What Playcyber does

PlayCyber is an esports and event management brand operated by Katzcy, LLC, a privately held US-based social impact company. The company organizes multiplayer competitive cybersecurity gaming events designed to demystify cyber careers, engage students, and upskill the global cyber workforce. Its core technology uses Capture the Flag (CTF) Jeopardy-style competition formats and cyber range simulations to teach and assess skills including digital forensics, cryptography, web security, and reconnaissance. The platform is game and training agnostic, partnering with technology providers such as Hack The Box and content partners like the 1890 Universities Foundation and NIST's NICE program.

PlayCyber operates a portfolio of ten distinct sub-brands addressing specific demographics and use cases: US Cyber Games (national talent search ages 18-24), Wicked6 (women in cybersecurity), 1890 Universities Cyber & AI Games (HBCU students with agriculture-themed challenges), Tribal Cyber Training League (tribal youth ages 18-28), Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp (ages 16-24), Global Cyber Games (28+ countries), IC3 (International Cybersecurity Championship & Conference), LoveBytes (couples CTF), VA Cyber Skills (Virginia initiative), and Katzcy (parent brand). The 2024 Global Cyber Games New Year Mayhem featured 70+ teams from 28+ countries.

Revenue is generated primarily through event sponsorships (tiered from $500 prize sponsorships to $12K Premier sponsorships, with program sponsorships for the Tribal Cyber Training League ranging $3K-$25K), supplemented by merchandise sales through shop.playcyber.com and event hosting services. Most events are free to participants, with no direct participant fees. Customer segments include individual participants across career stages (K-12 through senior professionals), educational institutions (Radford University, 19 HBCUs), government agencies (NIST), and corporate sponsors seeking cybersecurity talent pipelines and diversity hiring.

Name

Playcyber

Legal name

Katzcy, LLC

Website

https://playcyber.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

PlayCyber (Katzcy, LLC) organizes competitive cybersecurity esports events and CTF competitions to attract, train, and diversify the global cyber workforce, serving participants aged 16-35, HBCU students, tribal youth, and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Esports & Workforce Development

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Esports Leagues & Circuits (MPAFADAA)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity esports
• Capture the flag events
• Cyber workforce development
• Cyber skills training
• Cyber gaming tournaments

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for cyber gaming events at various tiers (Premier, Silver, Bronze, Sapphire) with branding, speaking opportunities, and swag benefits.
2. Event Hosting: Organizations can partner with PlayCyber to host cyber career exploration camps and events in their areas.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online shop selling PlayCyber branded merchandise.
4. Program Sponsorships: Corporate engagement through sponsoring the Tribal Cyber Training League program ($15K-$25K), program components ($3K-$10K), teams ($3K-$10K), or individual games ($3K-$15K).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PlayCyber organizes multiplayer, competitive cybersecurity gaming events and esports-style tournaments (including Capture the Flag competitions) that double as workforce development programs. The company runs a portfolio of branded programs (US Cyber Games, Wicked6, 1890 Cyber Games, Tribal Cyber Training League, Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp, Global Cyber Games, and IC3) for participants ranging from K-12 students to senior professionals. Revenue is generated through corporate sponsorships, event hosting partnerships, and branded merchandise sales rather than participant fees.

Product overview

PlayCyber is an esports and event management platform that organizes multiplayer, competitive cybersecurity gaming events designed to inspire, grow, and upskill the global cyber workforce. The company operates a portfolio of distinct programs and events, including US Cyber Games (national talent search for ages 18-24), Wicked6 (women-focused cybersecurity gaming), 1890 Universities Cyber & AI Games (agriculture-themed CTF competition for HBCU students), Tribal Cyber Training League (6-month program for tribal youth ages 18-28), Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp (for ages 16-24), Global Cyber Games (international competition with 70+ teams from 28+ countries), and IC3 (International Cybersecurity Championship & Conference). The company leverages the Learn to Play, Play to Learn methodology to make cybersecurity skill acquisition engaging through competitive gaming formats including Capture the Flag (CTF) Jeopardy-style challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Katzcy: Parent company - a social impact company committed to drive a highly skilled and diverse cyber workforce through games
• US Cyber Games
• Wicked6
• Global Cyber League
• IC3
• VA Cyber Skills
• 1890 Cyber Games
• Tribal Cyber Training League
• LoveBytes
• Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp

Products and services

• US Cyber Games A nationwide talent search and competitive cybersecurity gaming program for athletes aged 18-24 organized as a league format with seasonal competition; selects and trains the US Cyber Team for international events.
• Wicked6 A cybersecurity esports initiative supporting women and girls worldwide, focused on empowering female participation in the cyber workforce through competitive gaming.
• 1890 Universities Cyber & AI Games A Capture the Flag (CTF) event using a Jeopardy-style format with 25+ agriculture-themed challenges (digital forensics, reconnaissance, cryptography, web security, RFID hacking, lock picking, geo tagging) to introduce students from 1890 land-grant universities to cybersecurity and AI.
• Tribal Cyber Training League A six-month immersive learning program for tribal youth ages 18-28 that blends hands-on cyber games, virtual skills development seminars, and career exploration workshops to build foundational cybersecurity skills, with 24x7 cyber range access.
• Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp A camp program for young adults aged 16-24 that explores how playing cyber games can lead to high-paying jobs in IT or cybersecurity through hands-on games, guest speakers, career guidance, and a 5-Hour Micro-Credential 'INTRO TO Cyber' through IMPACT LAB.
• Global Cyber Games International cybersecurity competition featuring teams from 28+ countries competing in global scrimmages and tournaments with a spectator experience similar to professional sporting events.
• International Cybersecurity Championship & Conference (IC3) Global cybersecurity championship and conference bringing together experts, athletes, and collaboration across international teams.
• LoveBytes A Couples Capture the Flag and Conference event combining tech fusion with career activities, held in Alexandria, VA.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70+ teams from 28+ countries participated in Global Cyber Games 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• 1890 Universities FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2025Co-organizer of the 1890 Universities Cyber & AI Games. The 1890 Universities Foundation is commemorating the 135th anniversary of the 1890 Morrill Act which established the first public HBCUs in the U.S. PlayCyber partners with the foundation to run CTF competitions for university students from land-grant HBCUs.
• US Cyber Games (USCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS Cyber Games is part of the PlayCyber family of brands. The Tribal Cyber Training League is explicitly part of the US Cyber Games program. USCG runs Season competitions selecting national cyber athletes.
• Mission Critical PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and partner for the 1890 Universities Cyber & AI Games event, appearing in event logo section alongside other sponsors.
• Bites and Bytes PodcastminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for the 1890 Universities Cyber & AI Games, appearing in event logo section alongside other partners.
• GT Edge AIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology partner for the 1890 Universities Cyber & AI Games, appearing in event logo section.
• Radford UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of inaugural Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp held July 8-11, 2024 at Radford University Cybersecurity Lab. Provided the 5-Hour Micro-Credential 'INTRO TO Cyber' through IMPACT LAB.
• Virginia Career WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner for Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp, helping organize and promote the camp to young adults in Virginia.
• People inccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner for Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp serving the New River area.
• Workforce Development BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner for Youth Cyber Career Exploration Camp, part of the inaugural camp organizing team.
• NIST / NICEflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKatzcy (parent company of PlayCyber) has partnered with NIST's NICE program to develop cybersecurity games and kicked off Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week. This partnership connects cyber gaming with national workforce development initiatives.
• Hack The Box (HTB)coreTechnology or IntegrationPlayCyber and Hack The Box co-hosted a Global Cybersecurity Scrimmage, combining HTB's cyber range platform with PlayCyber's competition organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hack The Box: Major cyber training and CTF platform that co-hosts scrimmages with PlayCyber. Overlaps directly in cyber skills competitions, target audience of cyber practitioners, and CTF competition organization, making it the closest functional peer.
• Nerd Street Gamers (now FTW Esports): Esports event organizer and competitive gaming network operating facilities, tournaments, and community events. Directly comparable as an esports event management business, with PlayCyber applying a similar model to the cybersecurity vertical.
• TryHackMe: Cyber training platform with a large community of learners that runs its own competitions and CTF-style rooms. Directly comparable as a community-driven cyber upskilling platform overlapping PlayCyber's training and competition value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Immersive Labs: Enterprise cyber resilience platform with gamified training, crisis simulations, and skills benchmarking. Comparable on cyber workforce gamification and skills validation, but at enterprise SaaS scale.
• ESL FACEIT Group: Global esports tournament organizer and competitive gaming platform. Comparable as a large-scale esports league and event operator, though focused on mainstream game titles rather than cybersecurity.
• SANS Institute: Established cyber training and certification incumbent with NetWars competitions and a broad training catalog. Comparable as a cyber workforce development provider, though its scope extends well beyond esports-style events.
• CompTIA: Major IT and cybersecurity certification body that influences cyber hiring pipelines. Comparable as an ecosystem player in cyber workforce credentialing, though credentialing-focused rather than event-driven.

Others

• CTFtime: Community calendar and ranking site for CTF competitions worldwide. Overlaps indirectly as the ecosystem aggregator where PlayCyber's events would be listed and ranked, providing competitive context.

Emerging players

• CyberDefenders: Community-driven cyber training and blue team CTF platform with competitions and skill challenges. Overlaps with PlayCyber's training-and-compete value proposition for cybersecurity practitioners.
• RangeForce: Cyber skills assessment and training platform used by enterprises for workforce development. Comparable on the enterprise talent-pipeline side, though B2B SaaS rather than esports-driven.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/katzcyplaycyber
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@playcyberbykatzcy
• Facebookfacebook.com/hashtag/playcyber
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/playcyber

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Playcyber