Cybrary raises $3.5 million Series A to expand cybersecurity training

Cybersecurity training course provider Cybrary closed on $3.5 million in Series A funding, the company said Tuesday.

The round was led by Arthur Ventures, a Fargo, ND–based venture capital firm which led the company’s seed round in 2016. Ron Gula, the former CEO of Columbia, Md.–based Tenable Network Security, also participated, along with other existing investors.

Cybrary seeks to make training materials for cybersecurity – whether it is those who are entering the field or getting a new certification –  more widely available by offering free, online training courses. The Greenbelt, Md.–based company reported 1 million registered users in May, and now has about 1.2 million.

The creators of the content aren’t only people who work at Cybrary. This open source model is designed to allow people who are creating new technology a chance to teach it, as well.

This year, the company has been working on its model for creating open source content, said cofounder Ryan Corey. The funding will help create more of that content.

“We are building the tools that are going to facilitate the open source creation and curation at a much higher quality and faster pace,” Corey said. About 5-10 courses are being added a month. The company wants to “10x that,” Corey said. Along with tools that will help to build courses, they’re also working on API integrations for companies with apps that can link to the platform.

The company has also been hiring, growing from around 10 people in 2016 to 21 today. More hiring is likely this year, Corey said.

“We’re in the phase of hiring more designers and engineers to build this platform,” he said.