Inside AI Insiders: Cybersecurity in SF, where 150 security leaders mapped what comes next #cybersecurity #AISecurity
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, June 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — AI Insiders hosted its Cybersecurity edition at Chorus Theater in San Francisco, a sold-out gathering of 150 security leaders, AI founders, and investors convened under the theme Acceleration Amid Turbulence. Organized by Marvelous, the invite-only salon set out to separate what is real from what is hype and to map where the next wave of cyber defense is actually heading.
The framing was direct. The AI buildout is moving at full speed while markets stay volatile and exploit timelines have collapsed toward zero. Security for AI captured just 2.6 percent of total cyber funding in 2025. Against that backdrop, the room worked through the questions that follow: if time to exploit is now zero, what still holds in vulnerability management; how do accountability and trust function at the boundary where human agency ends and AI agency begins; and where is capital actually going versus where it should go.
The afternoon was hosted by Merve Isler, Ecosystem Director of AI Insiders and Founder and CEO of Marvelous; Julie Tsai, CISO-in-Residence at Ballistic Ventures; Bhavya Gupta, Information Security Officer at Stanford University; and Sharat Ganesh, Head of Product Marketing at WitnessAI, who served as master of ceremonies.
Paul Calatayud delivered the keynote on the AI buildout, the security gap, and what leaders need to do now. A five-time CISO and now Managing Partner at CircleRock Capital, he also serves as Chairman of the Board at TurinTech AI and is a co-founder and board member at Archipelo, with an operator-to-investor path that runs through Palo Alto Networks, UnitedHealth, and Aqua.
AIR co-founder and CEO Yair Saban, who spent eleven years in Israel’s Unit 8200 military intelligence rising to head of R&D, followed with a live intelligence briefing on the AI threat landscape. He framed the challenge as a moving target, where new skills, plugins, and the sheer speed of change keep reshaping the attack surface, and laid out what organizations must do right now to stay ahead.
Two panels anchored the program. “Where the Money Is,” moderated by David Hahn (CISO Operating Partner, Ballistic Ventures), who represented the investor seat, brought together Matan Lamdan (Partner, Striker Venture Partners), Brooke Motta (CEO and Co-Founder, RAD Security), and Yair Saban (Co-Founder and CEO, AIR) on where capital is flowing in AI-native security and what remains underfunded. “Is Your Agent Human?”, moderated by Crystal Hazen (Senior Security Technical Program Manager, HackerOne), featured Ian Ahl (CTO, Permiso), Emil Bender Lassen (Founding Standard Lead, AIUC), Mahesh Lambe (Executive Director, Project NANDA, MIT), and Daniel Miessler (Founder, Unsupervised Learning) on identity, trust, and accountability as AI agents take on more of the work.
The Startup Showcase featured six companies selected by AI Insiders from across the startup landscape as among those defining the next wave of cybersecurity, each given five minutes on stage in front of the room of decision-makers: Codezero (zero-trust microservices development), led by co-founder and CEO Reed Clayton; Resemble AI (enterprise deepfake defense), led by CEO Zohaib Ahmed; Aira Security (an enforcement layer for AI agents), led by CEO Mohan Kumar; Zania (agentic AI for security, risk, and compliance), led by CEO and founder Shruti Gupta; VulNow (AI-powered software supply chain vulnerability intelligence), led by CEO and co-founder Cassie Crossley; and Dash Security (a security stack for the agentic enterprise), led by co-founder and CPO Amol Mathur.
The audience reflected the stakes: roughly half CISOs and security leads, including leaders from companies such as Ripple, AstraZeneca, and Palo Alto Networks, with the balance made up of founders and operators building AI-native defense, investors, and a small group of media and analysts. Most conversation was kept off the record to protect candor.
“What makes these events special is you. We selected each of you to be here, and it was intentional. Thank you for showing up,” said Merve Isler, Founder and CEO of Marvelous.
The summit was presented in partnership with AIR as lead sponsor. AIR is an AI-native threat intelligence company working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The team delivered the evening’s intelligence briefing and hosted the closing VIP gathering for speakers, partners, and select guests. Sponsor partners Permiso and Silicon Valley Bank joined in support, with community partners Codezero, Alchemy Cyber, ISACA, and Gopher Security. The evening closed with a networking reception in the Chorus Theater lobby. AI Insiders will continue convening its community through private dinners across the year, with additional vertical editions to follow.
About Marvelous
Marvelous lets B2B teams scale the highest-converting GTM motion there is, face-to-face, by automating everything from guest curation to follow-up to attribution. Learn more at themarvelo.us.
About AI Insiders
AI Insiders is building the most trusted AI ecosystem in the country, starting from San Francisco: ruthlessly curated, high-signal, and home to the leaders defining how AI gets deployed. Request access at aiinsiders.us.
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