Disobey
Disobey is a Finnish nonprofit association running an annual cybersecurity and hacker culture conference in Helsinki since 2015, serving security researchers, makers, and corporate attendees through technical talks, CTFs, badge hacking, and a community village at the Kaapelitehdas venue.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Disobey does
Disobey (legally Disobey Ry) is a Finnish nonprofit association that has organized an annual cybersecurity and hacker culture conference in Helsinki since 2015. The two-day event is held each February at the Kaapelitehdas venue and targets security researchers, hackers, makers, and information-security professionals. Programming centers on technical talks, hands-on workshops, capture-the-flag competitions, hardware badge hacking, and a community village that hosts partner communities such as Women4Cyber, Lockpicking Village, and Hacklab. Disobey serves both individual enthusiasts and corporate attendees, with a recurring annual format that emphasizes community continuity over single-event monetization.
The organization's technical surface is intentionally narrow: a custom electronic conference badge designed to be hacked, CTF infrastructure, and a web ticketing stack built on Holvi payments, UpCloud hosting, and Techaro's Anubis anti-bot protection. Business model is event-driven: standard individual tickets priced at €49, corporate tickets at €350, optional electronic badge add-on, and corporate sponsorship underwriting event production. As a registered Finnish nonprofit association (yhdistys), Disobey Ry does not raise venture capital and operates without equity-financing growth pressure. Operational headcount is small at approximately seven people, consistent with the lean staffing profile typical of community-organized conferences. Revenue is intrinsically capped by venue capacity at Kaapelitehdas, which makes the 2024 sell-out a meaningful demand-side signal but also a constraint on growth without venue expansion or geographic extension.
Disobey firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Disobey
- Legal name
- Disobey Ry
- Website
- https://disobey.fi
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Disobey is a Finnish nonprofit association running an annual cybersecurity and hacker culture conference in Helsinki since 2015, serving security researchers, makers, and corporate attendees through technical talks, CTFs, badge hacking, and a community village at the Kaapelitehdas venue.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Disobey industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Conferences / Events
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cybersecurity Training & Awareness Programs (BPAEANAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cybersecurity (Digital Safety, Ethical Hacking Basics) (EDAMACAH), Incident Reporting, Response & Cyber Hygiene Drills (EDABAGAI)
Keywords
Where Disobey is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Disobey business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Standard Ticket Sales: Individual tickets granting two-day entrance to the annual event. Sold via raffle system at 49€ per ticket.
- Corporate Tickets: Premium tickets aimed at corporations and organizations to support the event while receiving two-day entrance. Priced at 350€ per ticket.
- Electronic Badge Add-on: Optional add-on purchase for electronic badge used for badge challenge and games at the event.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Ticket - 49€ |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Corporate Ticket - 350€ |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Disobey product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Disobey organizes an annual cybersecurity conference held in Helsinki, Finland since 2015, featuring keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, hardware badge hacking challenges, and a community village. The event is operated by the nonprofit Disobey Ry and is sold primarily through individual tickets with optional corporate tickets and electronic badge add-ons.
Product overview
Disobey is a cybersecurity conference organized annually in Helsinki, Finland since 2015. The event features multiple ticket tiers (standard at 49€ and corporate at 350€), optional electronic badge add-ons with built-in challenges, Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, Hacker Puzzle challenges, and a Community Village with interactive workshops and activities from various cybersecurity communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Disobey Conference Ticket Entry ticket to the annual Disobey cybersecurity conference in Helsinki, available in standard (49€) and corporate (350€) tiers for individuals and corporate attendees, respectively.
- Electronic Badge Custom electronic badge hardware sold as an add-on to conferente tickets. It functions as both a wearable credential and a hardware hacking challenge, intended for conference attendees interested in embedded hardware security.
Quantifiable outcome
- 13 consecutive years of organizing hacker culture events despite COVID cancellations
Companies that use Disobey
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Disobey technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Disobey partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UpCloud OycoreCloud infrastructure provider powering Disobey's digital presence. Business ID 2431560-5.
- Holvi OycoreTicketing and payment processing service for ticket sales. Business ID 2193756-4.
- Robot Uprising ryminorVolunteer-led robotics community organizing RoboTeaHouse activity in Community Village.
- TurkuSec RyminorMother of CitySecs. Nonprofit of security professionals organizing AI hacking challenges and Security Impress Karaoke at Community Village.
- HelSec RyminorHelsinki-based cybersecurity community founded in 2018. Organizing Black Market Souvenirs and Cyber Range activities.
- Women4Cyber FinlandminorNonprofit advancing women's careers in cybersecurity. Hosting brain training games and temporary tattoos at booth.
- Lockpicking VillageminorProfessional lockpickers teaching physical security and lockpicking techniques.
- Hacklab.fiminorOpen community providing electronics workbenches, 3D printing, and badge hacking tools at Community Village.
- KuoSec ryminorKuopio-based infosec community organizing Cyber Viking Battleship and Cyberstuff activities.
- H-T8 Hacking ClubminorStudent-driven hacking club organizing CTF challenges with prizes including professional gear.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Disobey competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DEF CON: The world's largest annual hacker and cybersecurity conference, featuring CTFs, badge hacking, workshops, and hacker culture. Directly comparable to Disobey as a community-driven cybersecurity event with similar hands-on programming, though at significantly larger scale.
- Security BSides: Community-driven cybersecurity conference series held in cities worldwide, organized by local volunteers. Directly comparable to Disobey in its community-driven, volunteer-led model and grassroots hacker culture ethos, with similar emphasis on smaller, intimate events.
- TROOPERS: European cybersecurity conference held in Heidelberg, Germany, featuring technical talks and hands-on training. Comparable to Disobey as a regional cybersecurity event with similar technical focus on offensive security topics, though larger in international footprint.
- Chaos Communication Congress (CCC): Annual European hacker conference organized by the Chaos Computer Club, featuring workshops, talks, and hacker culture content. Directly comparable to Disobey as a community-organized hacker/security conference with a European footprint and similar technical programming.
- Hack.lu: Annual cybersecurity conference held in Luxembourg organized by the HackerSpace Luxembourg community. Comparable to Disobey as a community-organized European hacker/security conference with similar focus on technical content and hacker culture.
Emerging players
- OWASP Global AppSec: Application security conferences organized globally by the OWASP Foundation, focusing on web and software security. Comparable to Disobey as a community-organized security conference, but specialized in application security rather than broad hacker culture.
- The Circle Conference: Emerging Nordic/European cybersecurity events targeting information security professionals. Comparable to Disobey as a regional cybersecurity event, though typically more commercially organized than Disobey's grassroots community model.
Broad incumbents
- RSA Conference: Largest commercial cybersecurity conference in the world, featuring keynotes, training, and a massive expo. Comparable as a major cybersecurity conference serving security professionals, but operates at much larger commercial scale than Disobey's community-focused event.
- Black Hat: Premier information security event series featuring technical briefings, training, and an industry expo. Comparable as a cybersecurity conference serving security professionals, but operates as a larger commercial incumbent with broader industry focus than Disobey's community-driven hacker culture.
Regional players
- NorthSec: Annual cybersecurity conference held in Montreal, Canada, featuring CTF competitions and applied security training. Comparable to Disobey in its applied security focus and CTF competition format, but serves a North American audience rather than Nordic.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Disobey social profiles
Digital presenceDisobey financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Disobey leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Disobey funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Disobey 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 Disobey
What does Disobey do?
Disobey organizes an annual cybersecurity conference held in Helsinki, Finland since 2015, featuring keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, hardware badge hacking challenges, and a community village. The event is operated by the nonprofit Disobey Ry and is sold primarily through individual tickets with optional corporate tickets and electronic badge add-ons.
Is Disobey a public or private company?
Disobey is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Disobey founded?
Disobey was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Disobey based?
Disobey is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does Disobey make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Standard Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are corporate Tickets and electronic Badge Add-on.
Who are Disobey's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DEF CON, Security BSides, TROOPERS, Chaos Communication Congress (CCC) and Hack.lu. Emerging players are OWASP Global AppSec and The Circle Conference. Broad incumbents are RSA Conference and Black Hat. NorthSec is listed as a regional player.
Does Disobey have an API?
No public API is recorded for Disobey.
What industry is Disobey in?
Disobey's product category is Cybersecurity Conferences / Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEANAF, Cybersecurity Training & Awareness Programs, with a secondary code of EDAMACAH, Cybersecurity (Digital Safety, Ethical Hacking Basics). Its NAICS code is 561920 and its SIC code is 8200.