BSides

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.

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

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

• Information security conferences
• Cybersecurity community events
• Security training workshops
• Capture the flag competitions
• Infosec networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Sun City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tuscany Suites and CasinocoreOthers · 1 January 2026Primary 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.
• RunZerominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Security company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• SemgrepminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Security company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• FlareminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Security company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• Sublime SecurityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Security company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• CheckmarxminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Security company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• VantaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Security company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• PortSwiggerminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Security company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• Aikido SecurityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Security company sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• Bank of AmericaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Financial institution sponsoring BSides Las Vegas 2026, displaying logo on the event website as a supporter.
• DonorsChoosecoreOthers · 1 January 2026Selected charity partner for BSides Las Vegas 2026. The silent auction and raffle raise funds to support educational initiatives through this platform.
• Idaho National LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Featured speaker from Idaho National Laboratory at BSidesNOLA 2026 conference, bringing expertise in industrial security and ICS education.
• ICS VillageminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Interactive 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

Broad 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

• Xx.com/BSidesLV
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/BsideslvOrg/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/bsideslv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bsides-las-vegas

Compliance3 records

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 BSides