Arnie Bellini, Managing Partner, Bellini Capital and Chair, ConnectSecure

June 2026 — Invest: sat down with Arnie Bellini, managing partner of Bellini Capital and Chair of ConnectSecure, to discuss the rapid rise of Tampa Bay’s cybersecurity ecosystem, the region’s talent pipeline, and why he believes cyber and AI are defining the future. “Cybersecurity is not optional, it is an imperative,” Bellini said.

What key changes over the past year have impacted Bellini Capital, and in what ways?

We have seen an explosion over the last year in investment in cybersecurity in the Tampa Bay area. That is where I would start. What has changed most is the maturity of the ecosystem. A number of startups that were just getting going a few years ago have now become major success stories with significant valuations, and that growth is creating real momentum across the region.

ReliaQuest is one example. It has grown into a company valued at over $5 billion. A-LIGN is another, with a valuation of over $1 billion. Even newer companies are scaling quickly. ConnectSecure, for instance, has already reached an $80 million valuation in just a few years. That tells you this is no longer just potential. This is a real, functioning cybersecurity economy.

What makes it powerful is that it is not just a collection of companies. It is an ecosystem. These businesses support one another, attract talent, create investment opportunities and encourage more founders to build here. Tampa Bay also has a significant military presence, and that adds another layer of strength. With Central Command here and thousands of military cybersecurity professionals in the region, we have a deep and highly specialized talent base. People move from military service into the private sector, bring ideas with them and, in some cases, build companies around those ideas. That creates a mini Silicon Valley effect, but one focused specifically on cybersecurity.

What recent initiatives, developments, or university partnerships are you most excited about, and what impact are they beginning to have?

When you zoom out, we call this region Cyber Bay because it is quickly becoming the place where a cybersecurity startup wants to be. A big part of that is talent. We already had a strong base because of the military presence, but now we have doubled down on the academic side with the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing at the University of South Florida.

That is something I am especially excited about. We already have around 4,000 students in that program, and those students are entering a vibrant and growing cybersecurity ecosystem right here in Tampa Bay. When my wife Lauren and I looked at the region and asked ourselves where we could help accelerate the equation, the answer was to invest in a specialized college focused on AI and cybersecurity. Those two fields belong together. AI plus cybersecurity is the dynamic duo. We need AI to help protect and defend digital borders, and that requires a modern, forward-looking approach to cybersecurity.

That investment is already having an impact because it strengthens the pipeline between education and industry. It sends a clear message that Tampa Bay is serious about building long-term capacity in this field.

What needs to happen to ensure Tampa Bay can compete with more established tech markets?

I think the answer is that we already are competing, and more than that, we are winning in a lot of ways. We are seeing migration out of California and even Texas, and more people in the tech community are choosing Florida. The state offers a compelling combination of quality of life, great weather, no state income tax and access to high-paying tech jobs.

Tampa Bay is increasingly attractive because the opportunities are here. Our startups are growing fast, and they are absorbing talent as quickly as we can develop or recruit it. People are coming here from other tech hubs because they see both the professional upside and the lifestyle advantage. The momentum around Bellini College reinforces that this is a place where the tech economy is deepening.

I proved with ConnectWise that you can build a major technology company here. I built the first tech unicorn in Tampa Bay without going to Silicon Valley or Austin. That has been my mission since then: to put a flag in Tampa Bay and show others that they can do the same thing here. A lot of what I earned from that success is now being reinvested into the community, whether through the college or other initiatives that strengthen the region’s talent and business base.

How are you helping connect students and employers more effectively in the region?

One of the lessons from ConnectWise was that universities were not always doing enough to connect students to meaningful opportunities while they were still in school. We hired a lot of interns from the University of South Florida, and that helped us grow because it gave students practical experience and gave us access to talent early.

What we have done now is institutionalize that model through the Bellini Center for Talent Development at USF. That center goes out to the business community, connects students with internships and helps them build real experience before they graduate. About 90% of the time, those students are hired by companies before they even finish school.

That means everybody wins. Students gain experience and often secure jobs early. Employers get access to motivated talent. The university benefits because student outcomes improve, and the state university system increasingly measures success by how quickly graduates enter the workforce. It is a practical model, and it fits the needs of a fast-growing regional economy like ours.

What key trends are you seeing right now in venture activity and early-stage investing, and how is Bellini Capital adapting its strategy?

We are seeing a massive influx of investment opportunities in technology across Tampa Bay. A lot of investors are paying attention to the region, and they should be. There is real energy here and real upside. At Bellini Capital, however, we are not focused on the most obvious deals. We leave many of those opportunities to others.

What we are being very selective and looking at mission-driven companies that are solving real cybersecurity problems for the United States. Our focus is on helping defend the digital borders of the country. Those digital borders are under attack constantly, and the companies that can help address that challenge are the ones we want to back.

So our strategy is not simply to chase momentum. It is to identify the entrepreneurs and technologies that have real purpose and national relevance. At the same time, I see part of my role as helping create an ecosystem that attracts more investment into Tampa Bay overall. The healthier the ecosystem becomes, the more opportunity there is for founders, companies and investors alike.

What are your key goals and priorities for Bellini Capital over the next two to three years?

The priority is to continue fostering the cybersecurity ecosystem in Tampa Bay and help it move faster. One example of that is CyberBay, both the community and the conference we host each year with the University of South Florida. We just completed our second conference, and it is focused on what makes this region unique.

What makes Tampa Bay different is that it brings together four pillars in one place: government, military, academia and the private sector. All four are working toward the same challenge of defending the digital borders of the United States. That is a rare combination, and it is why this region is such an attractive place for investment and innovation in cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity is not going away. The digital world is only becoming more central to the economy, and that means the need for cybersecurity will only grow. As long as more of our lives, businesses and institutions operate digitally, cybersecurity will remain essential. That gives Tampa Bay the opportunity to build lasting strength in an industry with enormous staying power.

The other point I would emphasize is that cybersecurity is not optional, it is an imperative. When I talk about defending digital borders, I am really talking about defending the economy. Every organization contributes to economic strength, and when digital warfare disrupts those organizations, it reduces productivity and weakens the economy. Economic power and geopolitical power are closely related, so protecting the economy means protecting its digital infrastructure.

That is why I believe Tampa Bay has such a strong future in this space. We are building a unique position in an industry that will only become more important, and we are doing it with the right partners, the right talent and the right long-term vision.