Mission Critical

What Mission Critical does

Mission Critical is a US-focused, non-partisan, non-profit research organization founded in 2023 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It conducts collaborative, peer-reviewed cybersecurity research targeting all 16 US critical infrastructure sectors (including energy, water, defense, food and agriculture, telecommunications, and transportation), with the stated mission of elevating the national dialogue around critical infrastructure information security and translating complex technical topics for both technical and non-technical audiences. The organization is led by Founder and Director of Research Drew Spaniel, Executive Director Joyce Hunter (former Acting CIO of the US Department of Agriculture), Executive Director Don Davidson (former DoD Director of Cyber-SCRM Programs with 44 years of federal service), and Administrative Director Calvin Harvey, supported by an advisory board of former senior government officials and industry executives.

Mission Critical's primary outputs are research publications rather than commercial software products. Core offerings include the Mission Critical Digital Library (a publicly accessible repository of critical infrastructure security research), the Critical Insights publication series featuring expert-authored analysis on topics such as nation-state cyber threats (e.g., Dr. David Mussington's 'The Silent Storm'), and the Cybersecurity for Next Generation Connectivity Series developed in collaboration with the IEEE Standards Association. Strategic partners include BSI, HiddenLayer, Minerva Cyber Technologies, SafeBreach, Sidekick Security, ThreatWarrior, the IEEE Standards Association Committee on Cybersecurity for Next Generation Connectivity Systems, and the North American Bioeconomy Data Alliance (NABDA). Education outreach includes a SANS Black History Month cybersecurity initiative.

The organization's business model is a collaborative membership and partnership framework rather than a traditional commercial sales motion. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed: no pricing tiers, no product fees, and no funding rounds are stated in source materials. The operating model relies on membership inquiries, partner contributions to the Digital Library, and named sponsorship of research initiatives. With 20 employees and no proprietary technology product, Mission Critical operates as a thought-leadership and research-coordination entity serving government, academia, and private-sector stakeholders across the US critical infrastructure ecosystem.

Name

Mission Critical

Legal name

Mission Critical

Website

https://mission-critical.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mission Critical is a non-partisan research organization that produces collaborative, peer-reviewed cybersecurity research on US critical infrastructure through its Digital Library and Critical Insights publications. It facilitates stakeholder collaboration across academic, public, and private sector thought leaders covering all 16 US critical infrastructure sectors. The organization operates on a membership collaboration model with publicly-available research outputs.

Product overview

Mission Critical operates as a non-partisan research organization rather than a software product company. Its primary offerings are the Digital Library (a collaborative repository for critical infrastructure cybersecurity research) and Critical Insights (expert-authored publications). The Cybersecurity for Next Generation Connectivity Series represents an ongoing collaborative content initiative with IEEE. These offerings are research and publication-based services rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Library
• Critical Insights
• Cybersecurity for Next Generation Connectivity Series

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• British Standards Institution (BSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSI, the business improvement and standards company, is an independent, impartial global leader on best practice frameworks, information security, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and organizational resilience. BSI collaborates with Mission Critical as a partner organization contributing expertise in industry standards and best practices for critical infrastructure cybersecurity.
• HiddenLayercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHiddenLayer is a Gartner-recognized AI Application Security company providing security solutions for artificial intelligence algorithms, models and data. Malcolm Harkins, Chief Security & Trust Officer at HiddenLayer, serves as a Mission Critical Advisor & Fellow, bringing AI security expertise to the collaborative research effort.
• Minerva Cyber TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinerva Cyber Technologies is a full-spectrum WOSB cybersecurity services and solutions company composed of expert Cybersecurity Professionals with deep skills in government and private sector cyberspace operations. Kim Irving (Co-Founder and CEO) and Dan Van Wagenen (Co-Founder and CTO) serve as Mission Critical Fellows, contributing operational cybersecurity expertise.
• SafeBreachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafeBreach launched the industry's first continuous security validation platform in 2014 and offers an award-winning BAS solution for validating security controls. Itzik Kotler, CTO & Co-Founder of SafeBreach, serves as a Mission Critical Advisor, Fellow, and Founding Member, contributing adversarial tactics and security simulation expertise.
• Sidekick SecuritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSidekick Security is a strategic cybersecurity partner offering penetration testing, third-party risk management, and fractional CISO support services. Robert Wood, Founder of Sidekick Security and former CMS CISO, serves as a Mission Critical Fellow, contributing security leadership and digital transformation expertise.
• ThreatWarriorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThreatWarrior is a global cybersecurity leader offering innovative threat detection and response solutions powered by deep learning and neural network technology. Pete Slade, CTO & Founder of ThreatWarrior, serves as a Mission Critical Fellow and Founding Member, contributing insider threat and adversarial prevention expertise.
• IEEE Standards Association Committee on Cybersecurity for Next Generation Connectivity SystemsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission Critical is collaborating with the IEEE Standards Association Committee on 'Cybersecurity for Next Generation Connectivity Systems' to facilitate the Cybersecurity for Next Generation Connectivity Series. This collaboration during Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2025 features expert perspectives on mitigating emerging threats in next-generation systems.
• North American Bioeconomy Data Alliance (NABDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNABDA is a collaborative partner in the white paper 'Manure as the Biomass of Choice: Advancing the Bioeconomy Through Data, Equity, and Innovation.' This research aligns NABDA's mission with Mission Critical's focus on critical infrastructure resilience in agricultural and bioeconomy sectors.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): International affairs think tank that publishes research on cyber resilience, geopolitics, and critical infrastructure. Operates a similar model of peer-reviewed, non-partisan research delivered to policymakers and practitioners.
• SANS Institute: Mission Critical's website links to a SANS Black History Month CTF education initiative, indicating close collaboration. SANS is a major cybersecurity training and research organization with overlapping audience (cybersecurity professionals across critical infrastructure sectors) and an emphasis on practitioner education.
• Atlantic Council: International think tank with a robust Cyber Statecraft Initiative focused on cyber policy, resilience, and critical infrastructure. The Atlantic Council produces regular reports, convenes stakeholders, and influences policy — a directly comparable model to Mission Critical's whole-of-nation approach.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Bipartisan think tank with a significant cybersecurity and technology policy program that publishes analysis on critical infrastructure threats, nation-state campaigns, and policy responses. CSIS competes for the same audience of policymakers, operators, and academics that Mission Critical targets.
• (ISC)2: International non-profit association for cybersecurity professionals that produces research, certifications, and thought leadership. Comparable to Mission Critical as a non-profit that convenes practitioners and publishes authoritative content for the cybersecurity community.
• Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT): The most direct peer — a non-profit, non-partisan think tank focused on critical infrastructure cybersecurity research. Mission Critical's founder Drew Spaniel and Executive Director Joyce Hunter both previously led at ICIT, and Mission Critical is effectively building on ICIT's research model with overlapping thematic focus.
• ISACA: Global professional association for IT governance, risk, security, and audit professionals. ISACA produces research, frameworks, and guidance (e.g., COBIT) that address critical infrastructure cybersecurity — a comparable role as a producer of expert-authored content for the same target audience.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large, established research organization with a long history of cybersecurity and critical infrastructure research for government and industry. RAND is a peer in mission and methodology (peer-reviewed, objective research) but operates at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Federal government agency that leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to critical infrastructure. CISA is a peer in the sense that both Mission Critical and CISA produce cybersecurity guidance aimed at the 16 critical infrastructure sectors, but CISA is the regulatory and operational incumbent rather than a research peer.

Emerging players

• CRITICAL Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI): US Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence led by the University of Illinois, conducting research on critical infrastructure resilience. Overlapping thematic focus on critical infrastructure security and resilience, with a different academic-led, government-funded delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mission-critical2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Mission Critical