Cyber veteran Jason Murrell joins Fusion Growth Labs to launch $100M+ startup program
BRISBANE, Tuesday 5 August 2025 – Fusion Growth Labs has appointed cyber industry veteran Jason Murrell as Entrepreneur in Residence to lead its new Cyber Lab, an industry led venture studio backed by 12 chief information security officers from major Australian institutions from the critical infrastructure, finance, education and telecommunications sectors.
The appointment positions Murrell at the helm of an ambitious program targeting over $100 million in aligned capital to transform enterprise security challenges into commercial ventures, with international expansion support across the US, Europe, India and the Middle East.
Murrell brings two decades of experience bridging policy development and venture creation. He currently chairs Dynamic Standards International (SMB1001), developing the world’s first dynamic cyber standard for small to medium businesses and cofounded MurFin Group, a strategic growth and media advisory firm dedicated to amplifying Australia’s cyber narrative and delivering on the nation’s 2030 Cyber Security Strategy.
His track record includes chairing both the Australian Cyber Network (ACN) and AustCyber, organisations that unite industry and government to build sovereign capability. Beyond cyber, Murrell was a founding shareholder in Starward Whisky, which claimed World Distillery of the Year honours in 2022.
“We’re building something unprecedented, a direct pipeline between Australia’s top security minds and the founders who can solve their biggest challenges,” said Murrell. Our Cyber Lab is already endorsed by top security chiefs at major Australian institutions. They’ve identified machine verifiable third party trust and AI powered incident response as critical gaps. This isn’t about building another security tool. It’s about creating sovereign cyber companies that defend Australia first and win globally.”
The Fusion Growth Labs team has a strong track record in venture capital, international scaling and commercialisation with over 40 successful exits and more than $1 billion in annual recurring revenue generated through ventures led by its team. They have a proven ability to take breakthrough technologies from inception to global scale..
“Jason combines board level policy influence with startup hustle,” said James Skinner Co-founder of Fusion. “Whether he is drafting national standards, chairing the ACN or helping founders raise their first round, Jason’s north star is always the same, build sovereign solutions that scale globally. That is exactly the ethos behind the Cyber Lab.”
The Cyber Lab areas of focus have emerged from a closed door roundtable in July, where participating CISOs identified the two priority focus areas. Founder in Residence applications open mid August, targeting founders and researchers ready to tackle enterprise scale security challenges.
Selected founders will participate in a 12 week innovation sprint that includes direct access to enterprise guidance/mentorship, real time commercial input and a first investment, followed by international market entrance support.
The move drops at a key moment, as The Australian Government is taking public submissions on Horizon 2 of the 2023-2030 Cyber Security Strategy until 29 August 2025. Horizon 2 will scale skills, standards and sovereign capability across the whole economy.
“This is the practical engine room that can put Horizon 2 ideas on the road,” Murrell said. “We are turning enterprise pain points into investable ventures that meet the Strategy’s goal of a safer, more competitive Australia by 2030.”
Murrell’s appointment follows Fusion Growth Labs’ rapid expansion, with the firm now commencing innovation tracks across multiple sovereign priority sectors, including healthcare technology, defence, and space solutions.
TheCyber Lab is expected to open within the next month. Enterprises and investors are invited to join the movement to build sovereign cyber companies.
About Fusion Growth Labs
Fusion Growth Labs is a Brisbane based venture studio advancing scalable innovation to solve complex challenges in Australia’s sovereign industries
About Jason Murrell
Jason Murrell is a cyber security executive and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in policy development, industry leadership and venture creation. He chairs SMB1001 at Dynamic Standards International and cofounded MurFin Group.