CyberUp
CyberUp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 in St. Louis that runs a tuition-free cybersecurity workforce development pipeline (K-12 PowerUp, LevelUp training, and paid apprenticeships) connecting candidates to 1,000+ employer partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSt Louis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What CyberUp does
CyberUp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in October 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri (originally as the Midwest Cyber Center of Excellence) that operates a full-service cybersecurity workforce development pipeline. Its three core programs are PowerUp Youth Education (K-12 cybersecurity awareness and the cloud-based PowerUp Cyber Games competition delivered in partnership with Cyber Skyline), LevelUp Training (a tuition-free, virtual, instructor-led pre-apprenticeship program built around the CompTIA Security+ certification, currently version 701), and a registered Apprenticeship program (paid on-the-job training under Title 29 CFR Section 3). The organization is governed by an Executive Director (Tony Bryan), a Chief of Staff, and a 14+ member board, with a staff of approximately 8-10 people.
CyberUp serves three constituencies: aspiring cybersecurity professionals (career transitioners, military veterans, underrepresented candidates), K-12 students, and employer partners. Its employer network spans 1,000+ organizations ranging from Fortune 500s (Centene, Boeing, SSM Health, Edward Jones, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, PwC, Peabody Energy, Barry-Wehmiller) to startups. As a registered apprenticeship intermediary, CyberUp sources, trains, and places candidates; employers hire from a pre-vetted, Security+-certified pipeline. Stated outcomes include 700+ candidates trained, 3,000+ K-12 students inspired over 10+ years, and a 95% apprenticeship completion rate.
Revenue is generated through a mix of individual and corporate donations (processed via Qgiv), grants and foundation funding (The SAIGH Foundation, NISA Foundation, CITI Foundation, Gateway to Innovation, plus a $200,000 NIST grant in April 2024), and employer/sponsor-funded training invoiced at full cost on first-class attendance. Training is tuition-free to candidates, and apprenticeships are paid by employers. Marketing and distribution are community- and content-led: Cy Says Blog, LevelUp Cyber Live podcast, monthly mentor meetups, organic social, and partnership-driven employer engagement rather than paid acquisition. The organization holds a Platinum Candid transparency seal and operates under federal registered-apprenticeship, COPPA, EEOC, and WIOA Title I compliance frameworks.
CyberUp firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CyberUp
- Legal name
- CyberUp
- Website
- https://wecyberup.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CyberUp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 in St. Louis that runs a tuition-free cybersecurity workforce development pipeline (K-12 PowerUp, LevelUp training, and paid apprenticeships) connecting candidates to 1,000+ employer partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CyberUp industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Workforce Development
- NAICS
- Computer Training (61142), Computer Training (611420), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cybersecurity (EDAAAPAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cybersecurity (General) (EDAOAIAB), School IT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity for K–12 (Network, Identity, SSO) (EDAJAMAM), Cybersecurity Training & Awareness Programs (BPAEANAF), Cybersecurity Learning Platforms (EDAFANAF)
Keywords
Where CyberUp is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St Louis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CyberUp business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual & Corporate Donations: 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accepts one-time gifts and recurring monthly donations through a dedicated donation page on Qgiv. Recognized for transparency (Platinum Candid).
- Grants & Foundation Funding: Receives grant and foundation funding from entities such as The SAIGH Foundation, NISA Foundation, CITI Foundation, and Gateway to Innovation. Information collected may be used for grant-writing purposes and diversity tracking.
- Employer / Sponsorship-Funded Training: For grant-, sponsorship-, or donation-funded candidates, CyberUp invoices or reports the full training cost to the funding source upon first-class attendance per the terms of the funding agreement.
- Apprenticeship Intermediary Services: Acts as an apprenticeship intermediary connecting pre-screened, Security+ certified candidates to employer partners (1,000+ employers from Fortune 500 to startups) for paid on-the-job training; employer partners gain access to a diverse, skilled talent pipeline.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | LevelUp Training — tuition-free cybersecurity pre-apprenticeship |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Cybersecurity Apprenticeship — paid on-the-job training |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Pre-Apprenticeship Cancellation & Refund Tiers |
| Other | Monthly | Donations (one-time & monthly recurring) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
CyberUp product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CyberUp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs a full-service cybersecurity workforce development pipeline. It delivers K-12 youth education (PowerUp and PowerUp Cyber Games), tuition-free pre-apprenticeship training leading to CompTIA Security+ certification (LevelUp Training), and paid registered apprenticeships placed with a network of 1,000+ employer partners ranging from Fortune 500 companies to startups.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LevelUp: CyberUp's tuition-free cybersecurity skills training program preparing individuals for certification and apprenticeships.
- PowerUp
Products and services
- PowerUp Youth Education K-12 cybersecurity education program that introduces students to cybersecurity basics and online safety through hands-on learning and real-world activities delivered in schools and community centers.
- PowerUp Cyber Games National middle- and high-school cybersecurity competition delivered in partnership with Cyber Skyline, mapped to Computer Science standards and accessed via a PowerUp Portal from any internet-connected device.
- LevelUp Training Tuition-free, flexible virtual cybersecurity training program that prepares candidates to earn the CompTIA Security+ certification and qualifies them for CyberUp's apprenticeship program.
- Apprenticeships Paid, on-the-job cybersecurity apprenticeship program placing pre-apprenticeship graduates with employer partners as a registered apprenticeship program with a 95% completion rate.
- Hire Talent Employer-facing service that connects companies to CyberUp's pipeline of trained cybersecurity apprentices and entry-level analysts for hire, train, or upskill engagements.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2,500+ (later updated to 3,000+) K-12 students inspired through Youth Education
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use CyberUp
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
CyberUp technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature5 records
CyberUp partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship academic partner, supporting academic partner, flagship employer partner, major employer partner, supporting employer partner, supporting pipeline partner, core technology partner, regulatory body and supporting technology partner.
- Washington University in St. Louisflagship academic partnerAcademic partner featured on CyberUp's homepage and acts as an apprenticeship host. Apprentice Jermaine Buckels completed a 12-month apprenticeship on the Enterprise Applications team at WashU, gaining experience with ITIL, ServiceNow, Splunk, Power BI, and earning his Microsoft Azure Fundamentals certification.
- Webster Universitysupporting academic partnerAcademic partner featured in CyberUp's homepage logo block and in the 'Open Positions' page mentioning academic-affiliated roles. Supports cybersecurity education and pathway development in the St. Louis region.
- Centene Corporationflagship employer partnerMajor employer partner that hires and hosts CyberUp apprentices. Featured in employer testimonials (Brian Peterson) and is the host employer for apprentice success stories including Vermele Martinez, who completed a cybersecurity apprenticeship in Centene's remote Cloud Security engineer role.
- Peabody Energymajor employer partnerEmployer partner featured in CyberUp testimonials (Kristi Cook). Hosts CyberUp apprentices as part of its cybersecurity team and contributes to training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
- SSM Healthmajor employer partnerHealthcare employer partner featured in testimonials (Gary Chan). Hires CyberUp apprentices for entry-level analyst roles; apprentice Laura Ohanian joined SSM Health as an associate information security analyst after her apprenticeship.
- Boeingmajor employer partnerFeatured in CyberUp's homepage partner logos. Boeing is an employer destination for CyberUp alumni (e.g., Tia Harris had prior security experience at Boeing before joining CyberUp) and engages with the broader St. Louis cybersecurity talent ecosystem.
- Edward Jonesmajor employer partnerFinancial services employer partner featured in CyberUp's partner logo section; engages with the cybersecurity apprenticeship pipeline.
- Enterprise Holdingsmajor employer partnerEmployer partner featured in CyberUp's homepage partner logos; engages with the cybersecurity talent pipeline.
- Enterprise Mobilitymajor employer partnerEmployer partner featured in CyberUp's homepage partner logos; supports cybersecurity workforce development.
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louisflagship employer partnerMajor financial-sector employer partner featured in CyberUp's homepage partner logos. Apprentice Tia Harris grew into an Associate Information Security Analyst and later a leadership role on the security assurance team at the Federal Reserve Bank.
- First Banksupporting employer partnerBanking employer partner featured in the 'Our partners in success' section of the About Us page; engages with the cybersecurity apprenticeship pipeline.
- Versant Healthsupporting employer partnerHealthcare/vision-benefits employer partner featured in CyberUp's homepage partner logo section.
- Arctic Wolfsupporting employer partnerCybersecurity employer partner featured in CyberUp's homepage partner logos; engaged with the cybersecurity talent pipeline.
- PwCmajor employer partnerGlobal professional services firm featured in CyberUp's homepage partner logo section; engages with the cybersecurity apprenticeship pipeline.
- SingleWave Technologiessupporting employer partnerTechnology employer partner featured in CyberUp's homepage partner logo section.
- Barry-Wehmillermajor employer partnerIndustrial engineering/manufacturing employer partner featured in a dedicated case study describing how Barry-Wehmiller built a skilled cybersecurity team using CyberUp apprenticeships. Subject of CyberUp podcast Ep 65.
- ATB Technologiessupporting employer partnerCybersecurity/IT services firm; Christopher Miller (VP of Sales & Marketing) featured as a guest on CyberUp's LinkedIn Live / podcast (Ep 61) on cybersecurity for small businesses.
- Per Scholassupporting pipeline partnerNonprofit IT training organization that provides pre-apprenticeship IT training feeding CyberUp's apprenticeship program. Apprentice Jermaine Buckels came to CyberUp's program through Per Scholas before joining Washington University in St. Louis as an apprentice.
- Cyber Skylinecore technology partnerCo-development partner that powers the PowerUp Cyber Games cloud-based competition platform. CyberUp launched its first PowerUp Cyber Games season with Cyber Skyline in 2020 and has run multiple seasons since, mapping curriculum to Computer Science standards.
- U.S. Department of Labor / Office of Apprenticeshipregulatory bodyCyberUp's apprenticeship programs operate as required under Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section Three. The organization adheres to EEOC and WIOA Title I equal-opportunity requirements and operates as a registered apprenticeship intermediary.
- TrineHiresupporting technology partnerApplicant tracking / job board platform used by CyberUp for hosting open positions (e.g., Adjunct Instructor role listed at app.trinethire.com/companies/18047-cyberup).
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CyberUp competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Apprenti: National registered apprenticeship intermediary sponsored by the Washington State Technology Industry Association, placing apprentices into tech and cybersecurity roles at major employers. Directly comparable as an apprenticeship intermediary serving the same cybersecurity talent gap.
- Per Scholas: National 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing tuition-free IT and cybersecurity training and career placement to individuals from underserved communities. Directly comparable as a peer in skills-based tech workforce development, and notably CyberUp lists Per Scholas as a pipeline partner feeding its apprenticeship program.
- Year Up: Large workforce development nonprofit providing skills training and corporate apprenticeships to young adults from underserved communities. Comparable apprenticeship-intermediary model, employer partnership network, and skills-based placement outcomes.
- Workforce Opportunity Services: Nonprofit that runs skills training and corporate apprenticeship programs targeting underrepresented populations, including pathways into technology and cybersecurity roles. Comparable mission, target audience, and apprenticeship intermediary model.
- NPower: National nonprofit offering tuition-free tech training, industry certifications, and career placement, including a cybersecurity track, to veterans and underserved adults. Comparable mission, target audience, and apprenticeship/employer engagement model.
Emerging players
- Cyber Skyline: Cloud-based cybersecurity competition platform used by CyberUp to deliver the PowerUp Cyber Games for K-12 students. Comparable as a youth cybersecurity engagement platform, though CyberUp uses Cyber Skyline as infrastructure rather than competing directly.
Broad incumbents
- SANS Institute: Global incumbent in cybersecurity training and certifications (GIAC), with a SANS CyberTalent workforce development arm aimed at closing the cyber skills gap. Comparable as a cybersecurity training provider serving both individuals and employer partners.
- ISC2: Global cybersecurity professional association administering the CISSP and related certifications, with a workforce development mission including the (ISC)2 One Million Certified in Cybersecurity program. Comparable as a credentialing body addressing the same 450K+ U.S. cyber talent gap.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CyberUp social profiles
Digital presenceCyberUp compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
CyberUp financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CyberUp leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
CyberUp funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CyberUp M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CyberUp
What does CyberUp do?
CyberUp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs a full-service cybersecurity workforce development pipeline. It delivers K-12 youth education (PowerUp and PowerUp Cyber Games), tuition-free pre-apprenticeship training leading to CompTIA Security+ certification (LevelUp Training), and paid registered apprenticeships placed with a network of 1,000+ employer partners ranging from Fortune 500 companies to startups.
Is CyberUp a public or private company?
CyberUp is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CyberUp founded?
CyberUp was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CyberUp based?
CyberUp is headquartered in St Louis, United States, in the North America region.
How does CyberUp make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual & Corporate Donations are the primary driver. The others are grants & Foundation Funding, employer / Sponsorship-Funded Training and apprenticeship Intermediary Services.
Who are CyberUp's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Apprenti, Per Scholas, Year Up, Workforce Opportunity Services and NPower. Cyber Skyline is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are SANS Institute and ISC2.
Does CyberUp have an API?
No public API is recorded for CyberUp.
What industry is CyberUp in?
CyberUp's product category is Cybersecurity Workforce Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAPAC, Cybersecurity, with a secondary code of EDAOAIAB, Cybersecurity (General). Its NAICS code is 61142 and its SIC code is 8200.