CyberWire and CyberVista are merging to form a ‘news-to-knowledge’ network

Today, a new team is taking on the cyber sphere with a novel approach, thanks to a merger between a podcast network and a cyber training company.

Audio network CyberWire and training program CyberVista will be merging to create a so-called “news-to-knowledge” network, the pair announced. The combined company will be known as N2K Networks.

CyberWire CEO Peter Kilpe will become CEO of N2K while CyberVista CEO Simone Petrella will be its president. The newly merged company is supported by a $5.4 million Series A, led by Graham Holdings Company with participation from DataTribe, which the pair also announced along with the combination.

Petrella, whose company focuses on building up the cyber pipeline, said she was eager to create a combined company with Kilpe after noticing a cyber field-wide need for constant learning.

 “It became very clear throughout our history that learning and knowledge doesn’t end once you finish a certain course,” Petrella told Technical.ly. “There’s this need, especially in the cybersecurity industry, to continuously say up to date on the trends, the threat landscape, what’s happening in the industry.”

On the flip side, Kilpe, too, noticed that many listeners weren’t just interested in staying current, but wanted to gain knowledge about the industry. So, together they decided to create N2K, which will be “an umbrella that houses brands” including a media component coupled with education and job training. Given the constant need for new talent, Kilpe said he hopes that N2K will assist in building up the pipeline.

“Because we’ve recognized that people actually are educated through media, we have this opportunity to not only get people the skills they need but get them up the knowledge curve and keep them there with a continuous learning experience,” Kilpe said.

With the funds, the company plans to grow the team, create additional media and educational content and build out its technology and platform. The original companies’ leaders haven’t settled on a specific HQ yet (CyberVista is based in Rosslyn, Virginia, while CyberWire’s in Fulton, Maryland) but said they will continue a hybrid model. The combined company will consist of approximately 60 employees, with plans to grow to 70 or 80 in the next year.

On the whole, Kilpe is confident that the new company will be a strong and resilient one that fills a local need.

“Being able to have the power, that data-driven education training piece from CyberVista, will allow us to enrich that experience that people are already getting on the audio side,” Kilpe said.