BSides
Security BSides Las Vegas, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs an annual three-day community-driven cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas during DEF CON week, serving roughly 3,500 security professionals, students, and industry leaders through multi-track talks, CTFs, workshops, and mentorship, funded primarily by corporate sponsorships and individual donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSun City, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What BSides does
Security BSides Las Vegas, Inc. (BSides, BSidesLV) is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada, that operates an annual three-day cybersecurity conference held during 'Security Summer Camp' week alongside DEF CON. The flagship BSidesLV 2026 conference is scheduled for August 3-5 at the Tuscany Suites and Casino, capped at roughly 3,500 participants by venue and fire-marshal constraints. Its core offering is a multi-track speaking program (Breaking Ground, Common Ground, Ground Floor, Ground Truth, Hire Ground, I Am The Cavalry, PasswordsCon, Skytalks) augmented by ancillary products including the Pros v Joes capture-the-flag competition, Training Ground half-day workshops, the Proving Ground four-month first-time speaker mentorship, a Lock Pick Village, and an annual silent auction and raffle benefiting charity partners such as DonorsChoose.
The underlying platform has no proprietary software product; instead, the organization runs an event production platform supported by a website (bsideslv.org), Humanitix for registration, a YouTube content archive back to 2012, and social channels including Twitter/X, Facebook, and Mastodon. The organization is entirely volunteer-run, governed by a Board of Directors (Chairman GK Southwick, Board Member Jack Daniel of Tenable, Secretary Joshua Marpet), and became independent from the global BSides parent organization in 2012.
Revenue is generated from three primary streams: corporate sponsorships at tiered price points (All In $20,000, Double Down $17,000, Big Blind $7,000 plus a la carte options such as WiFi $5,000, Karaoke Branding $3,500, PvJ Game Sponsor $8,000), individual donations through a donor drive at $110 per badge (with $35 student badges and LV-resident discounts, and free badges for speakers and 12+ hour volunteers), and a silent auction/raffle benefiting charitable partners. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, monetizing attention through sponsorship access, badge sales, and ancillary merchandise, while deliberately keeping attendee costs low to maximize participation.
BSides firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BSides
- Legal name
- Security BSides Las Vegas, Inc.
- Website
- https://bsideslv.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Security BSides Las Vegas, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs an annual three-day community-driven cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas during DEF CON week, serving roughly 3,500 security professionals, students, and industry leaders through multi-track talks, CTFs, workshops, and mentorship, funded primarily by corporate sponsorships and individual donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BSides industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Conferences and Events
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Security Guards and Patrol Services (561612)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Festivals, Fairs & Outdoor Event Security (BPAKACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Convention, Trade Show & Exhibition Security (BPAKACAD)
Keywords
Where BSides is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sun City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BSides business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at multiple tiers (All In $20,000, Double Down $17,000, Big Blind $7,000, and a la carte options) provide the primary revenue stream. Sponsors receive booth space, badge allocations, brand visibility, and access to participants for recruiting. Many higher-tier sponsorships were sold out for 2026.
- Individual Donations: Individual donations through a donor drive system where participants pay $110 for a conference badge. Students receive discounted badges at $35. Las Vegas residents can request discounted badges.
- Silent Auction and Raffle: Annual silent auction and raffle that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity partners over the years. Items are donated by sponsors, individuals, and BSides Las Vegas.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Conference Badge |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Student Badge |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Las Vegas Resident Badge |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Volunteer Badge |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Corporate Sponsorship Tiers |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Pros vs Joes CTF Sponsorships |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
BSides product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Security BSides Las Vegas, Inc. operates the annual BSides Las Vegas cybersecurity conference (August 3-5, 2026 at The Tuscany Suites and Casino) as a community-driven, volunteer-run event featuring multiple speaking tracks, the Pros V Joes Capture the Flag competition, Training Ground hands-on workshops, Proving Ground first-time speaker mentorship program, Lock Pick Village, and a charitable Silent Auction and Raffle. The event provides affordable education, networking, and skill development opportunities to approximately 3,500 information security professionals, students, and industry leaders annually.
Product overview
BSides Las Vegas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that runs an annual cybersecurity conference as part of the global Security BSides community-driven network. The core offering is the three-day Las Vegas conference (August 3-5, 2026) featuring multiple speaking tracks (Breaking Ground, Common Ground, Ground Floor, Ground Truth, Skytalks, PasswordsCon, I Am The Cavalry, Hire Ground). Supporting programs include Pros V Joes CTF (competitive attack/defense training), Training Ground (hands-on workshops), and Proving Ground (first-time speaker mentorship). Additional offerings include Lock Pick Village, Silent Auction & Raffle, and an organized volunteer program. The event serves approximately 3,500 participants annually, focusing on education, community building, and career opportunities in information security.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BSides Las Vegas Conference An annual three-day cybersecurity conference held in Las Vegas during 'Security Summer Camp' week, featuring multiple speaking tracks, hands-on workshops, CTF competitions, and networking activities for approximately 3,500 information security professionals annually.
- Pros V Joes CTF A standalone Capture the Flag competition where amateur participants ('Joes') defend networks alongside professional hackers on the Red Team, providing hands-on cybersecurity training and competitive experience for participants of all skill levels.
- Training Ground Half-day hands-on cybersecurity workshops offered free to conference badge holders, covering advanced security topics taught by volunteer trainers at BSides Las Vegas.
- Proving Ground A four-month mentorship program for first-time speakers to work with seasoned industry professionals to develop and deliver their research presentations at BSides Las Vegas, providing a structured pathway into the conference speaking circuit.
Companies that use BSides
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BSides technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
BSides partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Tuscany Suites and CasinocorePrimary venue partner for BSides Las Vegas 2026. Offers discounted room rates for conference attendees from July 31 through August 10 with resort fee waived. The property at 255 E. Flamingo Rd provides large rooms, dining options, and conference facilities including Middle Ground event space.
- RunZerominorSecurity company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- SemgrepminorSecurity company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- FlareminorSecurity company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- Sublime SecurityminorSecurity company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- CheckmarxminorSecurity company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- VantaminorSecurity company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- PortSwiggerminorSecurity company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- Aikido SecurityminorSecurity company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- Bank of AmericaminorFinancial institution sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
- DonorsChoosecoreSelected charity partner for BSides Las Vegas 2026. The silent auction and raffle raise funds to support educational initiatives through this platform.
- Idaho National LaboratoryminorFeatured speaker from Idaho National Laboratory at BSidesNOLA 2026 conference, bringing expertise in industrial security and ICS education.
- ICS VillageminorInteractive demonstrations from the ICS Village at BSidesNOLA 2026, providing hands-on industrial control systems security education.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BSides competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- RSA Conference: One of the largest commercial cybersecurity conferences, drawing tens of thousands of attendees. RSA Conference is the most corporate incumbent competing with BSidesLV for sponsor dollars in the same content category.
- Black Hat: A major commercial cybersecurity conference also held annually in Las Vegas the same week as BSidesLV. Black Hat is the larger, more corporate counterpart serving a similar audience with broader sponsorship scale.
- SANS Institute Events: SANS runs multiple paid cybersecurity training events and conferences throughout the year. While more commercialized, they compete with BSidesLV for both attendee mindshare and sponsor investment in the infosec training market.
Direct peers
- OWASP Global AppSec Conference: OWASP's flagship community-driven security conferences are organized similarly to BSidesLV — nonprofit, volunteer-led events serving the application security community with sponsor-supported programming.
- DEF CON: The world's largest hacker convention, also held annually in Las Vegas during 'Security Summer Camp' week. DEF CON directly competes with and complements BSidesLV by drawing overlapping cybersecurity audiences to Las Vegas the same week.
- Wild West Hackin' Fest: A community-organized cybersecurity conference focused on defensive security. It shares BSidesLV's grassroots, volunteer-driven approach to infosec education and training.
- ShmooCon: An annual hacker convention in Washington D.C. with a small, community-driven ethos similar to BSidesLV. Tickets historically sell out quickly and the event is run by information security community members on a volunteer basis.
- THOTCON: A non-profit, community-driven cybersecurity conference held in Chicago. Like BSidesLV, it emphasizes intimate networking and independent presentations run by infosec volunteers.
Emerging players
- fwd:cloudsec: A community-driven conference focused on cloud security. Like BSidesLV, it is organized by volunteers and supported by sponsors to provide accessible education in a specialized infosec niche, but at a smaller scale.
- The Diana Initiative: A nonprofit, community-driven conference held during DEF CON week focused on diversity in information security. It serves a similar grassroots community ethos as BSidesLV but with a specific DEI focus and smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BSides social profiles
Digital presenceBSides compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
BSides financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BSides leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
BSides funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BSides 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 BSides
What does BSides do?
Security BSides Las Vegas, Inc. operates the annual BSides Las Vegas cybersecurity conference (August 3-5, 2026 at The Tuscany Suites and Casino) as a community-driven, volunteer-run event featuring multiple speaking tracks, the Pros V Joes Capture the Flag competition, Training Ground hands-on workshops, Proving Ground first-time speaker mentorship program, Lock Pick Village, and a charitable Silent Auction and Raffle. The event provides affordable education, networking, and skill development opportunities to approximately 3,500 information security professionals, students, and industry leaders annually.
Is BSides a public or private company?
BSides is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BSides founded?
BSides was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is BSides based?
BSides is headquartered in Sun City, United States, in the North America region.
How does BSides make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Corporate Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations and silent Auction and Raffle.
Who are BSides's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are RSA Conference, Black Hat and SANS Institute Events. Direct peers are OWASP Global AppSec Conference, DEF CON, Wild West Hackin' Fest, ShmooCon and THOTCON. Emerging players are fwd:cloudsec and The Diana Initiative.
Does BSides have an API?
No public API is recorded for BSides.
What industry is BSides in?
BSides's product category is Cybersecurity Conferences and Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKACAC, Festivals, Fairs & Outdoor Event Security, with a secondary code of BPAKACAD, Convention, Trade Show & Exhibition Security. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 7990.