Reach CISO buyers on disclosed, editorial terms.
CISOs Connect™ does not sell member contact lists. Vendors earn airtime by being evaluated on the merits — through Security Shark Tank®, sponsored research with editorial guardrails, or the advisory desk.
Security Shark Tank®
The vendor-pitch session that put CISOs Connect™ on the map. Vendors present capability to a panel of CISO judges; the panel awards the round. The format has been running since 2014.
Twelve minutes, three judges
A founder or product leader pitches a working CISO panel for twelve minutes, followed by judge Q&A. No slides for the judges; live capability demonstration only.
Judges award the round
At session end, the CISO panel scores the pitch on three axes: novelty of capability, operational fit for a real security program, and credibility of the team. The judges' written notes are shared with the vendor.
Recap circulated to members
Sessions and judge commentary are distributed to CISOs Connect™ members as research artifacts. Vendor receives the recording and the panel's structured feedback.
Vendor-funded research, editorial-independent.
A vendor can sponsor a research topic. The vendor pays the production cost. CISOs Connect™ retains editorial control — including the right to publish findings the sponsor would have preferred we did not.
Topic, not findings.
Sponsors propose the question; CISOs Connect™ designs the research, recruits the practitioner panel, conducts the interviews, and authors the report. The sponsor is acknowledged on the cover and in the foreword.
Editorial veto.
If the practitioner panel finds against the sponsor's product category, that is what the report says. Sponsors who cannot live with this should not sponsor research. Vendors who can earn outsized credibility in the field.
Reference engagements include the Maro Vendor Landscape series and the CyberArk identity-threat-detection brief. Inquire for the methodology and editorial-charter documents before commissioning.
Direct, paid access to the panel.
For vendors who need structured advisory engagement — roadmap review, pricing-model evaluation, GTM positioning vetted against a CISO buyer — we run scoped advisory packages with named members. Confidential, NDA-bounded, hourly or retainer.
Vendors currently in the program.
A directory of vendors with an active sponsorship, advisory, or Shark Tank engagement. Inclusion is editorial — it does not constitute endorsement.
CyberArk
Identity-threat detection brief; Shark Tank 2025.
Blue Yonder
Sponsored research; advisory engagement.
Maro
Vendor landscape report; advisory engagement.
Your firm
Engagement inquiries open Q3 2026.
Tell us what you have in mind.
A member of the engagement desk will follow up within five business days with a scoping conversation.