How flexible space and community helped Network Perception grow

Network Perception's 10-year journey from a single coworking desk to a leading cybersecurity firm for operational technology companies began at TeamWorking by TechNexus. Founder Robin Berthier's story illustrates how the right workspace community can accelerate a startup's trajectory.

Network Perception ’s 10-year journey from startup to leading cybersecurity firm for operational technology companies began with a single coworking desk. Robin Berthier (pictured), a postdoc at the University of Illinois, founded Network Perception in 2014 and three years later joined TeamWorking by TechNexus , occupying a desk in the Chicago coworking space. As Network Perception scaled, raising a seed round in 2020 and a $13 million Series A in 2022, Berthier relied on TeamWorking to scale its space needs. The team grew from that single desk to an office of 20, leading to the company’s major milestone earlier this month: the startup was acquired by leading cybersecurity firm Dragos. Dragos, based in Washington, D.C. but with customers across the world, said it will bring Network Perception’s capabilities to its clients in oil & gas, manufacturing, and other industries globally. The acquisition highlights a decade-long journey for Network Perception, which has grown its business to more than 100 customers, including half of the 30 largest electric utilities companies. Its technology creates a network visualization platform for OT networks, giving cybersecurity managers a comprehensive view of their network security. By working out of TeamWorking, Berthier said it allowed the company to focus its attention on growing its business, rather than worrying about its office needs. “As a startup you need to be really focused,” he said. “It’s very easy to lose that focus. There's so many things you could do, so many ways you can spend your time. And for me, it was important to outsource the things that are not our core business, so that we don't have to worry about it.” Not needing to worry about things like utilities, internet connection or office cleaning allowed Network Perception to be heads down on the things most impactful to its business, Berthier said. “It’s a really modern space that was attractive and inviting for hiring and recruiting,” he added. But beyond t

By Jim Dallke at TechNexus Venture Collaborative