#Top3 - ENTRYZERO: Digital Resilience through Automation
The founding team of ENTRYZERO has dedicated itself to one of the most important challenges of our time: IT security in increasingly complex corporate landscapes. With their innovative platform, they automate the continuous monitoring of potential attack surfaces, giving companies a decisive edge in their fight against cyber threats. At this year's WORLDFACTORY Demo Day, the Bochum-based start-up ENTRYZERO not only impressed the jury and was awarded second place, securing a place among the top 3 start-ups at Ruhr-Universität Bochum 2025. The team also won a special prize: a ticket to the STEP USA University Program in New York. In this interview, the two founders Mohamad and Samet provide exciting insights into their start-up idea, talk about their experiences at Demo Day and explain why the Ruhr region is an ideal business location for them. They also reveal how they combine technical excellence with strategic thinking, what role automation and transparency play in their system - and how they see the future of ENTRYZERO.
Describe your start-up idea:
Mohamad: In my previous positions, especially in large corporations with many experienced security experts, I experienced that external participants in bug bounty programs uncovered vulnerabilities faster and more effectively than the in-house security team. That was a wake-up call for me. It clearly showed that an external perspective is often not only complementary, but in many cases superior. This realization was the starting point for ENTRYZERO: we asked ourselves why this external advantage exists - and how it can be automated and made scalable. This is our approach: we put ourselves in the shoes of potential attackers, imitate their approach - and fully automate this process.
Samet: Through this automation, we create a continuous, prioritized overview of exploitable vulnerabilities and misconfigurations for companies - including technical evidence. In this way, we provide security managers with concrete, usable information instead of leaving them alone in a sea of alerts. ENTRYZERO helps to switch from a reactive to a proactive security strategy - with measurable added value.
Please introduce yourselves briefly as the founding team. What are your strengths?
Samet: I studied both computer science and business informatics, but focused on strategy and business development early on. I designed strategic concepts for board members in a corporate environment, looked after international customers and promoted strategic partnerships. At ENTRYZERO, I am responsible for the commercial side - i.e. growth, partnerships and market entry.
Mohamad: I have a technical background. After studying IT security at the Horst Görtz Institute at Ruhr University Bochum, I completed my doctorate at TU Dortmund University and spent many years working as an ethical hacker. I analyzed systems, identified vulnerabilities and learned to really understand IT security from an attacker's perspective. At the same time, I had the privilege of working directly with the management boards of DAX companies - and experiencing the strategic importance of cyber security at the highest corporate level and what is important to the C-level. At ENTRYZERO, I am in charge of technical development - with the aim of building a product that is secure, scalable and future-proof. What makes us special is that we combine technical expertise with strategic thinking - and speak each other's language.
How did you first come up with the idea of founding the company?
Mohamad: For me, it was a logical step. ENTRYZERO is not my first start-up in the field of cyber security. I realized that start-ups are the place where real innovation happens - much faster than in corporate structures.
Samet: I worked in a corporate group for a long time, but the topic of founding never let go of me. I was already trying out small ideas during my permanent position. When Mohamad came up with the concept for ENTRYZERO, I was immediately hooked. Of course, it wasn't easy to step out of a safe environment - but I knew that the team was right, the topic was highly relevant and the time was right.
How did you experience IDEA.2025 and WORLDFACTORY Demo Day 2025?
Samet: I had the pleasure of representing ENTRYZERO at Demo Day as Mohamad was working towards an important deadline for a client project and couldn't attend. It was a real highlight for me. Bochum generally has a very lively start-up scene and events like IDEA.2025 are great opportunities to maintain existing contacts, get to know new faces and expand your network. The fact that we also received two awards at the end made the whole thing even more special.
Mohamad: Even though I wasn't there, I clearly felt the impact of the event. The feedback after the Demo Day was consistently positive - both in our network and from potential customers and partners. Samet did a great job of representing us and the momentum we gained from the event is still with us today.
Why did you decide to found a company in the Ruhr region? What advantages does the Ruhr region and Bochum in particular offer founders from your point of view and what are you still missing here?
Mohamad: For me, it was almost like coming back. I studied in Bochum and did my doctorate in Dortmund - the Ruhr region is a central location for IT security. Bochum in particular, with its strong university, initiatives such as Cube 5 and the WORLDFACTORY, is an ideal location. There is a functioning ecosystem here.
Samet: I studied in Bochum and Essen - the Ruhr region is my home. I see a start-up scene on the rise here: short distances, honest exchange, good support. What we would like to see more of is capital for technology-driven, in-depth solutions. In other words, more willingness to take risks for deep tech and cyber security. But the potential is there - and it is growing.
For you, was there ever an alternative to founding a company? Could you have seen yourselves in research?
Samet: It quickly became clear to me that I wanted to work in industry at the interface between technology and business. A doctorate was never my goal - I'm more driven by the direct impact.
Mohamad: I spent many years in research - and I really enjoyed it. But at some point, “writing papers” was no longer enough for me. I wanted to create solutions that would make a difference in real life. Today I can combine the two: Transferring research ideas into a product - and thinking ahead together with partners from the world of science. A few exciting collaborations are currently developing here, which we will hopefully be able to tell you more about soon.
For which sectors is your solution currently the most exciting - and where do you see the greatest growth potential in the medium term?
Mohamad: Our approach is basically a cross-industry one - security affects every organization. But the decisive factor is how digital a company is. The larger the attack surface, the greater the value of our solution.
Samet: We are currently working primarily with large companies and corporations - they have the necessary IT landscape and the need for continuous monitoring. In the medium term, however, we also want to reach SMEs better - with an even more automated platform that can be used without much explanation.
What role does automation play in your system - and how do you prevent important safety-related decisions from becoming “black boxes”?
Samet:Automation is the core of our product. ENTRYZERO would be impossible without it. But automation must not end in a lack of transparency - that's why we attach great importance to comprehensible results, clear prioritization and comprehensible reports.
Mohamad: We automate everything that can be reasonably automated - but we also explain what happens. Our platform shows exactly which vulnerability can be exploited and how, and what this means in concrete terms. Here, we use AI - for example for categorization, evaluation and validation. But always in such a way that security managers stay in control.
What is your current situation and what are the next steps?
We are in the middle of the go-to-market phase. The first proof-of-concept projects are running successfully and we are receiving very positive feedback. We want to enter into long-term partnerships with several lighthouse customers by the end of the year - as a basis for a seed round next year. At the same time, we are continuing to expand our platform and are specifically looking for sales partners who want to grow with us.