Sponsorship Opportunities
Five ways to sponsor CISO.POKER — from anchoring the prize pool to owning the room, the production, the hospitality, or the community that fills the seats.
How Sponsorship Works
Anchor, production, hospitality, prize, or community. Each has its own contribution model and benefits. Some are exclusive; most allow one sponsor per slot.
On the felt, in the chip stack, on the card decks, on the prize envelope, at the bar — wherever it makes sense for your category. No banner stands. Physical items are custom manufactured at CISO Gear.
Prize contributors get 60 seconds at the ceremony. Production and hospitality sponsors are credited when the thing they funded is introduced. One honest sentence, in front of a room that's paying attention.
We don't badge-scan attendees. We don't build lead lists for sponsors. The room trusts the environment because of this — which is why the conversations you have here are worth more than a list of emails you'd never get responses from anyway.
Every sponsor gets a dedicated NFC poker chip — locked URL, your destination, live tap analytics. Someone who picks it up and taps it in a room full of CISOs is a warm signal no badge scan can replicate. Chip is yours after the event.
How the chip system works →Each sponsor gets a unique referral code that appears on the seat application form. Every CISO who applies using your code is attributed to your company — from the first outreach to confirmed seat. Pre-event pipeline visibility, not just night-of presence.
Together: full-funnel view from outreach to room. Who you brought, who tapped, who sat down.
◆ FeltIQ — Sponsor Intelligence Benefit
FeltIQ debuts at HSC 2026 — our anonymous, real-time intelligence
platform, designed to run at every CISO.POKER event going forward. Tablet kiosks at
check-in, poker tables, food stations, and breaks capture fast, adaptive responses
from attendees throughout the night. No surveys. No forms. No badge scans.
Sponsors receive a post-event FeltIQ Intelligence Report — anonymized
aggregate analysis of what the room actually thinks. What AI risk concerns are driving
budgets. Which vendor categories are trusted vs. oversold. Where security leaders see
gaps in their stack. What they're worried about heading into next year.
172 questions across 17 categories. 80+ security decision-makers. Zero personally
identifiable data. The kind of signal that takes months and five figures to replicate
through traditional market research — delivered the week after the event.
One open slot for a top-tier sponsor wanting top billing on the contributor list. VC firm, platform vendor, or industry leader.
The anchor position is exclusive and non-recurring. Once contracted, the anchor sponsor holds first right of refusal on the next CISO.POKER flagship event — first crack at renewal before any new solicitation opens publicly.
Anchor name leads all event communications, signage, and post-event coverage as the presenting sponsor of The Stack.
If a VC firm anchors, the umbrella covers participating portfolio companies. Each contributing company gets their own Stack contributor slot and 60-second ceremony moment.
Anchor automatically claims a Stack contributor slot — donate enterprise product access, get the 60-second ceremony moment, logo on all prize materials.
A reserved seat at the tournament for an anchor representative — playing alongside CISOs, not pitching to them.
Firms that bring 15–20 verified CISOs qualify for a community anchor credit — your name on the room you helped fill.
Your brand is physically present at every table, in every hand, for the entire night.
HSC 2026 is a casino venue — cards, chips, and felt are venue-supplied per Nevada gaming regulations. Card guards and table signs are produced in-house at CISO Gear and are open for HSC 2026. Card decks, chips, felt stickers, trophy, and videography are open for non-casino future events. View gear page →
Custom 3D-printed sponsor signage at every table — produced in-house at CISO Gear, present in every video clip and table photo throughout the night.
Per-player card guards custom printed by CISO Gear with your logo. Players use them all night — and most take them home.
Own the room. Own the night. The venue and everything in it can carry your name.
Buy out the event space. 'The Stack at [Your Brand] — presented by CISO.POKER.' The room is yours.
Private VIP suite adjacent to the tournament floor for executive conversations, media, and final-table watching.
Negotiate and fund a block of rooms at the venue hotel for attendees. Your name on every room key envelope.
Sponsor the open bar, the break food, or both. The night runs on what you provide. Every attendee notices.
The prize is the whole point. Every category of it can carry a sponsor.
Contribute donated enterprise product access to The Stack — 1-year access, PoC, trial, policy pack, or offensive security review all qualify. 60-second ceremony moment, logo on all prize materials, sponsor seat at the tables. Specifics discussed privately.
Players draw a randomized NFC bounty chip at check-in. When they knock someone out, the dealer taps the chip and the prize reveals on the spot. Sponsor the bounty pool with product access, licenses, or hardware — your brand shows up at every elimination.
Every player receives a bag at registration. Sponsor the bag itself, or contribute an item. Branded apparel sourced through Security By Design (securitybydesign.shop) — our print-on-demand arm for t-shirts, hats, and community swag.
Sponsor the 2nd and 3rd place prizes independently of the main Stack contribution. Smaller commitment, still named at the ceremony.
The most valuable thing you can contribute isn't money. It's the right people.
If you place CISOs and can bring 10–20 verified security executives to the event, we want to talk. Your name goes on the cohort you help fill.
BSides organizers, DEF CON villages, security community groups — if your community overlaps with ours, co-hosting an underground tier makes sense.
Security podcasts, newsletters, and media properties that can amplify the event to the right audience. Coverage traded for access.
ISACA, ISC², ISSA, or similar — if your membership includes working CISOs, a formal partnership gets your members into the room.
HSC 2026 — Sponsorship Status
The anchor sponsor slot is open — VC firm, platform vendor, or industry leader can
claim top billing. Stack contributor slots are open and assembling. All other categories
are open for the inaugural event.
The event is Wednesday August 5, 2026, Las Vegas Strip, during DEF CON / Black Hat week.
75–100 CISOs. Three hours. The Stack as the finishing position contribution, plus
community bounties throughout the night and felt-moment awards. First-time sponsorships
establish first right of refusal on the next CISO.POKER flagship event.
Sponsorship Availability — HSC 2026
Sponsor Application
Select your category and describe what you'd contribute. We respond within two business days. If you're a VC applying on behalf of a portfolio, or an executive search firm with CISOs to bring — note that in the form.
Prefer email? [email protected]
First right of refusal
Companies that sponsor any category at HSC 2026 receive first right of refusal for the same category at the next CISO.POKER event before solicitation opens publicly.
Future event interest
Not ready to commit to HSC 2026 but want to be in the loop for future events? Select "Future Events" or "Open" as your scope — we'll reach out when the next event is announced.
Invite-only Texas Hold'em for 75–100 CISOs and senior security leaders. Free entry. No badge scans. No pitches. Real conversations across the table.
75–100 seats · Applications reviewed manually
Host a CISO.POKER Event
Tell us the basics — we respond within 3 business days. Full details on the host page →
Inquiry received.
We'll follow up within 3 business days. Check your email for a confirmation.
View full host page →