Echelon Risk + Cyber Debuts in the Top 10% of the 2025 Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies
The Inc. 5000 list is the most trusted annual ranking of entrepreneurial success in the U.S., spotlighting independent businesses that are driving growth, innovation, and job creation.
'This recognition is a direct reflection of our values in action,' said Dan Desko, CEO and Co-Founder of Echelon Risk + Cyber. 'Breaking into the top 10% on our first attempt shows what's possible when you combine a team of true professionals with a shared commitment to doing the right thing, the right way, every time. We succeed because our clients trust us with what matters most, and our team shows up every day ready to earn that trust. Being the leading Pittsburgh-based company on the list makes it even sweeter, because it shows that world-class innovation and execution can thrive right here in our hometown.'
'Making the Inc. 5000 is always a remarkable achievement, but earning a spot this year speaks volumes about a company's tenacity and clarity of vision,' says Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. 'These businesses have thrived amid rising costs, shifting global dynamics, and constant change. They didn't just weather the storm—they grew through it, and their stories are a powerful reminder that the entrepreneurial spirit is the engine of the U.S. economy.'
For the full list, company profiles, and a searchable database by industry and location, visit: www.inc.com/inc5000.
About Echelon Risk + Cyber
Echelon Risk + Cyber is a cybersecurity professional services firm built on the belief that privacy and security are basic human rights. Echelon's comprehensive suite of services are customized and right-sized for each client, helping to solve even the most complex cybersecurity issues. Services include vCISO-Led Security Team as a Service, Offensive Security Consulting & Adversarial Simulation, Defensive Security Consulting & Hardening, and Cyber Risk Advisory & Compliance.
About Inc.
Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company.
For more information, visit www.inc.com.
Media Contact
Company Name: Echelon Risk + Cyber
Contact Person: Marissa Salzone
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: https://echeloncyber.com/
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
29 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Could Buying Energy Transfer Stock Today Set You Up for Life?
Key Points Energy Transfer has extensive natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil operations. The limited partnership's juicy distributions should continue to grow over time. Energy Transfer also has tremendous growth opportunities supplying natural gas for AI-focused data centers. 10 stocks we like better than Energy Transfer › Investing in hot technologies can be done in different ways. For example, when personal computers were first catching on, some investors bought software stocks rather than the stocks of PC makers. In the early days of the internet boom, some invested in networking stocks instead of highly volatile dot-com start-ups. A similar opportunity is available today with artificial intelligence (AI). You could bet on which AI stock you hope will be the biggest winner. However, some investors understand that AI models require massive amounts of power. And they know that the largest source of generating electricity in the U.S. is natural gas. The stocks of companies that transport and process natural gas should, therefore, be big winners as demand for AI surges. Enter Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET), one of the best natural gas stocks on the market. Could buying Energy Transfer stock today set you up for life? About Energy Transfer The first thing you should know about Energy Transfer is that it's a limited partnership (LP). One key benefit of investing in an LP is that it doesn't pay corporate income taxes. This can help investors avoid double taxation, where the company pays taxes on its profits and then pays dividends to unitholders who have to pay taxes on the dividends. If you want to profit from increased natural gas demand driven by AI, Energy Transfer is one of the top midstream companies in North America. Its natural gas pipelines generate roughly 19% of its total adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). Operations related to natural gas liquids (NGLs) and refined products contribute 20% of adjusted EBITDA. Midstream assets, including natural gas gathering pipelines, kick in another 20%. Energy Transfer's pipelines transport around 32.4 million British thermal units (BTUs) of natural gas each day. The LP fractionates (separating NGLs into their components) in the ballpark of 1.15 million barrels per day of NGLs. And its facilities can store roughly 236 billion cubic feet of natural gas. However, Energy Transfer's business isn't limited to natural gas and NGLs. The company also transports around 7 million barrels per day of crude oil. Its Sunoco subsidiary primarily focuses on energy infrastructure and the distribution of motor fuels. Its USAC subsidiary provides compression services used in processing and transporting crude oil, in addition to natural gas. A pipeline to attractive total returns Energy Transfer has delivered a cumulative total return of around 300% over the last five years. The LP's distributions accounted for nearly half of that amount. Distributions should continue to play an important role in total returns for a long time to come. Energy Transfer's distribution yield (the LP version of dividend yield) currently stands at 7.59%. The company targets annual distribution growth of between 3% and 5%. Investors will likely enjoy more than just juicy distributions, though. Energy Transfer's unit price should also appreciate nicely as its adjusted EBITDA rises. Between 2020 and 2024, the midstream leader's adjusted EBITDA increased by a compound annual growth rate of 10%. Is that level of growth sustainable? Probably so. Energy Transfer has a significant project backlog that it believes will support long-term growth. In its second-quarter update, the company reported requests to connect to around 200 data centers in 15 states. It also had requests to connect to more than 60 power plants in 14 states. Perhaps the biggest indicator of how AI could boost Energy Transfer's fortunes over the long run is its agreement with CloudBurst to provide natural gas to data centers in central Texas. With this deal, Energy Transfer's pipelines will provide up to 450,000 million BTUs per day of natural gas to CloudBurst's AI-focused data center campus. Setting you up for life? With all this in mind, can investing in Energy Transfer set you up for life? Maybe. The answer to the question hinges largely on how much money is required to achieve the goal, which will vary from one person to the next. It also depends on how much money you can invest and what your investment time frame is. Whether or not buying Energy Transfer stock sets you up for life, it could be a profitable long-term investment. Income investors should especially find this LP attractive because of its ultrahigh distribution yield. Should you invest $1,000 in Energy Transfer right now? Before you buy stock in Energy Transfer, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Energy Transfer wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $660,783!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,122,682!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,069% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 184% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 13, 2025
Globe and Mail
29 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Prediction: 1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock That Could Join the Trillion-Dollar Club
Key Points AMD stock has to double less than twice to reach $1 trillion. Its growing success with AI accelerators could make it a stronger competitor in that market. 10 stocks we like better than Advanced Micro Devices › Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) has evolved into a semiconductor powerhouse in recent years. Under the leadership of Lisa Su, it overtook longtime rival Intel in the PC market. Although Nvidia 's success with the artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator market initially took AMD by surprise, AMD's efforts to catch up have made it an increasingly important company in that market. Such innovations have also made AMD a prime candidate to join the 10 companies that now have a market cap above $1 trillion. Here's how it can reach that milestone, and why the path might be easier to achieve than many investors might assume. Where AMD stands now At first glance, AMD might appear far away from that milestone since its $280 billion market cap means it is only 28% of the way toward that goal. However, that is not as far away from $1 trillion as it might appear. At the current market cap, it has to double in value less than two times to reach that point. Moreover, a simple increase in popularity could get AMD to that point. Although its 99 price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio might make it appear pricey, it currently sells at a forward P/E ratio of 44. Thus, if it achieves some of the popularity that has boosted Palantir, a stock that sells at 623 times its earnings, multiple expansion alone could take it there. Reaching $1 trillion through business growth More importantly, AMD is in a strong position to reach a $1 trillion market cap even if such hype does not materialize. The company's data center segment, which designs AI accelerators, generated just over $6.9 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, around 46% of AMD's total. In comparison, Nvidia's data center segment made up 89% of the company's revenue in its most recent quarter. Admittedly, AMD is significantly behind Nvidia in the AI accelerator market, and while AMD's MI350 chip has generated some interest due to its lower cost, it is hardly a threat to Nvidia's dominance. However, AMD plans to release the MI400 next year. With its integration with AMD's upcoming Helios rack-scale solution, some analysts believe it can become a competitive threat to Nvidia's upcoming Vera Rubin platform. Nvidia's CUDA software, which has previously cemented its dominance, also faces increased competitive threats. Such conditions could mean AMD is on the way to becoming a full-fledged competitor in the AI market. Additionally, Grand View Research forecasts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29% through 2030, taking the market's size to an estimated $323 billion. If that prediction comes to pass, AMD will almost certainly benefit from that industry growth. Even if data center revenue becomes AMD's dominant revenue source, investors should not forget about the client, embedded, and gaming segments. Fortune Business Insights forecasts a CAGR of 15% for the semiconductor industry through 2032. That seems to affirm Grand View's findings, and the market rising above $2 trillion presents AMD with a massive tailwind. Finally, as conditions stand now, Nvidia has reached a market cap of just under $4.5 trillion, making AMD approximately 6% of its size. Hence, even if AMD grew to slightly less than one-fourth of Nvidia's size, its market cap would presumably reach $1 trillion or higher. AMD at $1 trillion (and beyond) Ultimately, AMD is on track to benefit from numerous catalysts that will likely take its market cap to $1 trillion and beyond. The company is less than two doubles away from reaching $1 trillion, meaning hype alone could take it to that milestone. Still, the growth of the semiconductor industry in general puts it on track to spark massive growth. Additionally, even though all four of AMD's segments will probably contribute to the company's growth, the path to $1 trillion will most likely hinge on the AI accelerator market, particularly with the upcoming release of the MI400. Even if it falls somewhat short of expectations, investors should remember that AMD can reach $1 trillion even if it grows to less than one-fourth of Nvidia's size. Such conditions make reaching a $1 trillion market cap easier than most investors are likely assuming. Should you invest $1,000 in Advanced Micro Devices right now? Before you buy stock in Advanced Micro Devices, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Advanced Micro Devices wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $660,783!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,122,682!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,069% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 184% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 13, 2025 Will Healy has positions in Advanced Micro Devices and Intel. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, Nvidia, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short August 2025 $24 calls on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
CBC
30 minutes ago
- CBC
Regulator rebukes N.S. Power's request for secrecy in cybersecurity inquiry
Social Sharing Nova Scotia Power wants special rules and blanket secrecy during an inquiry into its massive cybersecurity breach earlier this year, but the board in charge of the process is not keen on the proposal. In a public letter submitted last week, Nova Scotia Power asked the Nova Scotia Energy Board, which is conducting the inquiry, to set aside its usual procedures and adopt those of a privacy regulator, and to keep all submissions confidential for at least the duration of the process. In a response letter this week, the energy board said the request for sweeping confidentiality concessions was "not acceptable or appropriate," and that it is "unclear" why the procedures used by privacy regulators are relevant. The board highlighted that it follows an open courts principle and said it intends to conduct the inquiry "as publicly and transparently as possible." "It appears that NS Power believes it is entitled to unilaterally designate information it may file as 'Board Confidential' and expects that this claimed status will be accepted without review or question," board clerk Crystal Henwood wrote. She said that is not the way the inquiry will be conducted. Secrecy requires justification, board says Henwood noted that some information to be submitted over the course of the inquiry may be "quite sensitive" and could warrant confidentiality, but added the utility will have to justify this in each instance. In the case of one recent letter, for which the utility requested confidentiality, the board said it needed a detailed and specific justification "for each and every paragraph." WATCH| Nova Scotia Power leadership grilled by legislators: Politicians put Nova Scotia Power execs in the hot seat 2 months ago Nova Scotia Power's cybersecurity breach began in March, when thieves accessed personal information for hundreds of thousands of customers from the utility's networks and servers. The utility has said it did not know about the breach until more than a month later, at which point it notified the public. The energy board notified the utility in mid-May that it would conduct an inquiry into the matter, noting it wanted to ensure "regulatory oversight and accountability." Since then, several third parties have applied to participate as interveners in the case, including the provincial Department of Energy, the non-profit group EfficiencyOne, a consortium of some of the province's biggest industrial businesses, a small business advocate and a consumer advocate. Many of those groups are regular interveners in Nova Scotia Power matters that go before the board, giving them the opportunity to comment and question throughout the hearing process. NS Power seeks to exclude interveners In last week's letter, a lawyer representing Nova Scotia Power asked that no one but the board and the utility be allowed to participate. In other words, he asked that interveners be excluded. Adam Kardash — who, according to his law firm's website, specializes in privacy and data management for businesses — said allowing third parties to participate would make the process too "adversarial." He noted that privacy investigations do not allow third parties to intervene. The board said little by way of response to this proposal, except to note that several parties have already intervened. Kardash wrote that the company's justification for special rules and secret submissions could not be made publicly, and referred to a "Confidential Submission" for details. The board countered that it wasn't clear why the confidential submission could not have been publicly disclosed. "Much of the information appears to have already been publicly disclosed, is broad or general in nature, or simply states a position rather than disclose anything that appears particularly sensitive," Henwood said. Henwood asked for justification for keeping the submission confidential. Kardash asked that all submissions be kept secret until the board's final report on the inquiry. Additionally, he asked that the board give Nova Scotia Power a draft of its final report before publication to comment on "factual accuracy, the confidentiality of any commercial information, and the Board's legal conclusions." Again, he noted this is how privacy investigations usually proceed. Henwood highlighted that the energy board is not a privacy regulator, and said Nova Scotia Power seemed to "not sufficiently recognize" that the board's processes are based on an "open courts" principle.
