bsidesdc
BSidesDC is a community-driven, volunteer-run organization that hosts an annual information security conference in Washington, DC during Hacktoberfest, serving practitioners across government and private industry with talks, villages, CTFs, hiring events, and a children's cybersecurity program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAlexandria, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What bsidesdc does
BSidesDC is a community-driven information security conference organization operating as BSidesDC LLC, a Virginia limited liability company founded in August 2012 by Bill Fisher and Mark Boltz-Robinson. It hosts an annual cybersecurity conference during Hacktoberfest in Washington, DC, operating under the global Security BSides framework with three core principles: expand the conversation, enable people to join the discussion, and get people involved. The conference serves information security practitioners across government and private industry, with programming that includes multiple tracks of talks, villages, CTF competitions, hiring events, and the CryptKids children's education program launched in 2015.
Attendance grew from 450 in the inaugural 2013 event to over 2,000 by 2018-2019, with 21-31 corporate sponsors annually from 2014-2019. The organization generates revenue through two streams: attendee ticket sales and corporate sponsorships, and is run by a board of directors, two co-directors, various committee chairs, and a volunteer base. The 2021 event was cancelled due to COVID-19 and hotel renovation constraints, with operations targeting a 2022 return.
BSidesDC distributes content through its website, blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and a YouTube channel archiving conference talks from 2013-2019. The organization maintains strategic partnerships including ClearedJobs (sponsoring the annual Hiring Happy Hour since 2017), We are the Cavalry (cross-community sessions since 2018), and makes charitable donations to Hackers for Charity and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The registered mailing address is 107 S. West St. PMB 512, Alexandria, VA 22314.
bsidesdc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- bsidesdc
- Legal name
- BSidesDC LLC
- Website
- https://bsidesdc.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- BSidesDC is a community-driven, volunteer-run organization that hosts an annual information security conference in Washington, DC during Hacktoberfest, serving practitioners across government and private industry with talks, villages, CTFs, hiring events, and a children's cybersecurity program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
bsidesdc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Information Security Conferences
- NAICS
- Investigation and Security Services (5616)
- SIC
- Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Convention, Trade Show & Exhibition Security (BPAKACAD)
Keywords
Where bsidesdc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alexandria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
bsidesdc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Conference Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support the event through financial contributions. Sponsorship tiers and benefits are offered to interested companies. The event had between 21-31 sponsors annually from 2014-2019.
- Attendee Tickets and Registration: The conference sells tickets to attendees. Attendance has grown from 450 in 2013 to over 2,000 in recent years. Room block promotions offer discounted hotel tickets to attendees who book within the conference room block.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
bsidesdc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BSidesDC organizes and operates an annual information security conference held during Hacktoberfest in Washington, DC. The multi-day event features multiple tracks of talks, hands-on villages (wireless, lock sport), Capture-the-Flag competitions, training sessions, hiring events, and networking opportunities for information security practitioners from government and private industry. The portfolio also includes CryptKids, a children's cybersecurity education program launched in 2015 featuring age-appropriate activities, escape rooms, and hands-on challenges.
Product overview
BSidesDC is an annual cybersecurity conference organized by BSidesDC LLC, a Virginia limited liability company. The core product is the BSidesDC Conference, a multi-day event held during Hacktoberfest featuring multiple tracks of talks, villages, workshops, CTF competitions, and networking opportunities. The portfolio includes CryptKids, a children's education program launched in 2015. The conference has grown from 450 attendees in 2013 to over 2000 attendees by 2019, establishing itself as one of the largest regional Security BSides events globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BSidesDC Conference Annual regional cybersecurity conference held in Washington, DC during Hacktoberfest. Features multiple tracks of talks, villages (wireless, lock sport), workshops, CTF competitions, hiring events, and networking opportunities for information security professionals from government and private industry.
- CryptKids Children's cybersecurity education program within the BSidesDC conference, featuring age-appropriate hacking challenges, escape rooms, and hands-on activities to introduce kids to information security concepts. Run as part of the annual conference since 2015.
Quantifiable outcome
- Grew from 450 attendees in 2013 to over 2,000 attendees by 2018
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use bsidesdc
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
bsidesdc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
bsidesdc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ClearedJobscoreClearedJobs sponsors the annual Hiring Happy Hour event at BSidesDC, which has become extremely popular. This connects security-cleared professionals with employers seeking talent. Second year of partnership in 2017; continued through 2018.
- Security BSides GlobalcoreBSidesDC operates under the umbrella principles of Security BSides as a larger community project within information security. Each Security BSides is a community-driven framework and BSidesDC is a regional B-Sides operating under these global principles: expand the conversation, enable people to join the discussion, and get people involved.
- Hackers for CharityminorBSidesDC makes donations to Hackers for Charity as part of community giving back. Supported in 2014 and continued through subsequent years.
- Electronic Frontier FoundationminorBSidesDC makes donations to EFF as part of community giving back. Supported in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
- We are the CavalryminorWe are the Cavalry sessions at BSidesDC bring hackers and federal staff together to meet and greet and share information. First session was in 2018 as 'First Contact'; second year hosted in 2019.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
bsidesdc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Black Hat: A major global information security conference series operated by Informa. Black Hat targets enterprise security buyers and practitioners, competing for the same sponsor and attendee pool as BSidesDC but at a significantly larger scale.
- DEF CON: One of the world's largest hacker conventions, held annually in Las Vegas. While much larger in scale, DEF CON targets the same information security practitioner community and competes for sponsor dollars and speaker attention.
- RSA Conference: The largest enterprise-focused cybersecurity conference, held annually in San Francisco. RSA targets the broader security vendor and buyer ecosystem that BSidesDC also serves, though at a much larger commercial scale.
Emerging players
- OWASP Foundation: A global nonprofit focused on improving software security through community-driven open source projects, documentation, and local chapter events. Comparable as a community-driven security organization with overlapping audiences and educational content focus.
Direct peers
- BSides Charm: A regional Security BSides chapter held in the Baltimore/Mid-Atlantic area, directly competing with BSidesDC for the same DC-area security practitioner audience and sponsor relationships.
- BSidesSF: A regional Security BSides chapter held in the San Francisco Bay Area during the same RSA Conference week. BSidesSF is the closest peer in format, scale, and audience, and one of BSidesDC's most comparable sibling events.
- Security BSides: The global umbrella organization under which BSidesDC operates. Security BSides provides the community framework and principles that BSidesDC and other regional BSides chapters follow, making it the most directly comparable peer.
- ShmooCon: An annual hacker convention held in the Washington, DC area, sharing BSidesDC's geographic market, target audience (security practitioners), and community-driven ethos. Direct competitor for DC-area security professionals' attention and time.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
bsidesdc social profiles
Digital presencebsidesdc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
bsidesdc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
bsidesdc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
bsidesdc 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 bsidesdc
What does bsidesdc do?
BSidesDC organizes and operates an annual information security conference held during Hacktoberfest in Washington, DC. The multi-day event features multiple tracks of talks, hands-on villages (wireless, lock sport), Capture-the-Flag competitions, training sessions, hiring events, and networking opportunities for information security practitioners from government and private industry. The portfolio also includes CryptKids, a children's cybersecurity education program launched in 2015 featuring age-appropriate activities, escape rooms, and hands-on challenges.
Is bsidesdc a public or private company?
bsidesdc is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was bsidesdc founded?
bsidesdc was founded in 2012.
Where is bsidesdc based?
bsidesdc is headquartered in Alexandria, United States, in the North America region.
How does bsidesdc make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Conference Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are attendee Tickets and Registration.
Who are bsidesdc's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Black Hat, DEF CON and RSA Conference. OWASP Foundation is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are BSides Charm, BSidesSF, Security BSides and ShmooCon.
Does bsidesdc have an API?
No public API is recorded for bsidesdc.
What industry is bsidesdc in?
bsidesdc's product category is Information Security Conferences. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKACAD, Convention, Trade Show & Exhibition Security. Its NAICS code is 5616 and its SIC code is 7381.