UK-founded Hack The Box raises $1.3M to build the world’s largest hacker community
The British-Greek cybersecurity startup Hack the Box has announced a $1.3M investment to further their effort in becoming the world’s largest hacker community.
As more and more data is collected online, companies become increasingly vulnerable to data breaches. Last month, 2.1 billion records were leaked by cyber attacks. Despite the impact of these security incidents, the demand for trained cybersecurity professionals vastly outstrips the available supply. Worldwide, the cybersecurity workforce gap has increased to nearly three million people. Hack the Box aims to address this shortage through its innovative penetration testing lab, which allows cybersecurity enthusiasts to build their skills through interactive challenges.
Haris Pylarinos founded Hack the Box in 2017, after realizing the most exciting and productive way to build cybersecurity skills was through practice, rather than reading books or acquiring certificates. After completing a number of training sessions and online challenges, he began to build a platform that simulated a computer system that could be hacked into. By applying game mechanics on top, Pylarinos was able to create a complete “training playground” of virtual machines for cybersecurity enthusiasts to practice their skills. Each week, Hack the Box creates a new virtual machine for players to break into. Successful hacking attempts earn players points and a place on the global leaderboard, helping to burnish the credentials of the community’s most proficient members. The platform has opportunities for aspiring hackers of all difficulty levels, with some of the most difficult challenges taking days to complete.
Today, the Hack the Box community serves over 120,000 members worldwide alongside offering opportunities for enterprise customers. Clients such as Jet.com and EY are utilizing the platform to build their own private Hack the Box labs, as well as to find candidates for cybersecurity positions.
According to founder and CEO Haris Pylarinos, “Hacking is the new gaming. We cater to people who want to test and advance their skills in cybersecurity, and we are thrilled to bring more people into the game every day.” The remainder of the Hack the Box founding team includes James Hooker, as Technical Director and Aris Zikopoulous as CCO. This investment round was led by Marathon Venture Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund led by partners George Tziralis and Panos Papadopoulos. This investment will be used to expand Hack the Box’s free services as well as offer entirely new labs to allow real-time interaction between users.
source techeu
Industry: Cyber Security News
Latest Jobs
-
- Identity Channel Partner Manager | London
- London
- N/A
-
Identity Channel Partner Manager | London Location: South East UK (commutable to London) We are working with a Cyber Security business who are looking for a Channel Partner Manager to drive and grow relationships across their identity ecosystem. Prior experience working within VARs, distributors, vendors or resellers in the identity space is essential. You must have experience working with technologies such as CyberArk, Sailpoint, Okta etc Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to: Build, maintain and develop strong relationships with channel partners. Work closely with partner sales teams to support growth drive sales opportunities. Identify and onboard new partners while strengthening existing partnerships. Act as the key point of contact for all channel-related activity. If you are an experienced channel professional, with experience in the Identity space and are ready for your next challenge, apply today.
-
- Service Architect- DACH regions
- Germany
- Upto €110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Lead Service Architect with the authority and experience to take control of complex, multi-million-euro outsourcing bids. This role is about leading the Service/ solutioning effort, bringing structure to chaos, and driving the entire bid team to deliver winning proposals. The company area a global managed services business working with enterprise and public sector clients, across Cloud, End-User Computing, Digital Workplace, Service Desk, and Network Infrastructure. What You’ll Do: Lead Service/ solution design from qualification to contract. Control bid teams — architects, pricing, delivery, and SMEs. Break down RFPs/RFIs into actionable, costed, client-ready solutions. Present internally and to clients at decision-maker level. Run solution workshops, own the architecture, and shape the financial model. You’ll Need: Experience working as a Service architect, Service Manager or Customer Success Manager R Gravitas to lead and drive teams through high-stakes bids. Deep knowledge of managed services delivery and commercial models. Strong technical grasp: Cloud, Security, EUC, Unified Comms, Service Desk, and more. Experience leading deals across onshore, offshore, and hybrid delivery models.
-
- Deal Architect- DACH region
- Germany
- Upto €110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Lead Deal Architect with the authority and experience to take control of complex, multi-million-euro outsourcing bids. This role is about leading the solutioning/ Service effort, bringing structure to chaos, and driving the entire bid team to deliver winning proposals. The company is a global managed services business providing solutions to enterprise and public sector clients, across Cloud, End-User Computing, Digital Workplace, Service Desk, and Network Infrastructure. What You’ll Do: Lead the deal from qualification to contract. Control bid teams — architects, pricing, delivery, and SMEs. Break down RFPs/RFIs into actionable, costed, client-ready solutions. Present internally and to clients at decision-maker level. Run solution workshops, own the architecture, and shape the financial model. Be responsible for the service Wrap and ensuring the Service meets clients requirements You’ll Need: A back ground with IT Services Experience in a similar type of role, for example: Deal, Service, or Solution Architect in ICT outsourcing. Gravitas to lead and drive teams through high-stakes bids. Deep knowledge of managed services delivery and commercial models. Strong technical knowledge: Cloud, Security, EUC, Unified Comms, Service Desk, and more. Experience leading deals across onshore, offshore, and hybrid delivery models.
-
- Pre Sales Lead- IT Services
- Germany
- Upto €100,000 plus benefits
-
As the Pre-Sales Lead (Sales Engineer/ Solution Architect) you will drive large-scale ICT managed services and outsourcing deals (from €0.5M to €20M+). You'll work directly with Business Development and clients to design high-impact solutions across Cloud (Azure, IaaS, SaaS, PaaS), EUC, Unified Comms, Security (SIEM, PAM), Networks, and Smart Workplaces. What You’ll Do: Lead the end-to-end pre-sales cycle — from RFI/RFP to contract. Design innovative, client-specific solutions with technical & commercial impact. Present at CxO level and steer proposal strategies & financial models. Collaborate closely with Portfolio, Service Desk, Field, and Digital Workplace teams. Support deal shaping with strong knowledge of ITIL, SIAM, Automation, and cost analysis. What You’ll Bring: Have strong experience in pre-sales or solution architecture. Experience with €M+ managed service deals. Deep technical expertise in modern ICT stack and enterprise IT services. Strong German (C1) and English communication skills. Certifications: ITIL v3/v4 required; SIAM, ISO20000 desirable.