Want to win your way to exhibit at Black Hat USA 2025? Make sure to submit your application by June 11 for the chance to win the next Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition
The Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition, a pitch competition for cybersecurity startup companies to present their products and solutions in front of a live audience at Black Hat, has officially returned for Black Hat USA 2025. This year, Black Hat USA will take place August 2 to August 7 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Competition finalists will present during the event on Wednesday, August 6 at 1:30 PM, and the winner will be announced shortly after. Finalists will then exhibit their companies' products and solutions on August 6 and August 7 in the Business Hall, as well as each present a talk in the Startup City Theater within the Business Hall.
What do you need to know to enter?
Those interested in entering the competition must create and submit a five-minute video pitch and submit select company information highlighting their company's competitive advantages of their product or solution, as well as how it will help cybersecurity professionals. Products and solutions can be in development, about to launch, or in the recently launched phases. Please note, video pitch submissions longer than five minutes will not be considered for the competition.
All submissions can be entered HERE.
Image features one of the finalists presenting their product/solution during the Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition at Black Hat USA 2024.
Which companies can submit an entry?
Any startup company that is five years old or less and has less than 50 employees may enter the competition. Please note, a company does not need to currently be an Exhibitor at Black Hat USA 2025 to enter.
What do finalists receive?
Four finalists will be chosen and all finalists will receive:
Key Dates for the Startup Spotlight Competition at Black Hat USA 2025:
Who are the judges this year?
The judges for this competition at Black Hat USA 2025 include:
Image features the judges' panel during the Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition at Black Hat USA 2024.
More information on this year's judges' panel can be found HERE.
Feedback from recent winners:
Since winning the Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition at Black Hat USA 2023, Mobb's CEO, Eitan Worcel, shared, "Winning the Black Hat Startup Spotlight was a major validation moment for us—especially as the first to bring this kind of developer-first auto-remediation solution to market. It signaled that the industry was ready for a shift, and it gave us instant credibility with security and dev teams alike. Since then, we've seen real traction: customers consistently tell us how much time and friction Mobb saves by taking the pain out of vulnerability remediation. If you're thinking of applying, go for it. But be clear on your differentiation—and back it up."
Since winning the Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition at Black Hat USA 2024, Knostic's CTO and Co-Founder, Sounil Yu, shared, "Being a finalist and winning the Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition put us on the map, gave us the exposure we needed to educate the market and attract more customers, and set us apart from countless other AI security vendors. This momentum validated our vision, fueled our growth, and most importantly, reinforced our team's confidence that we have what it takes to compete and thrive at the highest level."
Image features the winner of the Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition from Black Hat USA 2023, Mobb, announcing Knostic as the winner during the Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition at Black Hat USA 2024. Pictured from left to right: Eitan Worcel, CEO & Co-Founder at Mobb and Sounil Yu, CTO and Co-Founder at Knostic.
If you have additional questions, who is the best contact?
Feel free to reach out to startup@blackhat.com with any additional Startup Spotlight Competition questions.
For registration and additional information on Black Hat USA 2025, please visit www.blackhat.com/us-25/.
Top Sponsors and Partners of Black Hat USA 2025 include:
For the most up-to-date list of Sponsors from Black Hat USA 2025, please visit www.blackhat.com/us-25/event-sponsors.html.