Infosecurity Europe will introduce a Cyber Startup Programme and Startup Awards at its 2026 event at ExCeL in London, on 02 – 04 June 2026. The programme will sit alongside a Cyber Startups Zone, where early-stage cyber companies will present their products to investors, buyers and strategic partners. An inaugural Cyber Startup Award, held in partnership with UK Cyber Flywheel, will see finalists pitch live to a judging panel of senior industry figures.
The move adds a stronger early-stage business focus to an event that has traditionally centred on established security vendors, policy discussion and technical sessions. The wider show is expected to bring together thousands of cybersecurity professionals from the public and private sectors, with hundreds of speakers and multiple content stages.
Main stage speakers include former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dr Dmytro Kuleba, and former FBI cyber official Cynthia Kaiser. The broad line-up reflects how cyber risk is now discussed well beyond specialist security teams, reaching senior executives, policymakers and investors.
Artificial intelligence is a central theme across the agenda. This year’s event comes as agentic AI changes the pace and scale of cyber-attacks and as organisations begin preparing for the implications of quantum computing.
A new OWASP GenAI Security Summit will be added as a half-day forum focused on securing generative AI and agentic systems. The programme is set to cover research, frameworks, risk, regulation and practical approaches to building compliant AI systems.
SANS Institute will also expand its workshop programme, including a hands-on session on red teaming large language model chatbots. The workshop is designed to show security professionals how attacks on AI systems work and how testing environments can be built internally.
The Cyber Innovation Zone will return in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. It is intended to showcase UK cyber small and medium-sized enterprises and newer technologies entering the market.
Together with the startup initiative, it gives the show a clearer emphasis on the UK cyber ecosystem at a time when governments and investors are paying closer attention to domestic security companies. For younger firms, visibility at a large industry gathering can be one of the few chances to meet potential customers, partners and backers in one place.
The broader programme shows how major cyber events are evolving beyond exhibition stands and keynote theatres. They increasingly combine policy, skills, startup finance, peer support and buyer matchmaking in response to a market where security decisions are shaped as much by budgets, staffing and regulation as by technical threats.
Image source: Infosecurity Europe
