Arnie Bellini
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Hey Arnie — similar background in PE & investing. Been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in cybersecurity & AI lately. Would be good to connect.
Hey Arnie, see we share a similar PE path, though I was in London doing growth equity not building a cybersecurity ecosystem in Tampa. most funds at this stage have stacked up a pretty solid toolkit — PitchBook, a CRM like Affinity or DealCloud, maybe Grata, sourcing consultants, the works. but the proprietary pipeline rarely reflects the size of the stack. none of it connects systematically, so the firm's thesis and network intelligence don't feed into each other — origination stays inconsistent instead of compounding. wondering if that's still how it plays out at Bellini? — Russ
Hey Arnie, see we share a similar PE path, though I was in London doing growth equity not building a cybersecurity ecosystem in Tampa. most funds at this stage have stacked up a pretty solid toolkit — PitchBook, a CRM like Affinity or DealCloud, maybe Grata, sourcing consultants, the works. but the proprietary pipeline rarely reflects the size of the stack. none of it connects systematically, so the firm's thesis and network intelligence don't feed into each other — origination stays inconsistent instead of compounding. do you disagree? — Russ
hey Arnie — this kept rattling around. when I was doing growth equity we had every subscription going — PitchBook, CRM, enrichment tools, the lot — and I still spent half my time manually pulling origination together across all of it. always wondered if that was just us being disorganised or if it's genuinely universal. did you ever run into that at Bellini, or was it just us? — Russ
hey Arnie — appreciate the connect either way. I'm in and around cybersecurity & AI origination all day — if you ever want to swap notes on what's working, I'm easy to find. — Russ
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Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Arnie Bellini Title: Managing Partner / Co-Founder Fund: Bellini Capital Background: Arnie Bellini is the Managing Partner at Bellini Capital and the co-founder and former CEO of ConnectWise, which he led from 1982 until 2019. Based in the Greater Tampa Bay Area, he is a prominent tech entrepreneur, visionary, and philanthropist currently dedicated to transforming Tampa into "CyberBay," a global mecca for cybersecurity and AI. He holds an MBA from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor's in Accounting from the University of Florida, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Current Focus: Arnie is spearheading a massive regional movement to unite the private sector, military (specifically U.S. Central Command), government, and academia to bolster national digital defense. This includes his "CyberBay" initiative and the inaugural CyberBay Summit. He and his wife Lauren recently made a record-setting $40 million gift to the University of South Florida to launch the USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Computing. He is also an active investor via Bellini Capital, recently funding companies like TechGrid and supporting firms like TENEX.AI, ConnectSecure, and Nine Minds. Beyond tech, he is focused on "proactive capitalism" and environmental conservation, notably through the 639-acre Bellini Preserve. Key Skills: Entrepreneurship, Cybersecurity Strategy, Managed Services (MSPs), Cloud Computing, Strategic Partnerships, Venture Capital, and Leadership. Recent Activity and Quotes: March 12, 2026: Arnie published an op-ed in the Washington Examiner regarding cyber espionage. He stated, “We’re still treating digital defense as a collection of separate responsibilities rather than a shared national mission.” October 29, 2025: Welcoming TENEX.AI to Florida, he noted, “This is the kind of leadership that defines CyberBay. Grateful to have Eric Foster and TENEX.AI as a new pillar of the cybersecurity and AI ecosystem.” October 15, 2025: At the CyberBay 2025 event, he emphasized the urgency of the mission: “In the age of AI, threats move at machine speed. Our response must too. We must make cybersecurity ubiquitous, affordable, and AI-powered. It should be as accessible as electricity.” July 15, 2025: Regarding the inaugural summit launch, he shared, “Tampa Bay is making its mark as America’s cyber resilience hub... the ecosystem is an economic dynamo and a national defense asset.” June 25, 2025: Highlighting American vulnerability, he was quoted: “We just showed the world: You don’t want to mess with us kinetically. But we are wide open digitally. We are like Swiss cheese.” March 11, 2025: Celebrating the $40M gift to USF, he posted, “Proud to be spearheading this charge with University of South Florida to make Tampa Bay 'Cyber Bay'!” September 24, 2024: Supporting a new certification program at Saint Leo University, he noted, “We have an urgent need to increase cybersecurity talent - and Florida is in a great position to lead that charge.” July 29, 2023: In a post regarding MSPs and FedRAMP, he passionately defended the industry: “In short, we need MSP on that wall, we rely on MSP’s to be on that wall defending digital borders... A nations economy is it’s true strength and might.” Fund details: - Description: Building a profitable business comes with responsibilities. At every turn, we strive to create value that will grow into a sustainable force over time. We do so by nurturing seeds that help the world flourish — a thriving natural environment, a hyper-skilled workforce, and rock-solid digital borders. Green, safe, and innovative is our way of being. - Website: https://bellinicapital.com - Location: Tampa, Florida, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Bellini Capital Arnie Bellini recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Arnie Bellini's Bellini Capital invests in early-stage tech startups, with recent notable investments in TechGrid and cybersecurity initiatives at the University of South Florida. Bellini Capital focuses on cybersecurity and AI, supporting innovation and talent development.