall of 2024, it made sense for GlitchSecure to raise funds to support its growth.
In November, the startup closed a $2-million CAD seed round, led by BDC’s Seed Venture Fund, with participation from a syndicate led by US SaaS accelerator TinySeed.
GlitchSecure is the first Manitoba-based company to receive investment through BDC’s Seed Venture Fund, a milestone Null sees as a win for local founders.
Null said many people move away from Manitoba to work in tech, fuelled by the perception that it’s not a tech hub.
“There’s not a ton of incentive to hire in Manitoba or grow a company in Manitoba because there’s not a lot of investment. This signals some of the early days of that changing,” said Null.
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North Forge is a not-for-profit tech incubator, accelerator, and state-of-the-art fabrication lab. We fuel Manitoba’s innovative science-based, technology-enabled, and advanced manufacturing startups from ideation to funding by offering unparalleled programming and resources to help startups grow.
Join a community that drives innovation and builds connections. North Forge supports your journey from concept to commercialization. Learn more here.