Orlando, FL, April 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cyber Florida at USF and ThreatLocker, a global leader in Zero Trust cybersecurity, today announced that ThreatLocker will serve as the lead sponsor of CyberLaunch, Cyber Florida’s annual cybersecurity competition for Florida middle and high school students. The financial support will help cover travel and lodging costs for participating teams, thereby expanding access to the nation’s largest state-sponsored in-person cybersecurity competition.
“Cybercriminals and nation-state actors aren’t slowing down, and we need more people ready to stop them,” ThreatLocker CEO & Co-Founder Danny Jenkins said. “Building that workforce starts with getting students interested early and giving them opportunities like CyberLaunch to develop real skills. My own interest in cybersecurity began in grade school, and we’re proud to support a program that helps foster that same interest in the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.”
Cyber Florida, a state-funded organization housed at the University of South Florida, works to position Florida as a national leader in cybersecurity. Programs like CyberLaunch directly support this mission by strengthening education, advancing research, and building the state’s cybersecurity workforce pipeline.
This year, 500 students representing 63 Florida high schools will compete in CyberLaunch. To qualify, students first participated in a statewide virtual qualifier held last fall, which was free and open to all middle and high school students across Florida. Of the 1,300 students who participated in the virtual qualifier, 500 of the top performers earned invitations to the in-person 2026 CyberLaunch State Championship to take place on April 24 at the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus. The competition features beginner, intermediate, and advanced tracks to accommodate students of all experience levels.
“Florida is becoming the epicenter of forward-thinking cybersecurity companies, driven in part by the growth of organizations like ThreatLocker,” said Cyber Florida Senior Director Ernie Ferraresso. “To sustain that momentum, we must invest in the next generation by creating opportunities for students interested in cybersecurity careers. CyberLaunch plays a key role in expanding access to cybersecurity education across the state.”
About ThreatLocker
ThreatLocker is a global cybersecurity leader that stops cyberattacks before they happen. The company’s Zero Trust Platform prevents breaches from both known and unknown threats by allowing only explicitly trusted software and activity across endpoints, networks, and cloud systems. Built to deploy quickly and scale across complex environments, the platform reduces operational overhead while keeping business running uninterrupted. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, with offices in Dublin, Dubai, and Brisbane, ThreatLocker protects over 70,000 organizations worldwide.
About Cyber Florida
The Florida Center for Cybersecurity at the University of South Florida, commonly referred to as Cyber Florida at USF, was established by the Florida Legislature in 2014. Its mission is to position Florida as a national leader in cybersecurity through comprehensive education, cutting-edge research, and extensive outreach. Cyber Florida leads various initiatives to inspire and educate current and future cybersecurity professionals, advance applied research, and enhance cybersecurity awareness and safety of individuals and organizations.
ThreatLocker Inc 321-515-3813 press@threatlocker.com Jennifer Kleman Cyber Florida 863-398-5610 jennifer437@cyberflorida.org