AI Cyber Alliance Meetup: Boston

Join us for an evening of practitioner-led talks exploring the latest in AI security, offensive operations, and the technologies reshaping cybersecurity.

Date: Wednesday, July 29th
Time: 6:00PM-8:00PM
Location: Venture Guides, 100 Causeway Street, Boston MA 02114
Food & drinks: Complimentary refreshments provided.

Special thanks to Venture Guides for hosting this month's meetup and supporting the AI Cyber Alliance community.

About the AI Cyber Alliance

The AI Cyber Alliance is a community for practitioners, researchers, founders, engineers, students, and technical leaders exploring the future of AI and cybersecurity together.

As AI transforms both attack and defence, we bring together voices from industry, startups, government, academia, and the open source community to share practical knowledge, challenge assumptions, and learn from one another. Our meetups are built around technical talks, real-world research, and peer-to-peer conversations that help move the industry forward.

Whether you're an experienced security leader or just beginning your journey, you'll find a welcoming community of people passionate about AI security.

Agenda

6:00 PM – 6:15 PM
Networking and refreshments

6:15 PM – 6:45 PM
John Van Lowe, Implementation engineer, DeepTempo, Vigil SOC
VigilSOC: Building the AI-Powered SOC

6:45 PM – 7:15 PM
Alissa Knight, CEO, Assail
Harness Wars: Decoupling the AI harness and scaffolding from the model

7:15 PM – 8:00 PM
Open networking and community building

Featured speakers

Alissa Knight, CEO, Assail

Alissa Knight is Founder, CEO, and Chief AI Officer of Assail, a venture-backed cybersecurity and AI company building agentic AI systems for continuous exposure management. With more than 26 years in offensive security, she is internationally recognized for uncovering critical vulnerabilities across APIs, mobile applications, healthcare, financial services, and government infrastructure. A serial entrepreneur, Alissa has founded and exited multiple companies, led M&A transactions, and raised more than $65 million in venture capital while building technology businesses from inception to acquisition.

As the architect behind Assail's flagship AI platform, Ares, Alissa designed and trained a 14-billion-parameter frontier model purpose-built for offensive security, combining decades of hands-on adversarial expertise with modern AI. Her vulnerability research has influenced public policy, informed U.S. government cybersecurity efforts, and been cited on Capitol Hill, while her work has included advising the Pentagon and U.S. Marine Corps on API security. A sought-after keynote speaker, she has presented at Harvard University and major industry conferences, bringing a unique perspective on AI, offensive security, and the future of cyber defense.

Talk: Harness Wars - Decoupling the AI harness and scaffolding from the model

John Van Lowe

Implementation Engineer, DeepTempo + Vigil SOC

John Van Lowe is an Austin, Texas-based technology leader and strategist specializing at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cyber-security. He has an extensive background working with critical infrastructure within aerospace operations, semiconductor manufacturing and large scale highly available networks and managed infrastructure deployments. John has spent years guiding organizations through complex technical landscapes. As a featured speaker for the AI Cyber Alliance, he focuses on the practical, secure deployment of autonomous systems and the critical security frameworks needed to protect modern AI infrastructure. When he isn’t shaping the future of AI defense, John is an active member of the Austin tech community and a champion for decentralized web ecosystems.

Talk: John will present VigilSOC.org and explore the evolving landscape of AI-powered defense, with a focus on air-gapped deployments, multi-agent SOC workflows, and the increasingly blurred lines between blue team (defense) and purple team (combined offense and defense) operations.

Why attend?

Learn from practitioners at the forefront of AI security and research.

Gain practical insights into coding agents, AI infrastructure, attack surfaces, and red teaming.

Meet engineers, researchers, founders, students, and security professionals from across the AI and cybersecurity ecosystem.

Exchange ideas, expand your network, and discover new opportunities for collaboration.

RSVP

Space is limited, so reserve your place today.

We look forward to seeing you in Boston!