Bright Defense, LLC
Bright Defense is a U.S.-based cybersecurity compliance firm delivering continuous SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, and PCI DSS programs via a monthly subscription, serving SMBs, SaaS/tech startups, and defense contractors nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersCulver City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bright Defense, LLC does
Bright Defense, LLC is a U.S.-based, privately held cybersecurity compliance services firm headquartered in Culver City, Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2023 by Tim Mektrakarn and John Minnix—veteran operators whose prior venture, VPLS Solutions, was acquired by Evocative in 2019—the company delivers continuous cybersecurity compliance to small and mid-sized businesses, early-stage and growing SaaS/AI/tech companies, and U.S. defense contractors subject to CMMC requirements. Its core offering is a monthly subscription engagement structured around three service tiers (Sentry for IT-savvy self-guided clients, Guardian for end-to-end managed compliance, and Defender for fully managed compliance including an annual SOC 2 audit), supplemented by vCISO advisory, three-tier penetration testing (Ignite, Elevate, Summit), continuous vulnerability management, KnowBe4-powered managed security awareness training, and security assessment/remediation.
The technical foundation rests on Drata's compliance automation platform—Bright Defense is a Drata Gold Partner—layered with expert human oversight rather than proprietary in-house technology. The platform delivers automated evidence collection, continuous control monitoring across frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, PCI DSS, NIST, ISO 42001), and audit-ready dashboards. The firm itself is ISO 27001:2022 certified, which functions as both an internal security control and a sales asset for regulated enterprise buyers.
The business model is sales-led and recurring, with monthly subscription pricing starting at $1,000 and scaling by tier and add-on scope. Go-to-market is consultative, anchored by content marketing (blog, video, regulatory news) targeting organic search intent around SMB compliance keywords, plus Drata-driven referral flow. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, has 1–10 employees, serves clients nationwide from a single U.S. headquarters, and has not disclosed revenue or customer count.
Bright Defense, LLC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bright Defense, LLC
- Legal name
- Bright Defense, LLC
- Website
- https://brightdefense.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bright Defense is a U.S.-based cybersecurity compliance firm delivering continuous SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, and PCI DSS programs via a monthly subscription, serving SMBs, SaaS/tech startups, and defense contractors nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bright Defense, LLC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Compliance Services
- NAICS
- Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cybersecurity Management for SMB (Managed Security Add‑ons) (BPAEABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cybersecurity Architecture & Security Integration (BPAEAAAL)
Keywords
Where Bright Defense, LLC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Culver City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bright Defense, LLC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Monthly Subscription Compliance Services: Bright Defense operates a monthly engagement model delivering structured cybersecurity compliance programs. Three service tiers — Sentry, Guardian, and Defender — are priced as monthly subscriptions, with services including gap analysis, risk assessments, policy development, audit readiness, control implementation, continuous compliance reviews, annual audits (Defender plan), and vulnerability scanning. Pricing starts at $1,000/month for startups and growing companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Sentry Plan — DIY/Self-Guided Compliance for IT-Savvy Firms |
| Subscription | Monthly | Guardian Plan — End-to-End Managed Compliance Delivery |
| Subscription | Monthly | Defender Plan — Fully Managed with Annual SOC 2 Audit |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Bright Defense, LLC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bright Defense delivers managed continuous cybersecurity compliance services to SMBs, startups, SaaS/tech firms, and defense contractors, combining a compliance automation platform (Drata) with expert advisory and vCISO leadership. Services are packaged into three monthly subscription tiers — Sentry (DIY/IT-savvy), Guardian (end-to-end managed), and Defender (fully managed including annual SOC 2 audit) — covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, PCI DSS, and NIST frameworks, plus add-ons such as penetration testing, vulnerability management, managed security awareness training, and security assessment & remediation.
Product overview
Bright Defense, LLC is a cybersecurity compliance firm offering a suite of services centered on its Continuous Cybersecurity Compliance managed service. The core offering is delivered through three service tier plans (Sentry, Guardian, and Defender) that combine compliance automation platforms (primarily Drata) with expert advisory services. The product portfolio is modular, with add-on services including vCISO advisory, Penetration Testing (offered in three tiers: Ignite, Elevate, and Summit), Vulnerability Management, Managed Security Awareness Training (powered by KnowBe4), and Security Assessment & Remediation. All services support compliance frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, PCI DSS, NIST, and ISO 42001. The company operates on a monthly engagement model and serves startups, SaaS/tech companies, and defense contractors nationwide from their Culver City, Los Angeles headquarters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Continuous Cybersecurity Compliance Primary managed service that provides expert guidance, automated monitoring, and ongoing evidence management to keep organizations audit-ready across SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, and PCI DSS. Delivered via a monthly engagement model layered on compliance automation platforms; intended for SMBs, startups, SaaS/tech firms, and defense contractors.
- Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) Fractional CISO service providing hands-on security leadership, including security strategy, risk decisions, audit guidance, and incident planning, delivered as a monthly subscription to SMBs that lack a full-time CISO.
- Penetration Testing Services Three-phase penetration testing (Reconnaissance, Exploitation, Reporting) across web applications, APIs, cloud environments, and networks, structured into three tiers — Ignite, Elevate, and Summit — with retest support to confirm remediation. Targets organizations needing security validation and compliance evidence.
- Vulnerability Management Continuous vulnerability identification and remediation guidance across web applications, APIs, cloud environments, and networks, with prioritized findings and reporting for SMB and startup clients seeking to track measurable risk reduction.
- Managed Security Awareness Training Ongoing employee security education and phishing simulations powered by KnowBe4, delivered as a managed service for organizations needing to satisfy the human-factor requirements of compliance programs.
- Security Assessment & Remediation Security and risk assessment services identifying vulnerabilities and gaps in security posture, followed by expert remediation support to address identified issues for compliance and risk reduction.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saves time and money through automated evidence collection and continuous compliance monitoring, reducing manual effort and eliminating last-minute audit scrambles.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bright Defense, LLC
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bright Defense, LLC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature5 records
Bright Defense, LLC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- DratacoreBright Defense is a Drata Gold Partner, using Drata's compliance automation platform as the technological backbone for continuous monitoring, evidence collection, and control management across client engagements. Bright Defense delivers managed compliance services on top of the Drata platform, combining the tool's automated monitoring capabilities with expert human oversight. Drata provides integrations with cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure), HR systems, identity providers, and developer tools, which Bright Defense leverages for its clients' compliance programs.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bright Defense, LLC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bright Defense, LLC social profiles
Digital presenceBright Defense, LLC compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Bright Defense, LLC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bright Defense, LLC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Bright Defense, LLC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bright Defense, LLC 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 Bright Defense, LLC
What does Bright Defense, LLC do?
Bright Defense delivers managed continuous cybersecurity compliance services to SMBs, startups, SaaS/tech firms, and defense contractors, combining a compliance automation platform (Drata) with expert advisory and vCISO leadership. Services are packaged into three monthly subscription tiers — Sentry (DIY/IT-savvy), Guardian (end-to-end managed), and Defender (fully managed including annual SOC 2 audit) — covering SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, PCI DSS, and NIST frameworks, plus add-ons such as penetration testing, vulnerability management, managed security awareness training, and security assessment & remediation.
Is Bright Defense, LLC a public or private company?
Bright Defense, LLC is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bright Defense, LLC founded?
Bright Defense, LLC was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bright Defense, LLC based?
Bright Defense, LLC is headquartered in Culver City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bright Defense, LLC make money?
One revenue line is on record: monthly Subscription Compliance Services.
Does Bright Defense, LLC have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bright Defense, LLC.
What industry is Bright Defense, LLC in?
Bright Defense, LLC's product category is Cybersecurity Compliance Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEABAG, Cybersecurity Management for SMB (Managed Security Add‑ons), with a secondary code of BPAEAAAL, Cybersecurity Architecture & Security Integration. Its NAICS code is 541519 and its SIC code is 7370.