Kivu
Kivu was a US-based incident response cybersecurity firm, founded in 2009 and specialized in emergency response, IR retainers, and preparedness services for enterprise clients, cyber insurers, and law firms. Acquired by Quorum Cyber in January 2025 and fully rebranded November 1, 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kivu does
Kivu was a US-headquartered cybersecurity firm founded in 2009 specializing in incident response. For sixteen years it operated as a single-service-focused practice, delivering incident response preparedness assessments, emergency managed detection and response (MDR), and IR retainers to enterprise clients including cyber insurance providers, law firms, and large corporates. Kivu's core competency was high-stakes emergency response — rapid mobilization of experienced engagement leads and forensic professionals to active breaches — rather than a multi-product security platform. The firm's customer base spanned financial services, public sector, professional services, higher education, housing associations, private equity, manufacturing, and retail and hospitality, with go-to-market executed through high-touch enterprise field sales. Trusted-incident-responder reputation developed over sixteen years was the principal commercial asset.
In January 2025, Kivu was acquired by Quorum Cyber, an Edinburgh-headquartered managed security services provider pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy. Following the acquisition, Kivu's IR expertise was integrated into the Clarity product family (Clarity Defend for MDR/XDR, Clarity Extend for enhanced detection and response, Clarity Protect for advanced detection and continuous threat exposure management, and Clarity OT for operational technology detection and response). Kivu also gained access to one of only two global Microsoft DART (Detection and Response Team) trust relationships, alongside Microsoft Security Copilot, Defender XDR, Defender for IoT, and Purview integrations. Effective November 1, 2025, the Kivu brand was retired and fully absorbed into Quorum Cyber.
Post-acquisition operations span a four-office footprint — Edinburgh (UK headquarters), Denver (Colorado), Oakville (Ontario), and Goodyear (Arizona) — supporting cross-Atlantic mobilization. Revenue mechanics now span professional services (IR retainers, preparedness, advisory) and recurring managed services (MDR/XDR subscriptions). Quorum Cyber announced a restructuring of its operating model in 2025 including workforce reductions under UK consultation, positioning the combined entity for efficiency in a maturing cybersecurity market. Headcount of Kivu (and now the integrated Quorum Cyber North American operations) is reported in the 51-100 range; ownership of the parent Quorum Cyber has not been disclosed in the supplied material.
Kivu firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kivu
- Website
- https://kivuconsulting.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Kivu was a US-based incident response cybersecurity firm, founded in 2009 and specialized in emergency response, IR retainers, and preparedness services for enterprise clients, cyber insurers, and law firms. Acquired by Quorum Cyber in January 2025 and fully rebranded November 1, 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kivu industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Incident Response Services
- NAICS
- Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Network Security Managed Services (Firewall/IDS/IPS/SASE) (BPAEADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP/NGAV) (HDADAEAD)
Keywords
Where Kivu is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Kivu business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Incident Response Services: Professional incident response services including emergency response, preparedness assessments, and retainers for ongoing support. Services targeted organizations experiencing active security incidents requiring rapid expert intervention.
- Managed Security Services: Following acquisition by Quorum Cyber, services expanded to include managed detection and response offerings, threat intelligence, and continuous security monitoring capabilities.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Kivu product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kivu is a cybersecurity firm specializing in incident response services for enterprise clients. Its core offerings include incident response preparedness assessments, incident response retainers providing immediate access to expert response, and emergency managed detection and response (MDR) for organizations facing active cyber incidents. The firm delivers professional incident response consulting backed by 16 years of specialized expertise and an exclusive partnership with Microsoft's DART Team.
Product overview
Kivu was an incident response consulting firm that operated as a single-service focused practice for 16 years. Following its acquisition by Quorum Cyber in January 2025, Kivu's incident response expertise was integrated into Quorum Cyber's broader managed security services portfolio. The company did not operate a multi-product platform but rather provided specialized incident response services including incident response preparedness, emergency MDR, and incident response retainers. As of November 1, 2025, Kivu has fully rebranded to Quorum Cyber, with its services now offered under the Clarity product family (Clarity Defend, Clarity Extend, Clarity Protect, Clarity OT) and professional services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Incident Response Services End-to-end professional incident response services for organizations experiencing active cyber security incidents, covering emergency response, investigation, and breach remediation. Targeted at enterprise clients including financial services, public sector, and other regulated industries.
- Incident Response Preparedness Assessments and readiness programs designed to help enterprise organizations prepare for cyber incidents before they occur, including playbook development, tabletop exercises, and response capability evaluation.
- Incident Response Retainer Pre-arranged retainer service guaranteeing enterprise clients immediate access to incident response professionals and resources when a cyber incident occurs, ensuring rapid mobilization without procurement delays.
- Emergency MDR Emergency managed detection and response service for organizations in active crisis, providing immediate expert-led detection, containment, and remediation support for ongoing cyber incidents.
Companies that use Kivu
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kivu technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Kivu partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MicrosoftcoreQuorum Cyber maintains a Microsoft Partnership and is one of only two firms globally trusted by Microsoft's DART (Detection and Response Team). The partnership provides technology integrations including Microsoft Security Copilot, Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Defender for IoT, and Microsoft Purview. This exclusive relationship brings significant resources and technology to every client engagement.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kivu competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mandiant: Mandiant (now part of Google Cloud) is the most prominent pure-play incident response firm globally, with deep expertise in breach investigation, threat intelligence, and post-acquisition managed defense. It is the closest direct comparable to Kivu's IR focus and the bar Kivu competes against on enterprise and insurance-led engagements.
- Palo Alto Networks Unit 42: Unit 42 is Palo Alto Networks' threat intelligence and incident response arm, combining IR retainers, digital forensics, and managed detection services for enterprise clients. It is a direct peer to Kivu/Quorum in the IR-and-managed-services market and competes for similar insurance and enterprise incident response mandates.
- CrowdStrike Services: CrowdStrike's services organization offers incident response, proactive assessments, and managed detection built on the Falcon platform, mirroring the Kivu/Quorum combination of Microsoft-integrated MDR plus IR retainers. It competes head-to-head on large enterprise and ransomware response engagements.
- BAE Systems Digital Intelligence: BAE Systems Digital Intelligence delivers cyber incident response, managed security services, and threat intelligence primarily to government, defense, and large enterprise clients. It is a direct peer to Kivu/Quorum in regulated, high-stakes IR, with similar Microsoft partnership and public sector footprint.
- NCC Group: NCC Group is a UK-headquartered cyber security firm providing incident response, managed detection, and threat intelligence to enterprise and government clients across Europe and North America. It is a direct competitor in the UK public sector and financial services IR market that Kivu/Quorum serves.
- Bridewell: Bridewell is a UK-based cybersecurity services firm offering managed detection and response, incident response, and threat intelligence with strong Microsoft and public sector credentials. It is a direct peer to Kivu/Quorum in the UK enterprise and regulated industries IR segment.
- WithSecure: WithSecure (formerly F-Secure's enterprise business) provides managed detection and response, incident response, and cybersecurity consulting across Europe. It is a direct peer to Kivu/Quorum in the mid-market and enterprise IR/MDR services market, particularly in EMEA.
- Trustwave: Trustwave is a global managed security services provider offering MDR, incident response, and threat intelligence to enterprise and government clients. It is a direct peer to the combined Quorum Cyber-Kivu entity in cross-region MSSP and IR engagements.
- Rapid7: Rapid7 provides managed detection and response, incident response, and security consulting alongside its Insight platform. It is a direct peer in the MDR-plus-IR services market and competes for similar mid-market and enterprise retainer engagements.
Emerging players
- ReliaQuest: ReliaQuest is a fast-growing MDR provider with strong Microsoft security integrations and a GreyMatter platform, increasingly competing for enterprise incident response-adjacent mandates. It is an emerging peer pushing into the same Microsoft-centric MSSP/IR segment as Kivu/Quorum Cyber.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kivu financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kivu leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Kivu funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kivu 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 Kivu
What does Kivu do?
Kivu is a cybersecurity firm specializing in incident response services for enterprise clients. Its core offerings include incident response preparedness assessments, incident response retainers providing immediate access to expert response, and emergency managed detection and response (MDR) for organizations facing active cyber incidents. The firm delivers professional incident response consulting backed by 16 years of specialized expertise and an exclusive partnership with Microsoft's DART Team.
Is Kivu a public or private company?
Kivu is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Kivu founded?
Kivu was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Kivu based?
Kivu is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kivu make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Incident Response Services are the primary driver. The others are managed Security Services.
Who are Kivu's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mandiant, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, CrowdStrike Services, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, NCC Group, Bridewell, WithSecure, Trustwave and Rapid7. ReliaQuest is listed as an emerging player.
Does Kivu have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kivu.
What industry is Kivu in?
Kivu's product category is Cybersecurity Incident Response Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEADAG, Network Security Managed Services (Firewall/IDS/IPS/SASE), with a secondary code of HDADAEAD, Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP/NGAV). Its NAICS code is 541519.