Media Alert: Qualys Extends Major Partner Status with San Francisco Unicorns Through 2027, Championing the Growth of U.S. Cricket
MWN-AI** Summary
Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS), a leading provider of cloud-based IT security and compliance solutions, has announced the extension of its partnership with the San Francisco Unicorns as their Major Partner and Official Cybersecurity Partner for the next two seasons of Major League Cricket (MLC), specifically through 2027. This decision follows a successful inaugural partnership in 2025, where the Unicorns reached the playoffs for the second consecutive year, marking their debut in front of local fans at the Oakland Coliseum.
CEO of Qualys, Sumedh Thakar, expressed pride in continuing this partnership, highlighting shared values such as strategy, precision, and resilience that align with the company's innovation ethos. Under the renewed agreement, Qualys will maintain a prominent logo position on the Unicorns' matchday and training jerseys, further solidifying their commitment to the growth of cricket within the Bay Area.
David White, CEO of the San Francisco Unicorns, also emphasized the importance of this partnership, recognizing Qualys as key in their vision to enhance the franchise into a modern sports entertainment brand. He highlighted the role of the “Sparkle Army,” a dedicated fan base, in fostering a vibrant cricket culture in the region.
As the Unicorns prepare for the upcoming MLC season under new head coach Cameron White from June 18 to July 18, 2026, the collaboration aims to engage local communities and strengthen elite sporting objectives while celebrating the tech-driven spirit of Silicon Valley. For fans and cricket enthusiasts, tickets for matches will soon be available through the Official Major League Cricket site.
MWN-AI** Analysis
Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS) has recently extended its sponsorship with the San Francisco Unicorns, positioning itself as the Major Partner and Official Cybersecurity Partner through 2027. This partnership is particularly noteworthy, considering the burgeoning growth of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the U.S., an emerging sports market seeking a dedicated fanbase.
For investors, this strategic partnership signals a few actionable insights. First, Qualys is solidifying its brand presence in a niche market as cricket gains traction in the U.S. The company's commitment to a multi-year contract can be seen as a proactive approach to cultivate brand loyalty and recognition among a new audience—a demographic that may encompass both tech-savvy fans and a younger generation unfamiliar with traditional American sports.
Moreover, Qualys's alignment with the Unicorns—whose mission mirrors the company’s innovation-driven ethos—could foster deeper community engagement and positioning within the growing cricket culture in the Bay Area. This aligns with their broader strategic objectives, which emphasize community building alongside corporate growth, potentially enhancing customer acquisition and retention.
From a financial standpoint, investing in sports sponsorships can lead to significant return on investment (ROI) through increased brand visibility and consumer interaction. Analysts should keep an eye on qualitative measures such as fan engagement levels and ticket sales as indicators of the Unicorns' commercial viability, especially given the recent addition of a new head coach, Cameron White, who may invigorate performance and attendance.
In summary, Qualys’s extended partnership with the San Francisco Unicorns serves as a promising foray into a high-growth sector, providing a roadmap for potential revenue diversification and brand expansion. Investors should monitor this development closely, as success in this venture could positively influence Qualys's stock performance and market positioning in the tech sector.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
PR Newswire
FOSTER CITY, Calif., March 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS), a leading provider of cloud-based IT, security and compliance solutions, today announced its continued sponsorship of the San Francisco Unicorns as the Major Partner and Official Cybersecurity Partner for the 2026 and 2027 seasons of Major League Cricket (MLC), America's first professional T20 league.
The extension follows a successful inaugural season of partnership in 2025, which saw the San Francisco Unicorns reach the MLC playoffs for the second consecutive year and play in front of hometown fans at the Oakland Coliseum for the first time. Building on that momentum, the two Bay Area organizations have committed to deepening their relationship with a shared focus on growing the love of cricket in the region and strengthening local community connections.
"Cricket is a game of strategy, precision, and resilience, values that strongly align with how we innovate at Qualys," said Sumedh Thakar, president and CEO of Qualys. "We're proud to continue our partnership with the San Francisco Unicorns and support the growth of the sport in the Bay Area over the next two years. It's a natural extension of our dedication to building strong community connections and celebrating excellence. We look forward to another outstanding season together."
Under the renewed agreement, Qualys will retain its front-of-shirt logo position on all Unicorns matchday and training jerseys.
"We're thrilled to extend our flagship partnership with Qualys for a further two seasons. Building the Unicorns into a modern sports and entertainment success story requires partners who are aligned with our progressive, ambitious mindset. Our shared vision was reinforced last season and has since developed into a deeply rooted relationship that engages local communities while strengthening our elite sporting objectives," said David White, CEO, San Francisco Unicorns. "Having the Qualys logo present on the front of our jerseys is a symbol of our tech-first approach, inspired by Silicon Valley and the people that power it. We're proud to represent Qualys on and off the pitch over the next two seasons."
Central to this commitment is continued engagement with the "Sparkle Army," the dedicated community of Unicorns fans whose passion and support have played a pivotal role in building a vibrant, inclusive cricket culture in the Bay Area.
The San Francisco Unicorns will compete under new head coach, Cameron White in the 2026 MLC season, which runs from June 18 to July 18, 2026. The full match schedule and stadium details will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Tickets for all matches can be purchased through the Official Major League Cricket site.
Additional Resources
- Watch the Qualys Unicorns Partnership Video
- Visit the home of the San Francisco Unicorns, SFUnicorns.com
- Follow Qualys on LinkedIn, Instagram and X
About Qualys
Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS) is a leading provider of disruptive cloud-based security, compliance and IT solutions with more than 10,000 subscription customers worldwide, including a majority of the Forbes Global 100 and Fortune 100. Qualys helps organizations streamline and automate their security and compliance solutions onto a single platform for greater agility, better business outcomes, and substantial cost savings.
The Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform leverages a single agent to continuously deliver critical security intelligence while enabling enterprises to automate the full spectrum of vulnerability detection, compliance, and protection for IT systems, workloads and web applications across on premises, endpoints, servers, public and private clouds, containers, and mobile devices. Founded in 1999 as one of the first SaaS security companies, Qualys has strategic partnerships and seamlessly integrates its vulnerability management capabilities into security offerings from cloud service providers, including Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Amazon Web Services, the Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure, along with a number of leading managed service providers and global consulting organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.qualys.com.
Qualys, Qualys VMDR®, Qualys TruRisk and the Qualys logo are proprietary trademarks of Qualys, Inc. All other products or names may be trademarks of their respective companies.
Media Contact:
Rachel Yap Winship
Qualys
Media@Qualys.com
SOURCE Qualys, Inc.
FAQ**
How does the partnership with the San Francisco Unicorns impact Qualys Inc. QLYS's brand visibility and community engagement in the Bay Area over the next two seasons?
What specific marketing strategies does Qualys Inc. QLYS intend to implement to leverage its sponsorship of the San Francisco Unicorns to enhance customer acquisition?
In what ways does Qualys Inc. QLYS plan to align its cloud-based solutions with the growth of Major League Cricket and the fan engagement initiatives of the San Francisco Unicorns?
How might the performance and popularity of the San Francisco Unicorns in the MLC influence Qualys Inc. QLYS's long-term strategic goals and partnerships in the sports sector?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Qualys Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS).
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