So this is a reflection.
Over the past week, I’ve been revisiting all the CASA25 recordings — the 27 sessions we turned into blogs — and they’re honestly awesome.
Watching them back reminded me just how much energy, honesty, and collaboration filled those days in Amsterdam. And I can’t wait to start sharing them with our members and general public over the next weeks.
CASA25 wasn’t just a great event — it was a turning point. It felt like the moment everything we’ve been building through the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance over the past three years came together.
A Program with Purpose
CASA25 was possibly the best event I’ve attended — and organized — in the past decade.
Over four unforgettable days in Amsterdam, we brought together 100+ thought leaders, innovators, and executives for strategy, networking, and collaboration.
The program started with our CAVE dinner for Accelerate Members at Restaurant Rijks, followed by two full days at the Tobacco Theater packed with content, connection, and creativity. The evenings carried that momentum forward — first at the Chin Chin Club, then at the Beer Factory — before we wrapped up with the GSMA Open Gateway Summit at the College Hotel on day three.
Four days of insights, partnerships, and purpose — and it all connected beautifully.
We built a program with a clear narrative that tied together our community’s biggest themes: AI, Network APIs, Go-To-Market strategies, and Intelligent Engagement.
The State of CPaaS keynote set the tone, showing how our industry can grow from $30 billion today to $100 billion within five years. The sessions that followed focused on how we get there — not through more definitions or acronyms, but through collaboration, shared purpose, and measurable outcomes.
That’s exactly what Intelligent Engagement represents.
Intelligent Engagement: From Concept to Industry Movement
Intelligent Engagement is more than a slogan — it’s quickly becoming the shared language of our industry.
It brings together CPaaS + Network APIs + vCons + AI into one framework that connects communication, context, and intelligence.
It’s about outcomes, not technologies — about what we can achieve with programmable communications when we work together.
At CASA25, Vonage, Infobip, and Sinch all used the term in their keynotes and fireside chats, showing how naturally it fits their evolving strategies.
And across the panels — moderated by analysts and experts from IDC, STL Partners, Mobilesquared, S&P Global, Match-Maker Ventures, McKinsey, Simon-Kucher, Cavell and Connective Insight — the same message came through: Intelligent Engagement fits.
It’s a story everyone can tell, because it’s about real-world use cases, measurable value, and the shared opportunity ahead.
Collaboration Before Competition
If there was one recurring message throughout CASA25, it was collaboration.
Telcos, CPaaS players, API aggregators, and AI innovators all agreed: no one can do this alone.
That mindset ran through every discussion — replacing competition with curiosity and sales pitches with strategy.
CASA25 wasn’t about selling. Nobody came to sell anything. It was about partnership, innovation, and building the future of communications together.
That openness gave the event its unique vibe: focused, human, and full of purpose.
Our Accelerate Members: Leading by Example
Our Accelerate Members — Infobip, Sinch, Vonage, KPN, and Radisys — continue to drive the Alliance forward.
- Infobip is evolving from CPaaS orchestration to an AI platform — a home for startups and innovators building the next generation of conversational and agentic experiences. It’s a model that perfectly aligns with our investment initiatives to grow the wider ecosystem.
- Sinch brings optimism and energy — showing that growth comes from shared value, not just scale.
- Vonage has turned Intelligent Engagement into action, focusing on outcomes rather than technology alone.
- KPN leads with a customer-first mindset — applying AI where it truly makes a difference.
- Radisys is connecting AI directly to the IMS core, creating smart, inclusive services that reach everyone with a phone.
These five members embody what acceleration means: turning collaboration into innovation, and innovation into impact.
Our Sponsors and Partners: Fueling the Momentum
A heartfelt thank-you also to our Gold and Silver Event Sponsors — Gamma, Vonage, Crexendo, Infobip, McKinsey and Radisys — and all the Bronze and Community Sponsors, for their contributions and insight.
Their involvement elevated every discussion, reinforced the link between innovation and outcomes, and helped make CASA25 a true catalyst for collaboration.
Three Years Behind Us — and a Strong Fourth Year Ahead
CASA25 marked the close of the Alliance’s first three years.
From Connect, to Grow, to Accelerate — we’ve built something real: a community that delivers tangible impact.
Now, entering Year Four, we’re ready to Accelerate and Create Impact — turning ideas into frameworks, frameworks into action, and action into measurable results.
Our purpose is clear. The narrative is working. And the support from our Accelerate Members — the closest thing we have to a board — and our 100+ members and partners gives us the momentum to scale.
The Road Ahead
CASA25 proved that when this community acts with purpose, impact follows.
We have the right people, the right partnerships, and the right direction.
The cloud once revolutionized how software was built.
Now it’s time for the smart network — powered by CPaaS, Network APIs, vCons, and AI — to do the same for communications.
At CASA25, we also announced a strategic partnership with Sandbox, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Alliance.
Together, we’ll focus on jointly investing in the innovation our industry needs — connecting ideas, talent, and capital to accelerate real transformation.
It’s an ambitious step, and exactly the kind of collaboration CASA25 was designed to inspire.
So here’s to our members, sponsors, speakers, moderators, and team — thank you for making CASA25 unforgettable!
We’ve entered the era of Intelligent Engagement, and we’re only getting started.
From Effort to Energy
Every CASA event takes about six months to organize — and those months are hard work: long days, countless calls, endless details to align.
It’s a big puzzle — bringing together the right sponsors, speakers, logistics, and content to create something that truly connects.
But this time was different.
After all that effort, CASA25 was the first event where I came out energized instead of exhausted.
We went from investing energy to receiving energy from the community — and maybe that’s the best measure of any ecosystem:
does it drain you, or does it fuel you?
This time, it gave back. It fit. It made sense.
And that’s why CASA25 feels like a turning point — proof that we really have something here.
If you’re a telco, CPaaS provider, AI innovator, or ecosystem leader, we’d love to have you involved.
Join the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance, contribute to the conversations shaping our industry, and help us make this ecosystem even bigger and stronger.
Reach out to me or anyone on the team on LinkedIn, or visit cpaasaa.com.
The journey continues — and we’re just getting started.
My lifetime in IT and telecoms has been dedicated to innovation, building bridges and creating change. From the early days of cloud communications to working with operators on innovations and business development, and currently emphasizing APIs, CPaaS/CX and AI, my journey has been one of continuous evolution.
As founding partner at CPaaS Acceleration Alliance and The Next Cloud I'm privileged to help global telcos and techcos thrive in a fast changing world - through events, community building, strategy and global business development. I thrive on challenges and change, strategizing in cloud communications, and bringing people together for mutual success. Travel and continuous learning are my passions.
I believe the global communications industry is pivoting to prioritize customer experience and impactful solutions over mere technology and platforms, and we can tackle societal challenges by merging the strengths of corporates and innovators within new ecosystems.
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