Stefano Bury is a technology and venture executive working in the blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors. He has held roles at McKinsey & Company, LongHash Ventures, and Virtuals Protocol, where his work has focused on venture investment, startup development, and Web3 infrastructure. ^[1]​

Education

Bury earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD. ^[2]​

Career

Bury began his career in commodity trading at BHP, where he worked from 2006 to 2012. After his time at BHP, he worked as a consultant at several boutique consulting firms from 2014 to 2017, focusing on advisory and consulting engagements. In 2018, Bury joined the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company as an associate, working on strategy and management consulting projects. He was promoted to engagement manager in 2020 and remained with the firm until early 2021.

In March 2021, Bury transitioned to the blockchain sector, joining LongHash Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on Web3 startups. He held a series of progressively senior roles at the firm, starting as program lead from March 2021 to December 2021. He then became head of platform from January 2022 to June 2023, followed by a tenure as chief operating officer from July 2023 to June 2024. In July 2024, Bury became a venture partner at LongHash Ventures.

While serving as a venture partner at LongHash, Bury took on additional leadership roles. In December 2024, he became co-head of ventures at Virtuals Ventures. In February 2025, he also assumed the position of head of the United States at Virtuals Protocol. ^[2]

Panels

Agent Playground

At the Devconnect in November 2025, Bury participated in a panel alongside Kev Ng of the Uniswap Foundation, Gauthier Vila of ZyFAI, and Lukasz Stoczynski of Mimic Protocol to discuss integrating artificial intelligence agents into decentralized finance. The discussion examined how automated systems could be used to improve functions such as liquidity management and the execution of complex financial strategies within decentralized markets. Panelists also discussed the potential for decentralized finance to broaden access to financial services by enabling users to utilize automated tools and strategies. At the same time, participants noted that the use of AI within DeFi remained at an early stage of development. They emphasized the importance of risk management practices and continued human oversight in financial decision-making. ^[5]

Crypto x AI

At Agents Unleashed in November 2025, Bury participated in a panel alongside Thomas Maybrier of Valory, Michael Sena of Recall Labs, Renc Korzay of Giza, George Varghese of 0G Labs, Lisa Loud of Secret Network, and Zoe Fox to discuss the relationship between cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. The discussion examined developments in AI agents and their potential roles within decentralized systems, including the technical infrastructure required to support them. Bury discussed the development of agent-to-agent commerce and decentralized AI integrations at Virtuals Protocol, while Maybrier highlighted increasing interest in AI agents capable of participating in economic activity rather than performing only simple automated tasks. Varghese discussed the development of a modular decentralized AI operating system at 0G Labs designed to connect Web2 and Web3 systems. Panelists also discussed infrastructure requirements such as data availability, storage, and processing capacity needed to support AI models in decentralized environments. Additional topics included privacy considerations, community participation in AI training, and technical challenges associated with unstructured data, with participants outlining potential developments for AI agents capable of personalized interactions and privacy-preserving functionality in the coming years. ^[6]

Powering AI Agent Economy

In September 2025, Bury participated in a panel discussion on The Tie Podcast hosted by Sacha Ghebali, alongside Ben Snyder of Eliza Labs and Matt Kummell of the NEAR Foundation. The discussion examined the intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain infrastructure, and the potential for developing an AI agent economy. Panelists discussed the role of blockchain networks and agent frameworks in enabling autonomous software agents to perform tasks such as analyzing financial data and coordinating transactions, and the importance of specialized agents designed for specific functions rather than general-purpose systems. The panel also addressed the development of infrastructure intended to support large-scale AI agent activity, including improvements in transaction throughput and system coordination. Participants discussed emerging protocols that enable AI agents to collaborate, divide tasks, and interact across platforms, as well as the roles of research partnerships and technical development in shaping the sector. The discussion concluded with projections that AI systems integrated with blockchain networks could increasingly participate in financial markets and automated transactions in the coming years. ^[4]

Transactional AI Agents

During a panel discussion on transactional AI agents at ETHDenver in May 2025, Bury, Vader (VaderAI), Boris Udovicic (Eliza Labs), and Henri Binsztok (OKcontract) explored the potential and functionalities of AI agents. They discussed the promise of AI agents to simplify complex tasks in decentralized finance (DeFi) and everyday life, emphasizing their ability to manage transactions autonomously while abstracting away technical complexities for users. The conversation also touched on the importance of creating a multi-agent ecosystem capable of orchestration and collaboration, as well as the necessity of implementing robust security measures, such as smart contracts, to ensure accountability and limit risks. Furthermore, the panelists expressed excitement about the future of AI agents, particularly regarding their ability to communicate efficiently and potentially create new agents independently. They concluded by recognizing the evolving relationship between AI agents and blockchain technology, highlighting innovative tokenomics and the need for clear guardrails to regulate transactions effectively. ^[3]