Welcome to the next Q&A in our series highlighting people from various pathways along the entrepreneurial technologist journey in Arkansas and the nation.
Forge Institute is an Arkansas-based organization with a vision is to “lead the world in leveraging new capabilities to eliminate cyber threats.” Lee Watson, CEO, founded the nonprofit in 2018.
Forge frequently collaborates with federal agencies, private sector partners, and publicly funded organizations such as ASBTDC.
In this Q&A, find out more about Forge Institute’s priorities, programs, and resources.
The Forge Perspective
Q: Forge Institute has played a major role in building cyber resilience in Arkansas and beyond. How do you engage with startups and small businesses to help them strengthen their cybersecurity posture?
A: Forge Institute employs a multifaceted strategy to significantly strengthen cybersecurity defenses through direct support for businesses, advanced threat intelligence, innovation incubation, and workforce development.
Forge programs such as the Arkansas Cyber Defense Center, accelerators, and the Forge Academy provide services, training, and mentorship to small businesses and startups.
The Arkansas Cyber Defense Center, or ACDC, directly empowers businesses to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses by offering incident support and training, which can be customized to equip small businesses with the foundational knowledge and immediate assistance needed to protect their operations and data from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
Through the Phoenix Xcelerator and Embers Xcelerator programs, Forge fosters the growth of specialized startups, helping bring cutting-edge security solutions to the market and increasing the range and sophistication of tools available to all businesses, including smaller enterprises looking for advanced and tailored protection.
Forge Institute’s commitment to workforce development through the Forge Academy plays a crucial role in bolstering the long-term cybersecurity posture of small businesses and startups. The Academy offers a spectrum of training programs, from introductory IT and cyber fundamentals bootcamps to advanced, specialized courses.
Q: What are some common cybersecurity pitfalls you see among early-stage technology companies, and how can Forge Institute help them proactively address these?
A: Early-stage technology companies frequently stumble into cybersecurity pitfalls due to prioritizing rapid growth over foundational security, often driven by limited resources and a lack of dedicated security expertise.
This can manifest as weak basic hygiene like poor password management and unpatched systems, insecure software development practices that embed vulnerabilities, and inadequate data management exposing sensitive information.
Furthermore, many startups overlook the crucial development of an incident response plan and fail to consider compliance requirements early on, creating significant future risks and potential liabilities.
Forge Institute offers vital support to help startups proactively address such vulnerabilities. Through our cyber services and accelerators, Forge empowers startups to protect their innovations and navigate the complex threat landscape more effectively.
Forge helps startups think about and implement cyber best practices in a practical, cost-efficient manner from day 1.
Q: How do you see Forge Institute supporting companies navigating SBIR/STTR and government contracting opportunities, especially those with a cyber or defense angle?
A: Programs like the Phoenix Xcelerator and Atomic Anvil (in partnership with the Air Force’s APEX PIA), are specifically designed to bridge the gap between innovative ideas and government needs.
Forge provides direct training and mentorship on the SBIR/STTR application processes, understanding government contracting vehicles, and connecting these companies directly with Department of Defense mission owners and prime contractors. It’s about demystifying the process and providing a clear pathway.
Forge’s focus is often on the customer discovery process with prime contractors or mission partners and we leverage our amazing relationship with ASBTDC to provide direct support for SBIR/STTR with the startups we work with.
Strategic collaborations are vital, as we work closely with organizations like the ASBTDC, the Arkansas Aerospace & Defense Alliance, and the Arkansas APEX Accelerator. These partnerships create a powerful ecosystem where companies can get comprehensive support—from initial business counseling and understanding procurement processes with ASBTDC and APEX, to meeting specific defense industry needs alongside AADA.
Ensuring cybersecurity readiness, often a prerequisite for defense contracts like CMMC compliance, is a key part of this support.
Workforce development through Forge Academy, including our DoD SkillBridge program for transitioning service members, helps ensure these companies have access to the skilled talent they need to execute on these contracts.
So, it’s really a holistic approach to make these companies successful in the federal marketplace.
Q: Cybersecurity is evolving rapidly. What emerging technologies or threats should Arkansas entrepreneurs be paying close attention to in 2025?
A: Beyond externally driven attacks, entrepreneurs need to manage risks associated with the expanding Internet of Things (IoT) landscape, where numerous connected devices often lack robust security, creating easy entry points for attackers. The malicious use of deepfakes and disinformation campaigns poses another significant threat, capable of causing reputational damage or market manipulation.
And, as always, insider threats, whether malicious or accidental, remain a critical concern, as a single incident within a smaller organization can have devastating consequences if proper controls and awareness are not in place.
To counter these evolving threats, Arkansas entrepreneurs should explore adopting several emerging defensive technologies.
AI and machine learning are becoming indispensable for defense, offering advanced capabilities to detect anomalies, predict threats, and automate responses far more rapidly than manual methods.
Adopting a Zero Trust Architecture, which operates on the principle of “never trust, always verify,” is crucial, especially with distributed workforces and cloud environments, ensuring every access request is authenticated.
Furthermore, moving beyond traditional antivirus to more robust endpoint detection and response (EDR) or even extended detection and response (XDR) solutions, along with strong passwordless authentication methods and advanced multi-factor authentication, will be key to bolstering defenses.
Q: Can you tell us more about Forge Institute’s role in workforce development and how startups can benefit from your talent pipeline or training resources?
A: Forge Institute is deeply invested in emerging technology and cybersecurity workforce development, primarily through our Forge Academy. We offer a spectrum of training, from foundational IT/Cyber Fundamentals courses for beginners to advanced Cyber Bootcamps that equip individuals for analyst roles, all led by experienced professionals and aligned with industry needs. This also includes customized training for businesses looking to upskill their teams.
Startups derive significant benefits from this talent pipeline and our training resources in several key ways.
First, they gain access to a pool of trained talent, as graduates from our Academy programs become available for employment; we actively facilitate these connections. Second, startups can upskill their existing employees by enrolling them in our courses, building crucial internal cybersecurity capacity efficiently.
A standout opportunity for startups is our Forge Fellowship, a DoD SkillBridge program.
This allows transitioning service members to intern with companies at no labor cost to the startup during their final months of service, providing access to highly disciplined and often security-cleared individuals. It’s an excellent way to evaluate potential hires and gain valuable project support.
Additionally, our involvement in Registered Apprenticeship programs, often in partnership with organizations like Apprenticely, offers another structured, state-supported pathway for startups to develop cybersecurity talent.
Our goal is to create a continuous flow of skilled individuals, making it easier for Arkansas startups to find and cultivate the emerging technology and cybersecurity expertise they need to thrive.
Visit the Forge Institute website to learn more.
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