HUNTRESS CEO KYLE HANSLOVAN TO HEADLINE 2026 VNET TECH SUMMIT
7th Annual Summit will feature Leading Cybersecurity and AI expert
July 9, Erie Convention Center
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sam Peterson
814.403.0907 | mobile
ERIE, PA (Feb., 2026) — Velocity Network, Inc. (VNET) announced Kyle Hanslovan, CEO and co-founder of Huntress, a global cybersecurity company, as its keynote speaker for the 7th Annual VNET Tech Summit, scheduled for Thursday, July 9, at the Bayfront Convention Center.
Kyle Hanslovan, CEO and co-founder of Huntress, will be in Erie on July 9 bringing a global perspective on cyber security and the rapid development of AI to the nationally regarded VNET Tech Summit.
Hanslovan is highly sought after speaker with experience across critical industries, including healthcare, government, manufacturing, education. As an ethical hacker and malware connoisseur, Kyle isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo to disrupt herd mentality in the cybersecurity industry – making him a highly engaging and thoughtful speaker. He has successfully raised over $350 million in venture capital and is passionate about entrepreneurship, innovation, radical candor, and social impact. Huntress Managed Endpoint Detection and Response was the winner of the CRN 2025 Product of the Year, as one of the most powerful tools in cybersecurity.
“I am excited to be in Erie with my friends at VNET, offering insights on AI and how it is impacting the cybersecurity landscape, and how companies and users can protect themselves from evolving tradecraft,” said Kyle Hanslovan, CEO and co-founder of Huntress. “VNET customers benefit from our products and VNET’s exemplary team of cyber experts – together, we are helping protect Erie from attacks every day. This summer, VNET will bring cutting edge AI experience and advice to what is becoming a must-attend Tech Summit in the region.”
The 2025 Tech Summit was VNET’s largest to date, with nearly 400 registrations and hundreds of media mentions from across the country. It was headlined by former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) CEO, Jen Easterly. VNET is looking to build off this momentum for a critical 2026 discussion on where the industry is heading.
“AI is developing so rapidly that much of what we talked about in 2025 is already being eclipsed,” said Joel Deuterman, president and CEO, VNET. “Kyle Hanslovan is operating on the frontline and will bring Erie the absolute cutting-edge knowledge we get every day to local tech professionals, business owners and students alike – a rare opportunity that I’m proud VNET is able to bring to Erie.”
“There is value for anyone coming who wants to learn. Knowledge and ethical use of AI and technology is the most powerful combination as our world explores the most consequential new tech of our times,” said Deuterman.
Early registration is encouraged – and is open today. Participants can register here: https://vnetsummit.com/attend for free.
The VNET Tech Summit is the area’s largest gathering of tech experts, business leaders, and students discussing topics ranging from AI to cybersecurity.
ABOUT HUNTRESS
Huntress is a global cybersecurity company on a mission to make enterprise-grade products accessible to all businesses. Purpose-built from the ground up, Huntress’ technology is specifically designed to continuously address the unique needs of security and IT teams of all sizes. From Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) to Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools and Security Awareness Training (SAT), the platform provides targeted protection for endpoints, identities, data, and employees, delivering trusted outcomes and valuable peace of mind.
Its 24/7, AI-assisted Security Operations Center (SOC) is powered by a team of world-renowned engineers, researchers, and security analysts, dedicated to stopping cyber threats before they can cause harm. Huntress is often the first to respond to major hacks and incidents, with its expert security team sharing real-time tradecraft analysis and actionable advisories with the community.
Currently safeguarding over 4 million endpoints and 9 million identities, Huntress empowers security teams, IT departments, and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) across the globe to protect their businesses with enterprise-grade security accessible to everyone.
As long as hackers keep hacking, Huntress keeps hunting. Learn more at www.huntress.com, and follow Huntress on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
ABOUT KYLE HANSLOVAN
Kyle Hanslovan is the CEO and Co-founder of Huntress, where he spearheads efforts to protect over 200,000 businesses 4 million endpoints, 10 million identities and millions of employees by rethinking threat detection and response at scale.
Kyle’s journey into cybersecurity began as a curious kid in the 1990s, exploring the early internet on dial-up connections. Entranced by the online world, he started pirating video games, designing websites, and dabbling in AOL hacking techniques. An encounter with malware—resulting in the dreaded Windows blue screen of death—transformed his panic into curiosity as he learned to recover data and perform file system forensics.
At 17, Kyle enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, aiming to use his hacking skills for good. As a young cyber warfare operator, he worked in Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs), mastering the art of breaking into systems efficiently and covering his digital tracks. “If you mess up your job in a counterterrorism mission, somebody could lose their life,” he recalls. High stakes work, indeed.
After a decade supporting offensive cyber operations in the U.S. Intelligence Community and Air Force, Kyle transitioned to the private sector. As a ManTech International contractor, he led Computer Network Operations (CNO) development, analysis, and testing to support the National Security Agency (NSA) and later served as the co-founder of StrategicIO, a boutique offensive cybersecurity consulting firm.
Recognizing a critical need to protect all businesses, not just the Fortune 500 from cyber threats, Kyle co-founded Huntress Labs in 2015 alongside John Ferrell and Chris Bisnett. Leveraging his background in offensive cyber operations, he understood how attackers maintain persistent footholds that often go undetected by traditional security solutions. Huntress was born to address this gap, offering managed endpoint detection and response (EDR) tailored for SMBs.
Under Kyle’s leadership, Huntress has experienced rapid growth:
- 2020: Launched a comprehensive platform providing managed EDR for SMBs.
- 2021: Acquired capabilities from Level Effect and closed a $40 million Series B funding round from JMI.
- 2022: Acquired cybersecurity awareness training firm Curricula and closed a $40M growth capital financing (debt) round from CIBC.
- 2023: Closed a $60 million Series C funding round and introduced Huntress Managed ITDR for Microsoft 365.
- 2024: Closed a $150m Series D funding round led by Kleiner Perkins, Meritech Capital, and existing investor Sapphire Ventures. Secured a $18m Series A investment round led by ForgePoint Capital. Launched Huntress Managed SIEM.
- Kyle’s commitment to innovation and protecting businesses has not gone unnoticed—he recently won Ernst & Young LLP’s (EY’s) 2024 Entrepreneur of The Year® Award for the Mid-Atlantic.
When he’s not leading Huntress, Kyle enjoys participating in hacker capture-the-flag events and sharing his expertise at major cybersecurity conferences.
Check out Kyle’s profile on LinkedIn and be sure to check out his personal site at https://www.kylehanslovan.com/.
ABOUT VNET (VELOCITY NETWORK)
Based in Erie, PA, VNET provides comprehensive Managed IT support, Cybersecurity Services, Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone systems, and infrastructure design and implementations for networks large and small. VNET Fiber is the region’s only locally owned and operated internet service provider and offers fast, reliable, and future-proof Internet to thousands of regional business and residential customers.
VNET recently announced Phase Two of its home fiber expansion. The completion of Phase-One paves the way for an accelerated Phase-Two fiber-to-the-home expansion. Phase-Two, which is already in progress, will provide an additional 16,000 households with access to VNET’s fiber-optic network. VNET Fiber remains the only locally owned, end-to-end fiber-optic network in Northwest Pennsylvania.
33 years ago, VNET was founded by Joel Deuterman at his apartment on East 6th Street, helping to close a significant market gap when shopping for a personal computer. From selling PCs out of his Downtown Erie apartment, Deuterman planted local roots over 30 years ago, and made his dream come to life evolving from a one-person operation to northwest Pennsylvania’s leading managed IT services and fiber optic internet provider.
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