Build to Last: Cybersecurity Strategies for AI Startup Founders (w/ The AI Collective)
Build to Last: Cybersecurity Strategies for AI Startup Founders
Part of Human in AI Week by The AI Collective — building the human layer for the AI era.
You're moving fast, building with AI, and chasing product-market fit. But while everyone's talking about what AI can do for you, almost no one is talking about what it's done to the threat landscape around you.
This session flips the script: cybersecurity isn't a "later" problem or a cost center — it's a sales weapon, a trust signal, and a competitive edge most of your competitors are sleeping on.
What we'll cover:
How AI has fundamentally shifted the threat landscape for startups
Why security posture directly impacts your ability to close enterprise deals
A practical, stage-by-stage roadmap — from pre-seed basics to Series A compliance
Real-world stories and hard lessons from inside one of the world's most security-critical organizations
Your speakers:
Katie Duyen Nguyen - Regional Director @ CyStack & Founder @ Retify. 15 years building AI and tech products as a Global PM across unicorn-scale and Fortune-level organizations, Katie now sits at the intersection of product, security, and growth. As Cybersecurity vertical lead at The AI Collective and a 2026 Top 100 Mentor on ADPList, she brings a founder-first perspective on why cybersecurity is one of the most underrated growth levers for AI startups — and what to actually do about it.
Sumeet Jeswani - a Senior Security Practitioner at Google, specializing in the defense of enterprise AI ecosystems. As a Technical Contributor to the OWASP Top 10 for LLMs and OWASP Top 10 for Agentic systems, he helps define global security standards for emerging autonomous technologies. His expertise focuses on bridging the gap between theoretical compliance frameworks and operational reality, advising industry leaders on the secure architecture of large-scale AI systems. A frequent speaker at technical forums, Sumeet is dedicated to advancing the state of AI governance.
This event is part of Human in AI Week, a flagship initiative by The AI Collective centered on building the human layer — the trust, coordination, and shared understanding that sits above the tech stack, so humanity and technology can advance in harmony.
Brought to you by The AI Collective Canada & Cybersecurity vertical.
As always, engaging conversation, and incredible company will all be provided!
Please be advised: Unfortunately, space is very limited at these community events and we can not always accept everyone we would like to. If you are not accepted to this event, please keep applying! We appreciate your application tremendously and we are looking forward to seeing you at a future event very soon!
The AI Collective is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. We unite 200,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress.
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