San Francisco-based private equity firm True Wind Capital has announced a growth investment in Ultimate Knowledge Institute (UKi), a provider of cybersecurity workforce readiness solutions, to support UKi’s expansion and mission acceleration. The investment aims to provide UKi with strategic support and resources, bolstering investments in product development, content creation, capabilities, and expanding sales and marketing efforts. True Wind Capital will collaborate with UKi’s management to foster organic growth while maintaining the company’s customer-focused approach to cyber readiness.
Founded in 1999, Ultimate Knowledge Institute (UKi) specializes in delivering and managing cybersecurity workforce development and readiness solutions. The company’s offerings include its proprietary OpenDash360™ platform, which serves as a competency-driven readiness and learning system. UKi also provides custom-built cyber content and ranges, alongside the UKi Cyber Arena, which offers multi-vendor content for operational cyber readiness applications.
UKi serves a diverse clientele, including national security agencies, government contractors, state governments, and commercial enterprises. These organizations utilize UKi’s platform to build, educate, and maintain mission-ready cyber workforces, addressing a critical need in the cybersecurity landscape.
Tony Akers, Founder and CEO of UKi, highlighted the strategic fit, stating, “True Wind brings a collaborative, long-term approach that aligns well with our mission and values. Their technology expertise and strong track record expanding businesses are complementary to our agility and disciplined customer focus. Our partnership is sure to take UKi to the next level.”
Andy Jang, Partner at True Wind Capital, elaborated on the investment rationale: “UKi has built a first-of-its-kind platform that goes beyond traditional learning management systems to measure competency, individual and team performance, and readiness for specific job roles.” He added that UKi is well-positioned to address the urgent demand for a cybersecurity platform that can integrate decentralized training, map competencies to job roles, personalize training, and deliver individual and team readiness assessments.
True Wind Capital, established in 2015 and based in San Francisco, is a private equity firm that partners with management teams to build technology businesses in growing vertical markets. The firm focuses on Industrial Tech, Business Services & Compliance, and Financial Services sectors, with 17 platform investments and numerous add-on acquisitions since its inception.
