CypherCon
CypherCon is a privately held, community-driven annual cybersecurity and hacker conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving security professionals, hobbyists, students, and technology executives through tiered ticket sales, sponsorships, and merchandise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersMilwaukee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CypherCon does
CypherCon is a privately held, community-driven annual cybersecurity and hacker conference operating as CypherCon LLC, founded in 2015/2016 by Michael Goetzman (Monster) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company organizes a two-day in-person conference supplemented by pre-conference workshops, a sister event (BSidesMKE), and ancillary on-site experiences. Its core offering consists of a multi-track program (over 125 presentations across 5 tracks: Offensive Security, Defensive Security, Cybersecurity 101, Executive Application, and Encryption & Cyphers), more than 40 specialty wards (villages), Capture the Flag competitions, cryptography puzzles, and interactive electronic PCB badges created by the tymkrs. The 10th anniversary edition in 2027 is expected to draw over 3,000 attendees at the Baird Center in Milwaukee.
CypherCon monetizes primarily through three revenue streams: (1) tiered ticket sales (VIP Electronic Badge, Digital/PCB Electronic Badge, and Analog/Plastic Pass) via direct-to-consumer sales at register.cyphercon.com, with student discounts, unemployed/underemployed grants (50-90% off), and bulk discounts for 10+ tickets; (2) sponsorships from 40+ organizations offering brand visibility and attendee access, with the explicit policy that sponsors do not control agenda or speaker selection; and (3) merchandise including branded challenge coins and badges. The business is bootstrapped with no external funding rounds or institutional investors disclosed.
The company serves a diversified audience of cybersecurity professionals (red teamers, blue teamers, penetration testers, security researchers), hobbyists and beginners, technology executives (CTOs, CISOs), makers and artists, and students. Its primary geographic footprint is domestic (Wisconsin and surrounding Midwest states), with global reach via YouTube content distribution (@hackersofcyphercon). Community engagement is sustained through Discord, YouTube, Twitter/X, and Mastodon channels, with speaker submissions managed via Sessionize. The company has demonstrated resilience through two COVID-19 cancellations (2020, 2021) and recovery to consistent year-over-year growth.
CypherCon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CypherCon
- Legal name
- CypherCon LLC
- Website
- https://cyphercon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CypherCon is a privately held, community-driven annual cybersecurity and hacker conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving security professionals, hobbyists, students, and technology executives through tiered ticket sales, sponsorships, and merchandise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CypherCon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Technology and Cybersecurity Conferences
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)
Keywords
Where CypherCon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milwaukee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CypherCon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Others, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales at tiered price points including VIP Extreme/Ultimate Electronic Badge (with pre-event dinner), Digital/PCB Electronic Badge (with electronic blinkie badge), and Analog/Plastic Pass. Additional revenue from merchandise and badge sales.
- Sponsorships: 40+ organizations sponsor the event annually, receiving sponsor tables, brand visibility, and access to attendees. Sponsors do not control agenda or speaker selection per policy.
- Merchandise: Conference merchandise including challenge coins, badges, and other branded items sold at the event.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | VIP Extreme/Ultimate Electronic Badge - limited, highest tier with pre-event dinner |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Digital / PCB / Electronic Badge - full access with electronic blinkie badge |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Analog / Plastic Pass - basic admission |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Student Discount |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Grant Requests (Unemployed/Underemployed) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
CypherCon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CypherCon operates an annual two-day technology, cybersecurity, and hacker conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring 125-150 talks across five tracks, 40+ specialty wards (villages), Capture the Flag competitions, cryptography challenges, and an interactive electronic PCB badge that attendees can hack. The conference sells tiered tickets (VIP Electronic Badge, Digital/PCB Electronic Badge, and Analog/Plastic Pass) and is supported by 40+ organizational sponsors.
Product overview
CypherCon is Wisconsin's largest technology and cybersecurity conference (held annually since 2016, with COVID cancellations in 2020-2021), operating as a two-day main conference supplemented by pre-conference workshops and ancillary events. The event centers on its core conference with multiple ticket tiers (VIP Electronic Badge, Digital/PCB/Electronic Badge, and Analog/Plastic Pass) that provide varying levels of access. The conference features over 125 presentations across five tracks (Offensive Security, Defensive Security, Cybersecurity 101, Executive Application, and Encryption & Cyphers), complemented by 21-40+ hands-on wards (specialty villages), pre-conference workshops, Capture the Flag competitions, and hundreds of cryptography challenges and puzzles. Unique offerings include the interactive PCB conference badges created by the tymkrs which attendees can hack, plus ancillary events like the run.exe fun run and sister event BSidesMKE. CypherCon celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2027.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CypherCon Conference (Annual Event) Wisconsin's largest technology, cybersecurity, and hacker conference: a two-day annual event bringing together information security professionals, hackers, technology leaders, creators, artists, makers, and curious innovators for presentations, workshops, and hands-on activities.
- VIP Electronic Badge (Extreme/Ultimate) Limited VIP ticket tier that includes admission to all conference activities plus an electronic badge and entry to a pre-event Tuesday dinner for networking with speakers and organizers.
- Digital/PCB/Electronic Badge Ticket Standard ticket tier providing admission to all Wednesday and Thursday conference activities plus a physical circuit board badge created by the tymkrs that gives access to talks, villages, and the trade show floor.
- Analog/Plastic Pass Ticket Basic admission ticket providing access to all Wednesday and Thursday conference activities without the electronic badge.
- Speaker Presentations and Tracks Over 125 technology, cybersecurity, AI, and privacy presentations across five main tracks: Offensive Security, Defensive Security, Cybersecurity 101, Executive Application, and Encryption & Cyphers.
- Wards (Villages) Hands-on specialty areas run by volunteers featuring demonstrations, community challenges, and social opportunities. Topics include locks, safes, hardware hacking, soldering, radio, OSINT, puzzles, social engineering, privacy, retro tech, and biohacking.
- Pre-Conference Workshops Pre-conference hands-on workshops held on Monday and Tuesday before the main conference, providing in-depth technical training and skill-building opportunities.
- Capture the Flag (CTF) Competitions Security challenges and competitive hacking competitions where attendees can test and demonstrate their cybersecurity skills.
- Cryptography Challenges and Puzzles
Quantifiable outcome
- Growth from 350 attendees (2016) to 2,550+ attendees (2025)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CypherCon
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CypherCon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CypherCon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BSidesMKEminorBSidesMKE (Security B-Sides Milwaukee) is CypherCon's sister event held the day after CypherCon (Friday) as part of the InfoSec Spring Break week. BSidesMKE tickets start at $50, offering an affordable option for attendees on a budget. The two events are promoted together as part of the full week of cybersecurity learning and networking.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CypherCon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Security BSides: A global network of small, community-organized security conferences (BSidesMKE is CypherCon's sister event). Direct peer in format, community-led ethos, and target audience of practitioners and hobbyists.
- Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE): Long-running hacker conference organized by 2600 Magazine. Comparable in community-driven ethos, multi-day technical programming, and emphasis on hacker culture, activism, and cryptography.
- ShmooCon: Annual hacker convention in Washington D.C. with a small, community-driven format similar to CypherCon — limited attendance, technical talks, hacker culture focus, and volunteer-run events.
- DEFCON: The flagship annual hacker and cybersecurity conference held in Las Vegas. Directly comparable to CypherCon in audience (hackers, security researchers, professionals), content (talks, villages, badge hacking, CTFs), and community-driven culture.
- DerbyCon: Was a community-driven Louisville-based hacker conference (now defunct) — directly comparable in community-led format, mid-size attendance, and infosec practitioner focus.
- THOTCON: Small, single-track, community-run Chicago-area hacker conference. Closely comparable to CypherCon in format (talks, badge hacking, community-led), Midwest geography, and scale.
- LayerOne: Annual West Coast hacker conference featuring technical talks, workshops, and hands-on villages. Comparable in community-driven, hands-on hacker culture and badge hardware focus.
Broad incumbents
- Black Hat: Established enterprise-focused cybersecurity conference run by Informa. Comparable in technical security content and audience overlap (security professionals, executives), but more corporate and commercially oriented than CypherCon's community-driven model.
- RSA Conference: The largest cybersecurity conference globally, focused on enterprise security, risk, and compliance. Competes for the same sponsor dollars and executive audience as CypherCon's executive track, but operates at vastly greater scale.
Emerging players
- 2600 Meetings: Monthly local meetups organized by 2600 Magazine readers at campuses and public spaces globally. Adjacent to CypherCon in hacker community focus, but operates as recurring grassroots meetups rather than an annual paid conference.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CypherCon social profiles
Digital presenceCypherCon compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CypherCon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CypherCon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CypherCon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CypherCon 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 CypherCon
What does CypherCon do?
CypherCon operates an annual two-day technology, cybersecurity, and hacker conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring 125-150 talks across five tracks, 40+ specialty wards (villages), Capture the Flag competitions, cryptography challenges, and an interactive electronic PCB badge that attendees can hack. The conference sells tiered tickets (VIP Electronic Badge, Digital/PCB Electronic Badge, and Analog/Plastic Pass) and is supported by 40+ organizational sponsors.
Is CypherCon a public or private company?
CypherCon is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CypherCon founded?
CypherCon was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CypherCon based?
CypherCon is headquartered in Milwaukee, United States, in the North America region.
How does CypherCon make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are sponsorships and merchandise.
Who are CypherCon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Security BSides, Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE), ShmooCon, DEFCON, DerbyCon, THOTCON and LayerOne. Broad incumbents are Black Hat and RSA Conference. 2600 Meetings is listed as an emerging player.
Does CypherCon have an API?
No public API is recorded for CypherCon.
What industry is CypherCon in?
CypherCon's product category is Technology and Cybersecurity Conferences. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAMAH, Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits, with a secondary code of THAHACAK, Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services. Its NAICS code is 561920.