TAMPA, Fla. — The future of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity is taking shape right here in Tampa Bay.

What You Need To Know

Cybersecurity experts from across Tampa Bay are gathering for a special three-day event called “CyberBay 2025″


It’s an inaugural event with a mission of transforming Tampa Bay into the nation’s leader in cybersecurity


CyberBay 2025 is co-hosted by the University of South Florida, which launched its Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing this fall


The college is the first named college in the country devoted to AI and cybersecurity

Some of the nation’s leaders in digital defense were gathered for a special three-day event called “CyberBay 2025.” The event is paving the way to make Tampa a national leader in cybersecurity.

“When you woke up this morning, it was just Tampa Bay,” says keynote speaker Arnie Bellini, founder and CEO of Bellini Capital. “But by the end of today, Tampa Bay becomes ‘CyberBay,’ and it’s because of all of you.”

CyberBay 2025 is an inaugural event with a mission as bold as its keynote address — to transform Tampa Bay into the nation’s leader of cybersecurity.

“Tampa Bay is already CyberBay as America’s cybersecurity center of excellence, with MacDill Air Force Base and the University of South Florida here,” Bellini said. “And now, with the new Bellini College, we’ve created a virtuous cycle between the business community and academia.”

It’s a mission Bellini is familiar with. He’s the co-founder of USF’s new Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.

“We’re pouring talent into the Tampa Bay area from the university, and then funneling back research and development projects into the university,” Bellini said. “This is how Silicon Valley got its real engine going, and so we’re creating that engine here in the Tampa Bay area.”

A mission that is not at all too far-fetched, he said. The mission has Tampa Bay governmental figures fully on board with.

“What I’m really excited about is that we are at the forefront of having a unified solution that’s supported by the region, supported by USF, to have a whole generation of folks on the right side of that,” St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said. “Building real solutions for governments, for individuals, to make us secure moving into this digital realm.”

It all starts with educating the cyber minds of tomorrow, such as USF student Venkata Hrudaykiran. 

“Tampa Bay is going to get bigger and bigger — there’s no going back,” Hrudaykiran said. “It looks like it. Apart from that, many colleges here, especially the University of South Florida, are doing more concentration on the cybersecurity course.”

Those students will play a big role in shaping Tampa’s cybersecurity, Bellini said.

“We now have our Stanford,” he said. “That’s what really helped Silicon Valley take off was Stanford University working in conjunction with the Silicon Valley innovators. And now we have that here in the Tampa Bay area.”

USF also announced $2.3 million in support for the Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing during today’s event. The college, which launched this fall, is the first named college in the country devoted to AI and cybersecurity.