High Tech Crime Institute

What High Tech Crime Institute does

High Tech Crime Institute Inc (HTCI) is a private, for-profit digital forensics training and software company founded in 2002, headquartered in Florida (Palm Harbor/Tampa) and operating a primary training facility in Youngsville, North Carolina co-located with SIRCHIE. The company delivers instructor-led certification courses covering cellphone forensics, drone exploitation (DEX), digital media exploitation, Python and PowerShell forensics, and advanced cellular investigations, serving US military, federal/state law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and select international partners including NATO. Its proprietary software portfolio centers on DART Pro for correlating multiple cellphone extractions and MapLink for Call Detail Record visualization, complemented by a freeware FMETK toolkit (SIM Ripper, HTCI Bridge, HTCI Toggle).

The business combines four revenue streams: one-time fees for 2-10 day instructor-led courses ($500-$2,495 per seat, with 5-day standard courses at $995), enterprise software licenses (DART, MapLink), large government contracts (e.g., a 2014 $2.2M National Ground Intelligence Center award for Weapons Intelligence Team training), and recurring lifetime-access online courses (~$3,000). Go-to-market is mixed: direct enterprise field sales to military and federal agencies, a WooCommerce self-serve storefront for individual enrollment, and channel partnerships with SIRCHIE (co-branded training facility) and Paraben (MapLink integration into E3 platform). The company has no disclosed institutional funding, no parent company, and operates with a small core team supplemented by contract instructors, several of whom are former CIA officers and senior FBI digital analysts. Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward US defense and intelligence, and there is no evidence of AI/ML capability development.

Name

High Tech Crime Institute

Legal name

High Tech Crime Institute Inc

Website

https://gohtci.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

High Tech Crime Institute is a private US digital forensics training and software company, founded in 2002, serving US military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies with instructor-led certification courses, proprietary tools (DART, MapLink), and government training contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Forensics Training and Tools

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Forensics & Evidence Collection (Endpoint, Mobile, Cloud) (BPAKAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Investigations, Interviewing & Surveillance Training (BPAKAOAI)

Keywords

• Digital forensics training
• Mobile device forensics
• Law enforcement training
• Forensic software tools
• Cyber investigation courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Palm Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training Courses: One-time fees for instructor-led training courses ranging from 2-10 days; prices from $500-$2,495 per course; delivered at training facilities in Youngsville NC and Sirchie Training Center
2. Software Products: Sale of proprietary tools DART and MapLink for digital forensic investigations
3. Government Contracts: Large-scale government contracts for training and equipment provision to military and intelligence agencies
4. Online Courses: Lifetime access online courses with prices around $3,000

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

High Tech Crime Institute (HTCI) delivers hands-on digital forensics training courses and complementary forensic software tools to military, law enforcement, and the general public. Their proprietary tools include DART (Digital Analyst Reporting Tool) and MapLink for call detail record analysis, alongside a freeware FMETK toolkit. Core training spans cellphone forensics, drone exploitation, digital media exploitation, Python forensics, and PowerShell investigations, delivered at the Youngsville NC training facility, the Sirchie Training Center, and online.

Product overview

High Tech Crime Institute offers a portfolio of digital forensics software tools and professional training courses. The core products include DART Pro for mobile device data correlation and analysis, and MapLink for Call Detail Records analysis and visualization. Both tools are complemented by the freeware FMETK Add-On toolkit. The training division provides certification courses including Cellphone Evidence Repair Technician (CERT), Drone Exploitation (DEX), Digital Media Exploitation, Python Forensics, PowerShell for Investigations, and Advanced Cellular Investigations. Training methods combine e-learning with hands-on instruction using industry-standard tools including Autopsy, FTK Imager, and Paraben's E3 platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DART (Digital Analyst Reporting Tool): A powerful tool for collecting and analyzing data collected by mobile devices.
• MapLink
• FMETK (Forensic Media Exploitation Toolkit)

Products and services

• DART Pro (Digital Analyst Reporting Tool) A proprietary analytics tool for collecting and analyzing data from mobile devices, designed to correlate multiple cellphone extractions for case files. Built for digital forensic investigators.
• MapLink A tool for quickly analyzing Call Detail Records (CDR), enabling investigators to create plots and generate reports from cellular provider data. Built for digital forensic investigators.
• Forensic Media Toolkit Add-on Pack (FMETK Add-On) Freeware toolkit containing SIM Ripper for SIM card collection, HTCI Bridge for Apple backup file conversion to Autopsy, and HTCI Toggle as a Windows software write blocker.
• Cellphone Evidence Repair Technician (CERT) Training Four-day training course teaching students to diagnose and repair cellular devices in an evidentiary manner, including soldering skills and JTAG applications for data extraction. Designed for forensic investigators and law enforcement.
• Drone Exploitation Course (DEX) Five-day certification course covering collection, preservation, examination, and reporting of drone evidence, including drone flight fundamentals and open source investigation techniques.
• Digital Media Exploitation Course Ten-day certification course providing a systematic approach to digital media investigations using the Forensic Media Exploitation Toolkit (FMETK).
• Python Forensics Training Three-day instructor-led course teaching Python scripting for digital investigations, covering evidence extraction from images, password cracking, and automating forensic processes.
• PowerShell for Live Investigations and Triage Three-day course (18 CPE credits) covering PowerShell framework for incident response and forensic investigations, including custom script development for discovery.
• Advanced Cellular Investigations (Part 1) Four-day course covering advanced legal demand topics, Google Dashboard analysis, Apple and third-party app data extraction, tower dump techniques, and cellular device tracking.
• SIRCHIE Digital Forensics Course Two-day introductory course covering digital forensics domain, wireless/cellular networks, and data collection from carriers, devices, and the web using both open-source and commercial tools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 9 billion wireless subscriptions worldwide as of 2016 create demand for cellphone forensics training

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Paraben CorporationcoreTechnology or Integration · 20 December 2017Paraben integrated HTCI's MapLink tool into their E3 platform for digital forensics. Paraben is an innovator in the digital forensic market. The integration allows E3 users to access MapLink's geolocation data mapping and analysis capabilities for mobile and IoT device forensics.
• SIRCHIEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHTCI joined forces with SIRCHIE, the largest biometric provider in the country, to offer a unique training experience at the Sirchie Training Center in Youngsville NC. The partnership provides co-branded courses and shared training facilities for digital forensics and biometrics training.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MSAB: MSAB sells the XRY mobile forensics extraction platform and runs MSAB Training & Certification for law enforcement and military — directly comparable to HTCI's mobile forensics curriculum and government customer base.
• Magnet Forensics: Magnet Forensics sells Axiom and related mobile/cloud forensics platforms and operates Magnet Training courses and certifications for law enforcement examiners — competing head-on with HTCI on both software and training.
• Oxygen Forensics: Oxygen Forensics develops the Oxygen Forensic Detective suite for mobile, cloud, and IoT investigations and runs certified training courses for examiners — comparable in product scope, training offering, and government client focus.
• Teel Technologies: Teel Technologies specializes in hands-on mobile device forensics and chip-off/JTAG training for law enforcement, mirroring HTCI's CERT course and instructor-led, lab-heavy delivery model.
• SANS Institute: SANS is the dominant private cybersecurity and digital forensics training organization, offering instructor-led courses, certifications (GCFE, GCFA), and labs that overlap directly with HTCI's curriculum in mobile forensics, incident response, and forensic investigation.
• Paraben Corporation: Paraben sells the E3 forensic platform covering mobile, IoT, and computer forensics and offers associated training and certifications. Paraben is both an HTCI distribution partner (MapLink integrated into E3) and a direct competitor in mobile and device examiner training.
• Cellebrite: Cellebrite is the market leader in mobile forensics (UFED, Premium, Cellebrite Pathfinder) and runs its own Cellebrite Training Center and certification program for law enforcement — directly competitive with HTCI's mobile forensics courses and adjacent in tooling.

Emerging players

• Berla Corporation: Berla specializes in vehicle and IoT forensics tools (iVe) and offers instructor-led training to law enforcement — overlapping HTCI's device-explosion thesis but focused on automotive rather than mobile or drone.

Broad incumbents

• AccessData (Exterro): Exterro (which absorbed AccessData/FTK) sells the FTK suite and FTK Imager widely used in HTCI's own training and offers its own certification programs — a broader incumbent in digital forensics software and adjacent training.
• OpenText (Guidance Software / EnCase): OpenText acquired Guidance Software and continues to sell EnCase, the long-standing digital forensics platform, along with EnCase training and certification programs — a broad incumbent competing on the same law enforcement and corporate examiner customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GOHTCI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about High Tech Crime Institute