Kelly Rutherford, Volodymyr Nosov, and Me: Inside VDS 2025 in Valencia

If someone had told me a couple of years ago that I’d be among more than 12,000 participants at Europe’s biggest tech conference, standing at the crossroads of AI, blockchain, and space, I wouldn’t have believed it. But VDS 2025 in Valencia turned out to be much more than just an event.

This year’s theme, “Collaborate Today. Transform Tomorrow.”, felt like a manifesto. It resonated in everything, from the stages set over the water to the real, unscripted conversations between scientists, founders, and investors.

The first session I attended was “From Screen to Strategy: Purpose, Passion and Investing in What Truly Matters.” Yes, Kelly Rutherford, the star of Gossip Girl, spoke about the importance of investing not only in technology but in meaning.

Valencia Digital Summit 2025

She said the future of technology shouldn’t be about speed, but about value. Then Benjamin Buthmann from Koalo and Sam Eshrati from TechBBQ joined her on stage, and for a moment, it felt like Hollywood and the startup world were finally speaking the same language.

For the first time in a while, I was listening to a panel where it wasn’t “humans vs. machines,” but “humans and technology” moving forward together.

The second day was especially memorable for me. The spotlight was on the panel “AI as the New Infrastructure,” which explored real-world AI applications in business and smart cities.

The highlight came when Volodymyr Nosov, Founder and President of WhiteBIT,  took the stage to explain why blockchain is not just a trend but the foundation of a new economy.

He noted that nearly everything is being tokenized now, from real estate and securities to wine and sports clubs. In 2024 alone, the market grew so rapidly that it’s projected to reach $2 trillion by 2028. Giants like BlackRock, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs are already forecasting a $10–15 trillion market within the next five years.

Nosov also emphasized that blockchain isn’t only transforming finance, it’s creating jobs. In Europe, the number of blockchain-related positions has grown by 40% in just a year, while only around 7,000 developers can actually build blockchain products.

WhiteBIT now unites over 250 of them, which is about five percent of the global blockchain talent pool. In his words, that’s the company’s real contribution to the digital economy.

When he said, “The blockchain saves money — literally, billions of dollars every year. Banks alone could save between 8 and 12 billion dollars annually by using blockchain technology.”

The room applauded, even the skeptics. And it wasn’t just a catchy phrase: WhiteBIT has long embodied a European approach to crypto, focused on transparency, security, and real products like Nova Card.

Valencia Digital Summit 2025

I noticed people taking notes, and a girl next to me in a yellow blazer whispered, “Finally, someone is not selling hype, but sense.” I smiled, because that’s exactly how it felt.

But VDS wasn’t only about the stages. In the evening, as the sun reflected on the water of the City of Arts and Sciences, people around me discussed investments in longevity, quantum computing, Czech and Brazilian startups, and even space. On a nearby stage, PLD Space was talking about private rocket launches, and the crowd listened in awe.

Among the guests were representatives from Microsoft, Amazon, Google, LinkedIn, Volkswagen, and IBM. Backstage, I spoke with someone from a venture fund who said, “Valencia has quietly become the European Singapore of innovation.” And honestly, I couldn’t agree more.

Among the 600 speakers, almost half were women. It didn’t feel like a trend, it felt normal. On the diversity panel with Ella McCann-Tomlin (Mews) and Olivia McEvoy (Booking.com), they didn’t just talk about inclusion, but how cultural and professional diversity genuinely improves decision-making and creativity.

They shared real examples of how teams with different perspectives build healthier environments and stronger products.

When I left the last day of the conference, with music playing near the lake, I realized VDS 2025 wasn’t about technology, it was about people who make it happen. About the spark between panels, coffee breaks, and the laughter of founders meeting their investors for the first time.

And yes, standing in the same room where Kelly Rutherford talks about purpose and Volodymyr Nosov talks about blockchain’s future, that’s when you realize technology and culture are finally speaking the same language.