What presenting at a cybersecurity conference taught me about building Nyata

I spent a few days in Dundee last week for AICSE2026, presenting a paper on how Nyata (my hyper-local AI platform for Bristol residents) applies to inclusive cybersecurity education and digital resilience.
A few things stood out that feel worth sharing with other indie hackers:
Academic validation is a different kind of traction. As a solo founder, most of my "wins" are usage numbers, user feedback, and partnership signups. Having a paper accepted and presenting it to researchers and professionals in the field was a different signal entirely — it forced me to articulate why Nyata's approach matters, not just that it works. That framing exercise alone was worth the trip.
Conferences are underrated as a founder. Between my own talk, the schedule, and trying to see a bit of the city, I didn't get much downtime — but the conversations with people working on adjacent problems (digital inclusion, accessibility, community resilience) gave me more perspective in two days than weeks of building in isolation would have.
Small detail, big reminder: Dundee felt oddly familiar — a historic ship that reminded me of Bristol's SS Great Britain, a public square that gave me total "hometown" vibes. It was a good nudge that however niche your local product is, the problems (and the cities) rhyme more than you'd think. That's actually reassuring if you're building something hyper-local like Nyata — the patterns generalise.
If anyone else here has presented their product at an academic or industry conference (outside the usual startup circuit), I'd love to hear how it shaped your thinking — or your roadmap.