Jamie Graves

Data security expert, software entrepreneur, Edinburgh Napier Young Alumnus of the Year 2011... Dr Jamie Graves has many titles and he’s added another one to the list, Edinburgh Napier Entrepreneur in Residence!

Dr Jamie Graves is a two-time Edinburgh Napier alumnus. He graduated in 2005 with a BEng (Hons) Computer Networks & Distributed Systems. During his final year he worked on a project with Professor Bill Buchanan OBE to build a network that would respond to attacks in a similar way to how a human immune system does. Through this Jamie was offered the chance to pursue a PhD under the supervision of Professor Buchanan.

What was the focus of Jamie’s PhD?

“We were very interested in the nature of evidence, or data, that could be collected from a computing system in the course of an investigation. We were of the opinion that the kind of data being collected was not good quality and therefore we wanted to understand what we could discover that would be sound from a Forensic Perspective but also ensure that the privacy of the individual was preserved. The technology that I investigated during the PhD would form the basis of the eventual spinout ZoneFox.“

Jamie Graves standing, looking into the camera with a blurry street in the background

ZoneFox is a multi-award-winning cyber security start-up founded and developed by Jamie Graves. It is a cloud-based security platform which prevents malicious attacks on an organisation’s IT network. It was acquired by California-based Fortinet Inc in 2018.

What is Jamie’s biggest career highlight to date?

“Building a team to bring a product to market that solved customer problems and helped them increase the security of their organisations.”

Has Jamie faced any challenges in his career?

“There were a lot! I had never launched a product or taken it to market before so I had to learn from scratch how to do that with the support of some fantastic mentors from Scottish Enterprise and others who had been there and created their own company. We also had the issue of having a technology that was searching for a problem in the market which can be a tough challenge so finding that initial market was hard work.”

What is Jamie’s current role?

"I am currently Entrepreneur in Residence at ENU which is great as I get to meet a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs with great ideas. I also work with a number of startups at different stages in order to help them with their own journey. I really enjoy being able to work with these companies as they each face unique challenges.”

A group of students in the university's computing lab, with a picture of Edinburgh castle on the wall

Jamie Graves has recently been appointed as one of two Entrepreneurs in Residence at Edinburgh Napier University, along with Robert Goodfellow.

Through the Royal Society-funded programme, Jamie and Robert will spend 20 per cent of their time over a 12-month period with the university. They will share their experiences and help to mentor, inspire and support students and academics with entrepreneurial goals and ideas.

Jamie will be based in the School of Computing. Robert Goodfellow, previously Head of Enterprise & Business Development at Heriot-Watt University, will be working closely with the School of Applied Sciences.

Only one other university in Scotland is represented on the list of 16 entrepreneurs awarded a place on the scheme for 2021.

What is Jamie looking forward to most about being an Entrepreneur in Residence?

“Working with aspiring entrepreneurs in order to help them understand how to take their ideas into the market. I love to find out about the latest ideas or technologies so this is going to be a lot of fun. I also want to help the Scottish start-up ecosystem thrive as it will have a positive impact on lives and the economy.

“ENU was the place that helped me launch my career and it's only right that I help by giving back some of the support I received.”

Learn more about the Entrepreneurs in Residence initiative.

What advice would Jamie give to someone wanting to follow in his footsteps?

“Get yourself a mentor and find a team of people with complementary skills. It's tough running a business and doing it by yourself can be very difficult.”

Alumni Awards

The Alumni Awards recognise an individual or a group of alumni who have shown excellence and distinction in their personal and/or professional lives and who have made a positive contribution to the University, their community and profession.

Published March 2021