CSIUL
CSIUL is a non-profit cybersecurity student club at Université Laval in Quebec City that provides free educational articles, CTF competitions, and training across eight cybersecurity domains to university students and enthusiasts, funded by corporate sponsors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersQuébec, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CSIUL does
CSIUL (Club de sécurité informatique de l'Université Laval) is a non-profit student cybersecurity club at Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada, operating from Local PLT-3778, 1065 avenue de la Médecine, Pavillon Adrien-Pouliot. The club is open to all and is dedicated to technology, cybersecurity, and hacking; it organizes CTF (Capture The Flag) competitions, training sessions, and educational workshops to attract and engage cybersecurity enthusiasts, primarily at Université Laval and other institutions. Its core "product" is a library of free educational articles and YouTube training videos covering eight cybersecurity domains — reverse engineering, binary exploitation, web exploitation, forensics, cryptography, OSINT, mobile security, and a beginner's guide — alongside an active Discord community and GitHub-hosted CTF writeups.
CSIUL does not sell a technology product and has no commercial revenue model. Membership and access to all educational content are provided at no cost. The club's operating budget is funded by corporate and institutional sponsors, including GoSecure, Mon Avenir TI, Sercle, ASETIN, AESGUL, and the Université Laval Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering. It holds formal institutional affiliation with the CRTI (Centre de recherche en technologies de l'information). Day-to-day operations are run by elected student officers — two co-Presidents (Jean-Nicolas Turbis and Romain Gardet) and nine Vice Presidents covering treasury, partnerships, competition, communication, CTF, design, training, and support — with no venture capital or institutional ownership.
The go-to-market motion is community-led: members are acquired through a self-serve Discord server invitation, and the club reaches prospective members via organic social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) and content marketing (website blog, YouTube, GitHub). Geographic scope is anchored in Quebec but the digital content footprint extends globally via the website, YouTube, and GitHub.
CSIUL firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CSIUL
- Legal name
- Club de sécurité informatique de l'Université Laval
- Website
- https://clubsecuriteinformatique.ift.ulaval.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CSIUL is a non-profit cybersecurity student club at Université Laval in Quebec City that provides free educational articles, CTF competitions, and training across eight cybersecurity domains to university students and enthusiasts, funded by corporate sponsors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CSIUL industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Education and Training
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Penetration Testing, Red Team & Ethical Hacking (EDAOAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cybersecurity Technical Skills (Security Engineering, SOC, Pen Testing) (EDABAFAF), Cybersecurity (Digital Safety, Ethical Hacking Basics) (EDAMACAH)
Keywords
Where CSIUL is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Québec
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CSIUL business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Sponsorship funding: CSIUL operates as a non-profit student club funded by corporate sponsors including GoSecure, Mon Avenir TI, Sercle, ASETIN, AESGUL, and the Université Laval Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering. The club receives support to cover operational costs and competition prizes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free membership for all students and enthusiasts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
CSIUL product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CSIUL is a student-run cybersecurity club at Université Laval that organizes Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, training sessions, and educational workshops for its members. The club produces free educational articles covering eight cybersecurity domains—reverse engineering, binary exploitation, web exploitation, forensics, cryptography, OSINT, mobile security, and a beginner's guide—distributed through its website, YouTube, and GitHub. Membership is acquired through an open Discord server invitation, and the club operates as a non-profit community supported by corporate sponsors.
Product overview
CSIUL (Club de sécurité informatique de l'Université Laval) is a student cybersecurity club at Université Laval providing free educational resources and training materials. Their offerings consist of eight comprehensive articles covering key cybersecurity domains including Mobile Security, OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), Reverse Engineering, Binary Exploitation, Web Exploitation, Cryptography, Digital Forensics, and a Beginner's Guide. These educational resources feature tool recommendations, learning platforms, video tutorials, and practice challenges designed for all skill levels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CTF Competitions
Companies that use CSIUL
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CSIUL technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CSIUL partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- GoSecurecoreGoSecure is a leading cybersecurity company providing comprehensive security solutions and expert services. They sponsor CSIUL to support the development of future cybersecurity professionals in the Quebec region.
- Mon Avenir TIcoreMon Avenir TI brings together technology companies in the Greater Quebec City region with a mission to inspire, develop, and propel the next generation of IT professionals. They support CSIUL to create bridges between young talent and local businesses.
- SercleminorSercle supports the economic growth of Canadian organizations by providing relevant cybersecurity services adapted to their reality. They help businesses protect their strategic data and ensure business continuity.
- ASETIN (Association des étudiants en sciences et technologies de l'informatique)coreASETIN represents undergraduate students in Computer Science and Software Engineering at Université Laval. They defend student interests, promote quality education, and support student projects including cybersecurity clubs.
- AESGUL (Association des étudiants en sciences et génie)minorAESGUL supports, represents, and promotes the student community in sciences and engineering at Université Laval.
- Département d'informatique et de génie logiciel – Université LavalcoreThe Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Université Laval provides academic support, resources, and facilities for the cybersecurity club including meeting space and institutional affiliation.
- CRTI (Centre de recherche en technologies de l'information)minorCSIUL is affiliated with CRTI (Centre de recherche en technologies de l'information), which provides research-level connections and resources for cybersecurity education.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
CSIUL competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Cybrary: Larger online cybersecurity training platform offering courses across the same domains CSIUL covers (offensive security, forensics, etc.). Comparable as a destination for free/affordable cybersecurity self-study, but at much broader scale and with professional instructors.
Emerging players
- TryHackMe: Online cybersecurity training platform with gamified learning paths covering many of the same domains as CSIUL (web exploitation, reverse engineering, forensics, OSINT). Comparable as a free, hands-on cybersecurity learning environment, but a global commercial platform rather than a student club.
- OverTheWire: Community-run wargames and CTF-style challenges for learning security concepts. Similar model to CSIUL: free, community-driven, beginner-friendly cybersecurity training with progressive challenges.
- Hack The Box: Subscription-based platform for practicing offensive security, penetration testing, and CTF challenges. Similar learning philosophy to CSIUL's CTF-driven approach, with shared domain coverage (binary exploitation, web, forensics, crypto). Comparable target audience of aspiring cybersecurity professionals.
- Root-Me: Free online platform for learning hacking and cybersecurity through challenges across many of the same domains CSIUL covers (web, crypto, reverse engineering, forensics). Comparable as a community-driven, free training environment for cybersecurity enthusiasts.
Others
- GoSecure: Leading Canadian cybersecurity services firm that sponsors CSIUL. Related as a sponsor/ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor; provides the internship and talent pipeline that CSIUL members flow into.
- Hackfest (Quebec City): Quebec-based cybersecurity community and conference organization. Peer in the sense of operating in the same Quebec cybersecurity ecosystem and likely serving as a CTF event partner or competitor; both organizations cultivate the regional cybersecurity student community.
Regional players
- Capture The Flag (CTF) at Université de Sherbrooke: Comparable cybersecurity student group at another Quebec university. Functions as a regional peer within the same province, competing for the same pool of Quebec-based cybersecurity students and corporate sponsors.
Direct peers
- PicoCTF (Carnegie Mellon): University-hosted free cybersecurity competition and learning platform aimed at students. One of the most direct peers: PicoCTF and CSIUL both operate university-affiliated, free, student-targeted CTF/capture-the-flag training programs with educational resources covering the same offensive security domains.
- PolyCyber (École Polytechnique de Montréal): University cybersecurity student club at École Polytechnique de Montréal. Direct peer: same university-club model, same CTF-driven training philosophy, same Quebec ecosystem, and overlapping competition for student members and sponsors.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CSIUL social profiles
Digital presenceCSIUL financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CSIUL leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
CSIUL funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CSIUL 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 CSIUL
What does CSIUL do?
CSIUL is a student-run cybersecurity club at Université Laval that organizes Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, training sessions, and educational workshops for its members. The club produces free educational articles covering eight cybersecurity domains—reverse engineering, binary exploitation, web exploitation, forensics, cryptography, OSINT, mobile security, and a beginner's guide—distributed through its website, YouTube, and GitHub. Membership is acquired through an open Discord server invitation, and the club operates as a non-profit community supported by corporate sponsors.
Is CSIUL a public or private company?
CSIUL is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was CSIUL founded?
CSIUL was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CSIUL based?
CSIUL is headquartered in Québec, Canada, in the North America region.
How does CSIUL make money?
One revenue line is on record: sponsorship funding.
Who are CSIUL's main competitors?
Cybrary is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are TryHackMe, OverTheWire, Hack The Box and Root-Me. Others are GoSecure and Hackfest (Quebec City). Capture The Flag (CTF) at Université de Sherbrooke is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are PicoCTF (Carnegie Mellon) and PolyCyber (École Polytechnique de Montréal).
Does CSIUL have an API?
No public API is recorded for CSIUL.
What industry is CSIUL in?
CSIUL's product category is Cybersecurity Education and Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAOAIAH, Penetration Testing, Red Team & Ethical Hacking, with a secondary code of EDABAFAF, Cybersecurity Technical Skills (Security Engineering, SOC, Pen Testing). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8200.