From a young age, Jacob Blacksten knew he wanted to start his own business. His first taste of entrepreneurship came from working at his grandfather’s livestock auction in rural lower Delaware, helping his great-grandmother and aunt operate a food booth. When they decided to retire, the University of Delaware alumnus saw an opportunity to step in.

As an incoming college student strapped for cash, the young entrepreneur knew the food booth could be a sustainable venture with some strategic improvements. Blacksten worked on the booth for two years, discontinuing items that weren’t selling, introducing new menu options, and slowly building a loyal customer base. Eventually, business was strong enough that he invested in a custom-built food trailer, turning that small booth into what became Satisfried Concessions.

“Seeing it grow from a modest weekly stand into a proper food-truck-style operation was incredibly fulfilling, and it helped pay my way through college, too,” said Blacksten. 

Blacksten’s entrepreneurial mindset and passion for helping others paved the way for his future career. He went on to earn five degrees from UD in the business and cybersecurity fields, including an MBA and two master's degrees. This cross-curricular education provided the necessary context to make a difference. Now, Blacksten is helping small businesses prevent cyberattacks and avoid losing everything.

“Understanding business fundamentals allows me to translate cybersecurity measures into tangible benefits for nontechnical stakeholders,” said Blacksten. “It helps me focus on what matters most to my audience: the bottom line and the long-term sustainability of their organizations.”

Many small businesses don’t have the resources to recover from cyberattacks. Even a single case—a successful phishing scam, ransomware incident, or data breach—can force a small enterprise to close its doors for good. Blacksten’s two flagship programs, North Star and Data Assured, bring cybersecurity awareness and education directly to mom-and-pop shops, local entrepreneurs, and startup founders.

“Both programs aim to demystify cybersecurity for small businesses and provide a consistent, high-quality educational framework,” said Blacksten. “We want every entrepreneur—no matter their location or industry—to have the tools they need to protect their data, their customers, and their future.”

As an engineering student and an entrepreneur, Blacksten realized that cybersecurity frameworks, while critical, seemed overwhelming and complex for someone with limited technical background. Small businesses needed a way to distill these standards into user-friendly resources that entrepreneurs could actually apply.

That’s where Data Assured came in. Originally created by Daniel Elliott in 2016, it was designed to walk small businesses through understanding their systems, capturing their policies in a Written Information Security Program (WISP), and ultimately implementing better practices. The approach was hands-on, providing business owners with resources to concretely track and manage their cybersecurity journey.

The momentum of Data Assured sparked the idea of a more unified, nationwide initiative, which evolved into North Star. Co-founded by Blacksten and Earl Gregorich, North Star expanded on Data Assured’s foundation by uniting a network of cybersecurity experts from across the country. While Data Assured is directly aimed at small businesses, North Star focuses on training the consultants who serve them, ensuring small business development centers across America have access to a depth of cybersecurity knowledge.

Blacksten’s programs have allowed him to help thousands of business owners across the country, earning him numerous accolades, including recognition as a "Visionary leader in security awareness" at the 2024 Cyber Security Summit.

“It was a tremendous honor to stand alongside other leaders I’ve admired for a long time,” said Blacksten. “I’m grateful to everyone who helped me get here, especially the teams behind Data Assured and North Star.”

Looking back, Blacksten has UD to thank for his renowned success and positive impact he has made on small businesses.

“When I first landed a cybersecurity role, I asked my boss why he chose me over candidates with more explicit technical credentials,” said Blacksten. “He explained that anyone can learn the technical side with enough study or training, but what’s harder to teach is the ability to reason deeply, ask the right questions, and seek out the best resources for solutions. Those qualities, I believe, came directly from my education at UD.”