This week WEtech had the chance to speak at the Southwestern Ontario Cyber Talent Showcase, organized by OpenCyberSecYQG alongside partners at the University of Windsor. The room was full of students, startup founders, cybersecurity professionals, and industry leaders, all coming together to explore how we grow cybersecurity talent and infrastructure right here in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.

This wasn’t a big-budget, headline-chasing initiative. It was grassroots. Built out of community need, not convenience. And it marked the public debut of OpenCyberSecYQG, a new local group housed at the University of Windsor School of Computer Science, focused on creating hands-on opportunities in cybersecurity and building a more connected, resilient talent pipeline in our region.

WEtech Alliance got involved late last year through our WEsecure pilot, a program we launched with the help of Sterling Information Technologies and students from the University of Windsor. The goal was to help early-stage companies bake security into their product from day one, not after the first customer asks about it. For many startups, it becomes a roadblock at the worst time. WEsecure helps turn that roadblock into a launchpad for trust and growth.

Here are my top three takeaways from the Showcase:

Cybersecurity needs more than theory.

Real-world experience, like the kind happening at OpenCyberSecYQG gives students the context they won’t find in a classroom. One of the first things I saw at the event was Picsume co-founder Nick Mastromattei in a circle of students, walking them through real product development considerations in cyber security. These interactions build clarity, confidence, and career readiness. They also help students see where they fit, even if they don’t come from traditional technical backgrounds.

Security isn’t a feature, it’s part of the foundation.

Founders need to think about cybersecurity long before it becomes a barrier to closing a sale or entering a new market. With more legacy industries asking detailed questions about data protection, risk mitigation, and compliance, trust becomes your differentiator. Through WEsecure, we’ve helped founders prepare for those conversations early and avoid costly rebuilds later, but that’s just one small piece of the puzzle, and is more about handing you a roadmap, because security isn’t a destination, it’s an ever-evolving journey.

The risks are already here, so is the talent.

If your business moves, makes or grows goods, processes data, or touches anything that crosses an international border, cybersecurity isn’t a future concern. It’s an active one. But here’s the good news: we’re growing a local network of emerging professionals who understand both the technical side and the industry context. Tapping into that talent now strengthens your operations and sends a clear signal that you’re serious about resilience.