From the deck of the Yacht StarShip, CyberBay attendees enjoy a 15-minute drone show over Tampa Bay with the Tampa skyline as a backdrop. The custom show featured 500 drones orchestrated by Firefly Drone Shows.
CyberBay Summit draws world's experts to Tampa
A vision came to life and a movement began when more than 1,000 cybersecurity and AI professionals from around the world gathered for Tampa’s inaugural CyberBay Summit in October. The two-day event hosted experts from the technology, academic, government and military sectors united in a shared mission to drive Tampa’s evolution as the nation’s leader in the convergence of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and national security.
During opening remarks, President Rhea Law announced a $1 million gift to USF’s new Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, and another $1 million from philanthropists Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton. Arnie, MBA ’82, and Lauren Bellini, ’91, whose historic $40 million donation established the college, matched those gifts and gave an additional $300,000 to support faculty, staff and student research benefiting local governments.
Cyber Florida’s cyber defender mascot, Pixel, poses with a conference attendee. Pixel was brought to life by Derek Hines, Marketing ’22.
Hosted by Bellini Capital, in partnership with USF and Cyber Florida, the conference featured panels emphasizing the urgent need to train the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.
“One of the most exciting parts for me is that it provides a way for industry leaders to see the talent here,” says Sudeep Sarkar, launch dean of the Bellini College. “Not just our faculty talent, but the future workforce talent that we are producing.”
The conference ended with a stunning drone show over the Tampa skyline and an announcement that the second CyberBay Summit will be held March 12-13, 2026
