What Cresco Cybersecurity does

Cresco Cybersecurity SRL is a Belgian pure-play cybersecurity firm founded in 2020 and headquartered in Diegem (Brussels), with secondary offices in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve (Wallonia) and Paris, France. The company specializes in penetration testing, red teaming, social engineering, managed EDR (Cresco.detection), phishing simulation with a 36+ module micro-learning academy, incident response, and GRC advisory, organized around four service pillars: Assess, Protect, Educate, and Monitor. Delivery is structured as fixed-scope cybersecurity improvement trajectories (START 10 days, MEDIUM 20 days, PLUS 30 days, with extension packs) plus an ongoing Expertise Point retainer, and is supported by a proprietary Cresco.detection managed EDR platform and a continuous phishing simulation toolchain.

The business model is project-based professional services with a managed services tail. Pricing is heavily subsidized through five Belgian and federal programs — VLAIO (50%), KMO Portfolio (35-45%), MonBee (40-60%), Walloon Cheques Entreprises (75%), and FPS Économie/European Commission (fully subsidized 5-9 manday trajectories) — which serve as both demand-generation channels and price-reduction mechanisms for SME clients. Go-to-market is consultative, sales-led, and inbound-driven via the cresco.be website (multilingual EN/NL/FR), LinkedIn, a 30+ post case-study blog, and approved-partner listings on government portals. Customers span Belgian and French SMEs, government agencies, industry associations (Agoria, CCI, Cybersecurity Coalition, Infopole, Digital Wallonia), and selected enterprises (Mastercard, Caribou Digital, French Tech), with a reported volume of 150+ projects and 10,000+ pentest hours per year.

Name

Cresco Cybersecurity

Legal name

Cresco Cybersecurity SRL

Website

https://cresco.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cresco Cybersecurity is a Belgian pure-play cybersecurity firm specializing in penetration testing, red teaming, managed EDR (Cresco.detection), phishing simulations, and GRC advisory, serving SMEs and select enterprises across Belgium and France through subsidized government programs and direct consultative sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Services

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Service, Support & Contact Center CRM (HDAEAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industry-Specific CRM (Vertical CRM Suites) (HDAEAFAH)

Keywords

• Penetration testing services
• Managed endpoint detection
• Cybersecurity consulting
• Incident response services
• Security awareness training

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Cybersecurity Services: Project-based cybersecurity consulting and testing services including penetration testing, red teaming, social engineering, security assessments, incident response, managed EDR, training, and implementation support. Delivered through structured improvement trajectories (START/MEDIUM/PLUS packages) ranging from 10 to 50 days. Revenue is primarily one-time project fees with potential for recurring engagement via the Expertise Point (ongoing advisory retainer model).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cresco Cybersecurity is a Belgian pure-play cybersecurity firm that delivers penetration testing, red teaming, social engineering, security assessments, managed EDR (Cresco.detection), incident response, GRC advisory, and employee awareness training. Services are packaged into structured cybersecurity improvement trajectories and delivered by certified ethical hackers to SMEs and enterprises across Belgium and France.

Product overview

Cresco Cybersecurity is a pure-player cybersecurity company offering a comprehensive portfolio of managed security services organized around four pillars: Assess (security assessments, penetration testing, red teaming, social engineering), Protect (consultancy, implementation, reporting), Educate (phishing simulations, IT training, awareness training), and Monitor (Managed EDR via Cresco.detection, expertise point, incident response). The company also facilitates access to government subsidy programs including VLAIO improvement paths (START/MEDIUM/PLUS), KMO Portfolio, MonBee, and Walloon Cheques Entreprises. Services are delivered by certified ethical hackers holding industry certifications including OSCP, OSCE, CISSP, and various ISO 27001 qualifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cresco.detection: Managed Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) service providing 24/7 threat monitoring, detection, and response capabilities for endpoints.

Products and services

• Assess Services Cybersecurity assessment services including penetration testing, red teaming, and social engineering that identify vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them. Targeted at SMEs and enterprises seeking to validate their security posture.
• Cresco.detection (Managed EDR) Managed Endpoint Detection & Response service providing 24/7 endpoint monitoring, automated threat intelligence updates, manual and automated threat hunting, and certified SOC analyst triage of alerts. Detects ransomware, malware, keyloggers, Trojans, and modern threats.
• Protect Services Security implementation services including vulnerability remediation, cloud security configuration across Azure/GCP/AWS, Microsoft 365 hardening, network hardening, and incident response planning. Designed for organizations needing to translate assessment findings into deployed controls.
• Expertise and Consultancy Cybersecurity advisory services providing tailored expertise, vulnerability management, governance support, and proactive threat monitoring for organizations that need ongoing strategic security guidance.
• Awareness Training Employee cybersecurity training program built on the '7 Steps to Cyber Success' curriculum covering phishing, social engineering, and incident response. Targets organizations seeking to reduce human-factor cyber risk.
• Phishing Simulations and Academy Continuous phishing simulation campaigns paired with an online micro-learning academy of 36+ modules, real-time threat alerts, and an admin dashboard. Provides employee awareness scoring and metrics such as open rates, click rates, and credential submission rates.
• IT and Ethical Hacking Training Hands-on cybersecurity training for IT professionals covering penetration testing techniques and ethical hacking methodologies. Aimed at technical teams needing to upskill on offensive security.
• Incident Response Structured incident response service covering detection, analysis, containment, eradication, and post-incident recovery. Accessed via an emergency contact channel ([email protected]) for organizations facing active cyber incidents.
• Reporting and Action Plan Detailed technical penetration test reports with executive summary, OWASP/OSSTMM methodology, CVSS scoring, proof-of-concept documentation, prioritized remediation recommendations, and short/medium/long-term strategic roadmap.
• Expert Point (Expertise Punt) Ongoing cybersecurity advisory and support service providing continuous guidance, remediation verification, and long-term security partnership for clients needing a retained expert relationship.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48% of SMEs have reported a cyber incident (Belgian statistics, 2024)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VLAIOcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship) is Cresco's primary subsidy partner for Flemish SMEs. Cresco is an approved partner offering VLAIO-subsidized cybersecurity improvement trajectories covering up to 50% of trajectory costs. Services include START (10 days), MEDIUM (20 days), and PLUS (30 days) packages, plus optional extension packs. VLAIO acts as the subsidizing body while Cresco delivers the services.
• KMO PortfoliocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKMO Portfolio is a Flemish government subsidy program for SMEs. Cresco is an approved KMO Portfolio partner, offering subsidized cybersecurity services with 45% subsidy for small enterprises and 35% for medium-sized enterprises. Flemish SMEs apply through the VLAIO e-loket portal.
• MonBeecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMonBee is a Brussels-Capital Region consultancy subsidy program. Cresco is an approved MonBee partner providing cybersecurity expertise, training, and assessments to Brussels SMEs. Subsidy rates range from 40% to 60% depending on criteria met by the SME.
• Walloon Cheques EntreprisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWalloon Cheques Entreprises is a Walloon Region subsidy program for SMEs. Cresco is an approved partner offering subsidized cybersecurity services, with small enterprises receiving a 75% subsidy. Services include expert guidance, training, and comprehensive security assessments.
• FPS Économie / FOD Economie (Federal Public Service Economy)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFPS Économie (Federal Public Service for Economy) partnered with Cresco to offer fully subsidized cybersecurity improvement trajectories (5-9 mandays) for Belgian SMEs, funded by the Belgian federal government and the European Commission. Cresco's goal is to support over 100 SMEs through this program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NVISO Security: Belgian-headquartered cybersecurity services firm offering penetration testing, red teaming, security assessments, and managed security services to European enterprises and SMEs — the closest functional twin to Cresco, differing mainly in larger headcount and broader geographic reach.
• Secforce: UK/European offensive-security boutique specializing in penetration testing, red teaming, and managed EDR — analogous pure-play positioning to Cresco with comparable talent-certification depth (CREST, OSCP) and similar target customer profile.
• Approach Cyber: Belgian cybersecurity services firm offering penetration testing, security assessments, and awareness training — direct neighborhood competitor operating in the same Belgian SME and enterprise segments Cresco addresses.
• Toreon: Belgian/European cybersecurity consultancy focused on penetration testing, application security, and secure code review — comparable pure-play offensive security boutique with similar SMB-to-enterprise footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Orange Cyberdefense: European MSSP arm of Orange providing managed EDR, SOC, penetration testing, GRC advisory, and incident response across multiple countries — overlaps with Cresco on assessment, monitoring, and incident response services but at much broader scale and portfolio breadth.
• Sogeti Cybersecurity: Capgemini subsidiary providing cybersecurity consulting, pentesting, and managed security services across Europe — a broad incumbent that competes for the same Belgian and French enterprise clients Cresco targets while offering a much wider service catalog.
• Kudelski Security: Swiss-based cybersecurity services and product firm delivering penetration testing, managed security, GRC, and incident response — directly overlaps Cresco's service pillars and targets European regulated industries similar to Cresco's NIS2-focused segments.
• WithSecure (formerly F-Secure Business): Finnish-headquartered cybersecurity firm providing managed EDR, vulnerability management, and incident response — broad incumbent whose managed EDR offering directly overlaps Cresco.detection.

Emerging players

• Outpost24: European cybersecurity firm delivering vulnerability management, penetration testing as a service, and managed EDR — overlaps with Cresco's Assess and Monitor pillars while increasingly partnering with consultancies for delivery.
• Hadrian: Amsterdam-headquartered startup providing AI-driven continuous penetration testing and attack surface management — adjacent emerging player targeting the same European enterprise pentest budget that Cresco competes for.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cresco-cybersecurity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Cresco Cybersecurity