About Level Effect
and Guardian Foundry
An inviting RPG world built around serious cybersecurity practice.
Our Mission
The cybersecurity industry does not have a motivation problem. It has a translation problem. People finish training and still struggle to explain what they can do, where they fit, or what they should learn next.
Guardian Foundry gives that work a structure. Courses and Learning Paths provide direction. Activities, labs, reports, and events provide practice. The Portfolio connects progress to the NIST NICE workforce framework.
The fantasy world makes difficult work more inviting. The system underneath keeps the learning useful.
40+
Guardian Roles
3600+
Students Trained
NSA
Veteran Founded
Real
Applied Practice
About Level Effect
Level Effect was founded by NSA veterans and cybersecurity practitioners. Since 2020, we have helped thousands of learners build practical skills, move into new roles, and grow in the work they already do.
Guardian Foundry is the current expression of that mission: structured learning, applied practice, useful feedback, and a professional record of progress in one place.
If you know Level Effect from older Courses or subscriptions, Guardian Foundry is the newer platform experience. It brings role discovery, Courses, Learning Paths, Portfolio, Credentials, and the current memberships together.
The Team
Rob Noeth
Instructor & Co-Founder
NSA veteran and software developer with 10+ years in offensive cyber operations. Co-founded Level Effect in 2017 and built Recon, a network-aware EDR platform acquired by Huntress in 2021. Now building Guardian Foundry to make cybersecurity training accessible, hands-on, and actually fun.
Greg Ake
Instructor & Co-Founder
Air Force cyber intelligence veteran and Senior Threat Researcher at Booz Allen and Huntress Labs. Teaches at Level Effect, and is determined that every student graduates with real skills, not just certificates. Father of four and PNW outdoor enthusiast.
Anthony Bendas
Instructor & Co-Founder
Cybersecurity educator and penetration tester who built Level Effect's award-winning Cyber Defense Analyst bootcamp and Virtual SOC training environment. OSCP certified with over a decade in pentesting, security consulting, and vulnerability management. Now leading Level Effect's mission to make career-ready cybersecurity training accessible to everyone through Guardian Foundry.
What We Believe
Capability over completion
Finishing content matters when it changes what you can understand, decide, or do.
Direction over volume
A useful next step beats an enormous catalog with no direction.
Rigor can still feel good
A warm world and visible progress can sustain difficult work without replacing it.
Open doors
Background and pedigree should not decide who gets to build a serious cybersecurity career.
