ChiBrrCon

What ChiBrrCon does

ChiBrrCon is a privately funded, not-for-profit, charitable organization founded in 2020 and headquartered at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Hermann Hall Conference Center in Chicago, Illinois. It operates a single annual one-day cybersecurity and technology conference (ChiBrrCon I through VII, with ChiBrrCon VII scheduled for February 2027), serving information security and technology practitioners primarily in the Chicagoland area with global special guest speakers. The event is run by corporate CISO volunteers from Kraft-Heinz, Old National Bank, SoneX Group, Alliant Credit Union, Chicago Trading Company, and Prove, and is positioned as vendor-free with a zero-harassment policy and a DEI-focused scholarship program.

The organization's core product is the annual conference itself, supported by a set of complementary touchpoints: a Sched.com-powered self-serve ticketing website, dedicated iOS and Android mobile apps for scheduling and attendee engagement, an @chibrrcon Twitter account, and published post-event photo and presentation archives. There are no proprietary technology platforms - the offering is an events-and-community product rather than a software product.

ChiBrrCon's business model combines three revenue streams: general admission ticket sales at $50 per person, corporate sponsorship packages (Platinum, Gold, Honorary tiers) that include logo placement, recruitment opportunities, and access to AV files, and complimentary scholarship tickets supported by sponsors and partner organizations such as WiCyS, Year Up, WomSA, and the Pan Asian American Business Council. The customer base is bifurcated - individual practitioners and early-career security professionals on the attendee side, and mid-to-large enterprises (financial services, trading, legal, technology) on the sponsor side, with strategic priorities including affordable training, leadership development, and DEI in cybersecurity.

Name

ChiBrrCon

Legal name

ChiBrrCon

Website

https://chibrrcon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ChiBrrCon is a Chicago-based not-for-profit that runs an annual single-day cybersecurity and technology conference, serving Chicagoland practitioners and global guest speakers through $50 general admission tickets, corporate sponsorship packages, and DEI-focused scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Information Security Conference

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Fraud Prevention & Identity Theft / Account Takeover Awareness (EDABAGAO)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity conference
• Information security training
• Corporate training events
• Security community networking
• DEI scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: General admission tickets are sold at $50 per person for attendance to the full-day conference.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors receive benefits including priority access, access to all sessions and private invites, breakfast, lunch, after party, in-person or virtual options, access to all AV files, corporate logo placement, and recruitment opportunities.
3. Scholarship Program: Complimentary tickets are provided to sponsors, partner organizations, staff, and speakers. Additionally, scholarship tickets are available at no cost for individuals to access all sessions and meet with speakers, supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ChiBrrCon is a privately funded, not-for-profit, charitable organization that hosts an annual cybersecurity and information security conference in Chicago. It sells $50 general admission tickets to individual practitioners, offers corporate sponsorship packages (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Honorary tiers), and provides no-cost scholarships to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the cybersecurity profession. The event is 100% corporate sponsored with no vendor sponsors, creating a vendor-free learning and networking environment.

Product overview

ChiBrrCon operates as a single, unified annual conference offering centered on cybersecurity and technology education. The core product is the ChiBrrCon Annual Conference, a vendor-free event designed by practitioners for practitioners at all career levels. The conference is supported by corporate sponsorship packages (Platinum, Gold, Silver tiers) that provide logo placement and recruitment opportunities, alongside individual General Admission tickets and scholarship programs. The event also provides a companion mobile application for iOS and Android to enhance attendee experience with schedule and navigation features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ChiBrrCon Annual Conference An annual not-for-profit cybersecurity and technology conference operated by cybersecurity and IT professionals for practitioners at all career levels. Features talks, villages, keynotes, and networking opportunities focused on information security, leadership, AI, and enterprise engagement. Held at Hermann Hall Conference Center in Chicago.
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages Corporate sponsorship tiers (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Honorary) offering priority access, reserved session invites, breakfast, lunch, after-party access, corporate logo placement, and recruitment opportunities for sponsoring organizations. Pricing varies by tier.
• ChiBrrCon Mobile Application Dedicated mobile application for conference attendees available on iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) platforms, providing schedule access, session information, and event navigation resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conference attendees can access high-quality training and networking with peers at an affordable $50 ticket price
• +1 more outcomes

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WiCyS (Woman in Cybersecurity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWiCyS is a global community of over 11,000 women and allies dedicated to recruit, retain, and advance women in cybersecurity. They have 70 professional affiliates and over 300 student chapters in over 100 countries. WiCyS creates accessibility and opportunities for the cybersecurity workforce.
• Year UpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education. They are committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults.
• Pan Asian American Business Council (PAABC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe mission of PAABC is to enable and foster the development and growth of Asian American owned businesses. They develop member businesses by making introductions for contracts, generating demand, organizing consortiums, and providing business education.
• Woman's Security Alliance (WomSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the success of women in cybersecurity. They provide mentorship, training and networking opportunities for women entering, re-entering, or advancing in the cybersecurity workforce.
• Chicago CISO of the YearminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chicago CISO of the Year program recognizes outstanding Chief Information Security Officers for their contributions to their organizations, the information security profession, and the local community. Now in its twelfth year, it is overseen by a committee of peer CISOs and partners with local professional chapters.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OWASP Foundation Events: OWASP organizes Global AppSec and regional AppSec Days as community-driven, practitioner-focused cybersecurity conferences with sponsorship from major enterprises. The volunteer-led, mission-driven format and corporate sponsorship mix closely parallel ChiBrrCon's model.
• WiCyS Conference: WiCyS hosts an annual conference for women in cybersecurity, with scholarships, DEI programming, and corporate sponsorship from major enterprises. It is directly comparable to ChiBrrCon in mission (DEI in cyber), audience (early-career and practitioner), and funding model (corporate sponsorship + scholarships).
• Security BSides: Security BSides is a grassroots, community-led cybersecurity conference series with chapters in dozens of cities worldwide, organized by practitioners and supported by local sponsors. Its community-driven, vendor-light model and volunteer organizing structure are highly comparable to ChiBrrCon.

Broad incumbents

• RSA Conference: RSA Conference is the largest enterprise security conference globally, held annually in San Francisco with a major vendor expo. It draws the same corporate sponsor base as ChiBrrCon but at a scale and price point that defines the broader sponsor market.
• DEF CON: DEF CON is one of the world's largest hacker/security conferences, community-organized with a strong practitioner and DEI focus (e.g., DEF CON Safe Mode, Blue Team Village). It shares ChiBrrCon's community ethos but operates at vastly greater scale and brand recognition.
• ISC2 Security Congress: ISC2 Security Congress is an annual member conference for certified cybersecurity professionals, combining professional development, training, and networking. It targets a similar practitioner audience but operates as part of a larger credentialing organization.
• SANS Summits: SANS Institute hosts specialized summits (e.g., ICS, Cloud, DFIR) combining practitioner training with networking, funded by corporate sponsorships and training budgets. It competes for the same corporate training dollar that ChiBrrCon targets with its affordable alternative.
• Black Hat: Black Hat is one of the largest annual information security conferences (USA, Europe, Asia), offering briefings, trainings, and vendor exhibitions. It competes for the same corporate sponsor wallet and practitioner audience but at much greater scale and with significant vendor presence.

Regional players

• SecureWorld: SecureWorld runs regional cybersecurity conferences across multiple US cities, combining training, keynotes, and vendor exhibitions. Its regional, multi-city format contrasts with ChiBrrCon's single-Chicago model and targets a similar practitioner audience with vendor-heavy content.

Others

• ISACA Conferences: ISACA organizes global and regional conferences for governance, risk, and cybersecurity professionals, including CSX conferences. It targets an overlapping practitioner audience and draws from a similar corporate sponsor pool, but with a stronger audit/GRC orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/chibrrcon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 ChiBrrCon