Record-Breaking Turnout as Agents Unleashed Takes Cannes by Storm

On June 30, 2025, Cannes became the unlikely epicenter of the decentralized AI movement. At the iconic Hotel Barrière Le Majestic, Agents Unleashed Cannes welcomed over 800 attendees for what would become the largest gathering in the event’s history - and one of the biggest Crypto x AI side events at EthCC Cannes.

With past editions in Denver, Berlin, Brussels, San Francisco, Singapore, and Bangkok, Agents Unleashed has built a reputation for spotlighting practical innovations in autonomous agents and decentralized AI. However, Cannes marked a turning point, doubling the previous attendance record and showing that interest in user-owned intelligence isn’t just growing; it’s accelerating.

More Than an Event: Cannes as a Cultural Moment for AI Agents

The Agents Unleashed Cannes edition was the biggest and most ambitious yet. Set against the backdrop of the Cannes Film Festival culture, the event offered a curated experience with gold-sponsor backdrops, fine hors d’oeuvres, and networking that went beyond the usual tech crowd.

Behind the glamour was real momentum. This year’s agenda featured talks on autonomous agents, decentralized AI (DeFAI), and Web3 systems with AI agent technology. Builders from around the world presented real-world use cases, crypto x AI adoption challenges, and the future of coordination protocols.

The lineup included Agent Premieres and guests were invited to participate in 1-minute IRL interviews, where they shared personal reflections on the state of the space.

“Agents Unleashed IRL events are where the most impactful builders in AI and blockchain come together to share their work,” said David Minarsch, CEO of Valory and founding member of Olas. “These gatherings provide a unique lens into the latest AI agent use cases in crypto.”

In terms of attendance, Agents Unleashed was one of the top 5 side events at EthCC Cannes. Videos were released on YouTube, and photos are already available on Olas X. For a more in-depth look, the full agenda is available here.

A Key Reveal: Olas Optimus Takes the Stage

Among the many highlights at Cannes, one moment stood out for those following the future of DeFi agents: the introduction of Olas Optimus.

The unveiling of Optimus was presented in a talk by Michael Beaudoin, Product Manager at Valory. Optimus was born with this single goal: to abstract the complexity of DeFi and make it available through autonomous agents.

During his talk, Michael Beaudoin delivered what many considered the highlight of the event, sparking conversations throughout the venue. Attendees were clearly impressed—not just by the product demo, but by the clarity with which Beaudoin laid out the future of decentralized finance (DeFi).

He walked through the maturing landscape of DeFi and the gaps that autonomous agents like Optimus are built to fill. Optimus is a scalable DeFi agent that adapts to both market changes and user preferences. Its purpose is simple: manage complexity so users don’t have to.

Built within the Olas ecosystem, Optimus leverages the protocol’s agent marketplace to collaborate with other agents, pushing toward a future where DeFi operates through agent economies working on behalf of their human owners.

The message was clear: the next chapter of DeFi won’t rely on users manually managing wallets or protocols. It will be powered by agents like Optimus, automating everything from asset allocation to predictive decision-making.

You can watch the full talk here to get a deeper sense of the vision and impact.

What’s Next for Agents Unleashed and the Movement It Represents

What started as a series of side events has grown into an international platform for ideas, product launches, and for creatives to connect across industries.

The Agent Unleashed community’s growth mirrors the momentum of the Olas protocol itself, which now supports over 7 million on-chain transactions and more than 3.8 million agent-to-agent interactions, with hundreds of agents actively running in the ecosystem.

As Agents Unleashed scales, the team behind it sees plenty of work ahead. The AI agent landscape is still young, coordination protocols are in their development stage, and decentralized intelligence becoming mainstream is not a given. Yet moments like Agent Unleashed Cannes illustrate what’s possible when builders, researchers, and users unite in one common cause.

As one of the top events at EthCC Cannes, the Agents Unleashed series continues to prove that the conversation around AI doesn’t have to be controlled by large platforms. It can be shaped by open ecosystems, co-owned agents, and the people building them.

With videos launched and new events on the horizon, the momentum from Cannes is just the beginning. Whether you’re a developer, investor, or simply curious about what comes next, Agents Unleashed is now firmly on the map as one of the crypto x AI world’s essential gatherings.

About Olas

Olas is the platform that enables true co-ownership of AI. With Olas’ Pearl, the first “AI Agent App Store”, any consumer with a laptop can use AI agents they truly own. With Olas’ Mech Marketplace, the “AI Agent Bazaar”, businesses can put their AI agent up for hire to earn crypto and tap into other AI agents’ services. Today, Olas’ AI Agents serve diverse use cases - from prediction markets and asset management to influencer agents - autonomously creating valuable outcomes. The OLAS utility token provides access to the platform’s benefits and coordinates agent interactions in entire AI Agent economies. Launched in 2021 as one of the first Crypto x AI projects, today, Olas powers the largest AI agent economies with millions of transactions. Learn more at olas.network.