Cybrary lands $25 million for its training platform for cybersecurity professionals

The demand for cybersecurity professionals is at an all-time high. The increased in cyberattacks, coupled with the pandemic has driven up the demand for experienced professionals. With colleges not graduating enough technically skilled cybersecurity professionals, the demand for cyber professionals far outnumbers the supply. That’s why one tech startup is aiming to address the cybersecurity skill shortfalls.

Cybrary is a College Park, Maryland-based tech startup and provider of cybersecurity training platform that provides the right training at the right time to fully equip cybersecurity professionals at every stage in their careers.

To further support the company’s growth and bolsters research and development (R&D) across its engineering, product, and marketing teams, Cybrary announced it has closed $25 million in a Series C funding round led by current investors, BuildGroup and Gula Tech Adventures. This latest investment brings Cybrary’s total funding to date to $48 million, following its $15 million Series B round announced in November 2019.

In conjunction with the funding, Cybrary also announced that Kevin Mandia, CEO at Mandiant, has now joined its board of directors following Mandiant’s announcement in March that it entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Google for $5.4B. He joins current members Jim Curry, Ron Gula, Ryan Kruizenga, as well as Cybrary co-founder Ryan Corey and current CEO Kevin Hanes on the company board.

Founded in 2015 by Ralph Sita and Ryan Corey, Cybrary offers cybersecurity workforce education and training services for IT professionals. The startup also offers threat-informed training and certification preparation to help industry professionals build the skills and knowledge to confidently mitigate the threats their organizations face and bridge the persistent cybersecurity skills gap.

“Our continued investment in Cybrary is a testament to our belief in the important work they’re doing to address the current cyber skills gap and how they plan to evolve their training programs in the future,” said Jim Curry, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at BuildGroup. “We can’t wait to see what this next chapter holds for Cybrary and fully support Kevin and his team every step along the way.”

Since its inception, Cybrary has enabled more than 3 million learners, from service providers and government agencies to Fortune 1000 organizations and individuals alike, to be armed and ready to respond in the fight against constantly-evolving cybersecurity threats.

“I am excited to be joining Cybrary’s board of directors during this exciting chapter of growth and momentum for the company,” said Mandia. “Its mission to elevate the workforce and narrow the cybersecurity skills gap is inspirational. I am looking forward to helping Cybrary have an even greater impact to elevate the workforce to better defend the cyber domain.”

With more than three million cybersecurity professionals using their training courses and certifications to up-skill themselves within the industry and helping to bridge the persistent cyber skills gap, Cybrary has been on a strong growth trajectory since its inception in 2015.

This funding news also comes on the heels of the company’s appointment of CEO Kevin Hanesin in October 2021, recruitment of four new executive leaders in March 2022, and the recent additions of David Maynor and Chloé Messdaghi as the Head of CTIG and Chief Impact Officer, respectively, in May 2022.

“We can’t thank BuildGroup and Gula Tech Adventures enough for their continued belief and contributions towards our mission to provide individuals, cybersecurity teams, and organizations with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to grow careers and defend against the latest cyber threats,” said Hanes. “I’m here because we have a tremendous opportunity to make an impact on a problem that matters to millions of people and these added resources will help us accelerate innovation that is centered around our core mission.”