Spotlight on the CyRise teams: The Dekko Secure story
Tags: Accelerator, Founders, Founder Stories, Startup

There’s a little bit of magic that happens when your personal ethos aligns with your work ethos; when those ideals that govern how you contribute to the world and shape how you raise your children, end up being the foundation and the drivers in your day job. Jacqui Nelson from Dekko Secure has found this magic.

Dekko provides modern workflow without modern risk — they’re taking a manual process and making it digital. Emailing, messaging, document signing and file sharing can all be done with ease and end-to-end encryption, revolutionising the paper-trail for highly sensitive document sharing and making it far more efficient.

Investing in the team and the vision

Jacqui Nelson first saw the Dekko software in late-2015, when she was presented with the opportunity to invest. There was something appealing about the technology produced by Jay Haybatov and Dmytro Bablinyu, whose ultimate aim was to protect an individual’s privacy.

Dmytro Bablinyu, Co-Founder, and Jacqui Nelson, CEO, Dekko Secure

‘I’d made investments in technology before, but not in the privacy space’, explains Jacqui. ‘At that time, I’d already begun thinking about privacy on a more philosophical level… What’s a lack of privacy going to cost us? What kind of world are our kids growing up in?’

On meeting the team, it was clear they were experts in their field. ‘They were trustworthy, modest and smart. It took me a while to understand them, as they are both deeply technical, but as I got to know them it was clear to me their idea had potential because of their technical pedigrees and their incredible dedication to its development and growth.’

From investor to CEO

At the stage of seed investment, the product had been developed. Without a solid business plan, Jay and Dmytro were struggling to validate the market for the technology. There was a false start in 2015, attempting to sell just secure email to a market that was pre-NBD and GDPR. With the rejigging of the product offering, along with the option to raise again, an offer was made to Jacqui to join the board. From the board there was a question about product market fit. Before they could determine that, they needed a feel for the market. Jay and Dimi asked Jacqui to join their team for 2 days a week. ‘That soon turned into 5. And 5 turned into 7’, jokes Jacqui.

There’s a reason why Jacqui was sought after, in the same way there was a reason she was drawn to Dekko — the alignment of values. Though that wasn’t necessarily evident initially, explains Jacqui. ‘Cyber security was a sector I didn’t know. Working out the acronyms was the first thing!’ Interestingly, it turned out to be similar to running any business. Once Jacqui worked out the landscape, it was easy to adapt her skills to suit.

‘It’s about knowing who you are, what your purpose is, what your value is.’

That skillset is a pretty impressive one. Jacqui can find or create a vision and work her way towards it, ensuring she takes her teammates on the journey.

Jacqui Nelson, CEO, Dekko Secure

Sharpening the skill set

Jacqui worked for a few years on the trading floors in both Sydney and London. She attributes her success in this field to a highly tuned intuition. ‘Trading is about trusting your instincts and then adding the facts. I was never set on a certain method. One of the only women on the trading floor, there was never a taboo about asking for assistance. I never felt like I had to know or solve everything, and in a way, that was the best ground for learning. There was no expectation, and that was my evolution. Self-led, continuous questioning and reflection helped me hone my intuitive approach.’ The aggressive competitiveness of the trading environment eventually became the impetus for change. ‘It certainly wasn’t anything I wanted to get caught up in.’, says Jacqui. How do you not get caught up in that kind of competitive culture? ‘It’s about re-centering and reminding yourself of what your purpose is.’

That purpose has manifested into other social enterprises. ‘I helped to set-up the Kids in Philanthropy not-for-profit organisation. It teaches children that they can and should give back and make a difference. That kind of contribution that makes me feel most alive, and it was important for me to teach that to my children.’

It’s a delight to watch Jacqui work. She approaches people with warmth. She approaches challenges with warmth. There’s a spirit of positivity that’s most definitely underpinned by her purpose-driven ethos. An example of true relationship-building, she’s got a gift for making others feel good about themselves while still working towards the company vision.

Leading the Dekko pivot

A couple of months into the CyRise program, Dekko had a pivot. You could call it a purpose-driven pivot. Privacy. Protecting those in the community that need it the most. Giving back.

With this change came traction. Dekko now gives law enforcement agencies the ability to communicate and share highly sensitive material across a secure platform. Dekko is taking manual workflow processes and moving them to a secure digital environment. Now, with Dekko, customers are ensured their data is only ever shared with a trusted source. They are guaranteed maximum security and complete control of confidential data.

For Jacqui, there’s a clear vision of adding value to community. ‘It’s about the capacity to change processes that affect everyday citizens, having very real impact on the status quo’.

The power of being purpose-driven

Dekko continues to carve out a niche for itself where integrity and security of data can be a matter of life and death. There’s room to develop its capability and Dekko has a clear capacity to grow in the space. ‘ I can now really see Dekko’s clear purpose. I can see why it exists, the value it provides, and the vision for what it can and will be’, says Jacqui. ‘But we also have to understand that while still steering all the pieces, that we can only control what we can control and if we do that properly it will gather its own momentum.’

And she’s the woman to get it there.