Senior Sales and Channel Industry Veteran Continues to Drive Substantial Growth for SaaS Data Protection Leader

Chris Nelson Honored as 2026 CRN Channel Chief

Boston, Massachusetts, Feb. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HYCU, Inc., a leader for modern data protection for on-prem, cloud, and SaaS and one of the fastest growing companies in the industry, proudly announced today that CRN® — a brand of The Channel Company — has selected Chris Nelson, Vice President, Global Sales and Business Development, at HYCU, for inclusion on the prestigious 2026 CRN® Channel Chiefs list. This annual recognition celebrates IT vendor and distribution executives who are shaping channel strategy and driving innovation and partnership across the industry.

Chris Nelson is a driving force behind HYCU's go-to-market strategy and continued expansion with global technology, alliance, and channel partners. Under Chris Nelson's leadership, HYCU has deepened its relationships with strategic partners like Dell Technologies, Nutanix, and iManage and delivered new programs and initiatives that simplify how partners support their customers across on-premises, cloud, and emerging SaaS IT workload environments.

A recognized leader in data protection and recovery, Chris Nelson brings decades of experience in high-growth software companies. His channel-first mindset has helped make HYCU the partner of choice for IT providers looking to solve the rising challenges of fragmented data protection, especially around SaaS workloads, where traditional solutions continue to fall short.

“This recognition speaks to the integrity, focus, and collaborative leadership that Chris brings to our business every day,” said Simon Taylor, Founder and CEO, HYCU. “He has built a channel organization rooted in trust, transparency, and a relentless commitment to helping our partners grow. In a world where IT complexity is only increasing, Chris ensures our partners are equipped with the tools and support they need to protect what matters most, their customers' data. We're extremely proud to see him honored again this year.”

The annual CRN Channel Chiefs list spotlights the most influential leaders across the IT channel, celebrating those who champion collaboration, drive innovation and empower their partners and customers to achieve shared success.

“Leaders recognized as CRN Channel Chiefs this year have demonstrated unwavering commitment to their partners and the broader IT channel. Their vision, passion and drive for innovation continue to shape the future of our industry. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and the positive impact they make every day,” said Jennifer Follett, Vice President, U.S. Content, Executive Editor, CRN.

“Being named a CRN Channel Chief is an honor, and a reflection of the incredible partner community we've built and are fortunate to work with,” said Chris Nelson. “Partners today are on the front lines helping customers navigate complex hybrid and SaaS environments with limited resources and mounting risk. At HYCU, we're committed to making their jobs easier. From simplifying onboarding to expanding protection across more workloads, our channel commitment and focus remains as strong as ever.”

CRN's 2026 Channel Chiefs list will be featured on CRN.com beginning Feb. 2 at www.CRN.com/ChannelChiefs.

For more information on HYCU, visit www.hycu.com, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky

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About HYCU 

HYCU is the fastest-growing leader in the multi-cloud and SaaS data protection as a service industry. By bringing true SaaS-based data backup and recovery to on-premises, cloud-native, and SaaS IT environments, the company provides unrivaled data protection, migration, disaster recovery, and ransomware protection to thousands of companies worldwide. The company's award-winning R-Cloud platform eliminates complexity, risk, and the high cost of legacy-based solutions, providing data protection simplicity to make it the #1 SaaS Data Protection platform. With an industry leading NPS score of 91, HYCU has raised $140M in VC funding to date and is based in Boston, Mass. Learn more at www.hycu.com. 

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company (TCC) is the global leader in channel growth for the world's top technology brands. We accelerate success across strategic channels for tech vendors, solution providers, and end users with premier media brands, integrated marketing and event services, strategic consulting, and exclusive market and audience insights. TCC is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. For more information, visit thechannelco.com.

Follow The Channel Company: LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.

© 2026 The Channel Company, Inc. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Contact:
Don Jennings
HYCU, Inc.
617-791-1710
don.jennings@hycu.com

Natalie Lewis
The Channel Company
nlewis@thechannelcompany.com