As artificial intelligence begins disrupting the corporate workforce, Tampa’s upcoming Techapalooza summit will separate industry hype from practical implementation. The event doubles as a fundraiser for pediatric cancer research.
SOFWERX will host the event, which convenes tech leaders, corporate executives and local startup founders, on Nov. 19. Stan Liberatore, executive director of Disrupt the Bay and Techapalooza’s organizer, billed the second iteration as the “Super Intelligence Edition.”
A panel of local experts will join industry heavyweights from Google and Microsoft to discuss the integration of AI into modern business strategies. While the flagship Disrupt the Bay conference traditionally focuses on the intersection of healthcare, biotech and venture capital, Techapalooza encompasses the region’s broader technology ecosystem.
Liberatore said the offshoot event will address the immediate, cross-industry realities of AI by skipping the theoretical buzz to focus on what actively drives value. “With everything that’s going on, there’s a lot of noise to kind of filter out to figure out what’s really working for people in corporations,” he said.
“A lot of folks early on adopted AI and just kind of slammed it into everything, and they didn’t protect,” Liberatore continued. “There wasn’t a whole lot of time for testing, and I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who made some mistakes. We really want to bring all of that to light.”
To address concerns, organizers assembled a diverse panel for the keynote discussion, titled “From AI Hype to Real-World Implementation.” The lineup includes Nick Palomba, general manager of cybersecurity strategy and AI innovation at Microsoft, and Google’s John O’Reilly, a serial entrepreneur with a history of successful startup exits.
They will be joined by local experts René Clayton, founder of Byte Strategy AI and an author who has written extensively on the intersection of artificial intelligence and AI security, and Jennifer Bryk, founder of RebelEdge Advisory.
Liberatore noted that Bryk, a Tampa Bay Wave board member, specializes in healthcare processes and dynamic AI systems. Brian Andrews, chief technology officer at SOFWERX, will moderate the discussion.
An evolving threat landscape will be a major focal point at Techapalooza. Liberatore said organizations must grapple with the financial realities, “tokenomics,” of running AI products while also facing unprecedented security vulnerabilities.
“There’s a lot at stake with quantum (computing) on the horizon and adversaries who are using AI to, basically, attack other AI,” he elaborated. Liberatore said the panel will highlight those vulnerabilities so the Tampa Bay tech community is “in the know” when building or integrating new products.
The shift in the event’s nomenclature from an “AI Edition” to a “Super Intelligence Edition” reflects the rapid acceleration of the technology’s capabilities. Liberatore, using the recent deployment of autonomous robo-taxis as an example, said the region is already witnessing those advancements firsthand.
“We’re kind of at the standing-off point of what is being socialized as super intelligence – it’s here,” he added. “Automation needs to be clean. So, that’s a lot of the stuff that’s going to be talked about.”
Techapalooza will also confront the growing anxiety surrounding AI-driven job displacement. As major tech conglomerates restructure workforces and offer exit packages, Liberatore pushed back against the most fatalistic predictions.
Liberatore, CEO of a tech staffing company, predicts new roles will emerge for professionals who work in “agentic practices,” optimize token usage and oversee the administration of complex AI tools. His perspective stems from the Jevons Paradox.
That economic theory states that as technological innovations become more efficient and affordable, demand increases. Proponents argue that while AI will undoubtedly eliminate certain manual tasks, it will also unlock unimaginable opportunities.
“At the end of the day, AI isn’t just about replacing people,” Liberatore said. “It’s about unlocking what people are capable of.”
The event will also help multiply the potential of researchers at the University of South Florida. Beyond the high-tech discourse, networking opportunities and “technology party” atmosphere, Techapalooza’s underlying mission is philanthropic.
Disrupt the Bay is a program of the Save the Kids Foundation, a volunteer-led nonprofit that advances pediatric cancer research.
Techapalooza’s primary beneficiary is Dr. Mildred Duncan, a trailblazing researcher at the University of South Florida who develops groundbreaking treatments for children battling Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT). Event proceeds will directly support her work and lab.
Save the Kids Foundation leverages local tech expertise to host events that simultaneously benefit the region’s business ecosystem and life-saving medical research, Liberatore said.
“I don’t know of another pediatric cancer foundation that does that – that throws tech events or healthcare tech and biotech events.”
For more information on Techapalooza, visit the website here.
