It\u2019s January 29th, 2025\u2014the first day of the Chinese New Year, which my family and I just celebrated, welcoming the Year of the Snake. Outside my window, Boston is blanketed in snow, its winter charm as familiar as ever. But I know\u2014spring will come soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, I want to share my journey\u2014the dots that have connected, leading me to found tmr Ventures. So here it is\u2014our genesis story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I trained as a computer engineer but entered finance right after graduation\u2014investing had always been my passion, and I believed the future lay at the intersection of disciplines. From banks to hedge funds to fintech companies, from coding to trading to consulting, I explored the entire financial ecosystem, gaining deep institutional knowledge. My technical background helped me understand the fundamental building blocks of these systems, but it also exposed me to the inefficiencies deeply embedded within them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I first read Bitcoin\u2019s white paper in 2013, I was struck by its simple yet elegant architecture. Sitting at the intersection of technology and finance, I immediately recognized its potential to revolutionize how we trade and exchange value. Then came Ripple in 2014, further reinforcing my belief that innovation was accelerating\u2014I was so convinced that I even applied for a job there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like any true tech nerd, I had an idealistic vision of blockchain transforming everything. My passion led me down the rabbit hole\u2014I couldn\u2019t stop talking about it to anyone who would listen. Along the way, I was lucky to cross paths with visionary founders, bold investors, and inspiring mentors who challenged and encouraged me. The journey was never easy or smooth, but there was never a dull moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After 11 years in Singapore for college and work, I moved to the U.S. in 2016 for my MBA at MIT Sloan. Immersed in MIT Media Lab\u2019s Digital Currency Initiative, I gained a broader perspective on blockchain\u2019s potential far beyond finance\u2014spanning supply chains, healthcare, and governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 2018 to 2021, I worked at State Street, one of the world\u2019s largest financial institutions, playing a key role in shaping digital asset strategies and M&A initiatives. It was a challenging time\u2014Ethereum was slow, crypto faced mainstream skepticism, and the market was recovering from the ICO bubble burst, clouded by regulatory uncertainty. While we didn\u2019t launch a Bitcoin ETF at the time, the rising institutional interest reinforced my belief that traditional players would become an increasingly dominant force in the cycles to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2021, I joined Inception Capital as a founding member, overseeing investments, research, and operations. Over the next three years, I witnessed explosive growth that laid the foundation for the next phase of crypto\u2019s evolution:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the end of 2024, crypto adoption had reached nearly 7% of the global population\u2014similar to where the internet was in the late 1990s. While history doesn\u2019t always repeat itself, patterns of technological adoption suggest we are on the cusp of exponential growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the past few years, I\u2019ve dedicated much of my time to building a platform that connects talent, capital, and resources across Eastern and Western markets, helping projects scale globally. However, de-globalization and rising populism have created new barriers to cross-border collaboration. Cultural differences and language barriers further hinder these connections, preventing valuable knowledge exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, at its core, blockchain is open-source and inherently global\u2014and I firmly believe in the power of cross-pollination of ideas and resources. Being truly bi-cultural and bilingual as a team allows us to build trusted relationships across regions and maintain a real-time pulse on both markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I take immense pride in being a global citizen, a mindset deeply embedded in our team and woven into the very DNA of tmr Ventures\u2014a defining strength that continues to set us apart and drive our vision forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having invested in a strong portfolio of crypto infrastructure projects and crypto-native applications at Inception Capital, I found myself asking: What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speculation and short-termism still dominate both mindshare and capital. While we\u2019ve built financial and social experiments that attract crypto-native users (e.g., meme tokens, NFTs), mainstream applications with real-world utility remain scarce\u2014aside from cross-border payments and a handful of other use cases. In many ways, we are still operating in a bubble. Will crypto ever achieve the broad impact of AI, transforming industries and becoming embedded in daily life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the crypto economy remains driven by inflationary token models and short-term incentives rather than sustainable revenue generation and real value capture. So, the fundamental question remains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDo we continue building a world that primarily serves early adopters and crypto-natives, or do we expand our reach to truly integrate with the broader real-world economy?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
A Practical Approach to Crypto\u2019s Next Phase<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
With over 12 years of experience learning, building, and investing in this space, I\u2019ve come to a key realization: Blockchain\u2019s goal is not to disrupt or replace the existing system\u2014it\u2019s to integrate and enhance it. The next phase of crypto won\u2019t be about creating a parallel, anti-establishment world but rather about solving real-world problems\u2014both existing and new\u2014through blockchain\u2019s unique capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, many of these challenges aren\u2019t purely technical\u2014they involve regulation, culture, and incentives. To navigate this landscape, we need a pragmatic approach, led by builders and investors who deeply understand both traditional business and the crypto ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why I founded tmr Ventures, a specialist VC fund dedicated to real-world crypto adoption. We\u2019re driven by three fundamental beliefs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tokenization of (Almost) Everything<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Tokenization began with dollars and treasuries, but it will extend across financial and non-financial assets, much like how computers digitized everything in the last century.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A global tokenized value network will democratize access to assets, enable 24\/7 markets, and reduce costs\u2014creating new opportunities in both traditional finance and DeFi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Decentralized Infrastructure for Services<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Today, corporations and governments control critical infrastructure, but as they grow, their incentives often misalign with users.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Blockchain enables alternative, community-driven models\u2014imagine owning a share of a mobile network, power grid, or delivery network. We are in the early innings of this transformation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Crypto as the Economic Layer for AI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- As a Day 1 ChatGPT user, I immediately recognized AI\u2019s transformative potential. AI will drive productivity across industries, while crypto will enable seamless payments, ownership, and coordination for AI-driven economies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The synergy between AI and crypto will unlock unprecedented network effects, enhancing human productivity and reshaping global economic systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
As a proxy for real economic scale, the global stock market is valued at $175 trillion, compared to the $3 trillion crypto economy\u2014a strong indicator of the immense economic activity blockchain technology can facilitate in the coming decades. This evolution presents unparalleled opportunities for founders and investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Counterarguments & Why We\u2019re Here<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I know the skepticism: \u201cThis isn\u2019t new\u2014people have talked about this for years.\u201d But timing matters. What didn\u2019t work before doesn\u2019t mean it won\u2019t work now. Fundamental and cultural shifts are happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to scale, and exits are slow.\u201d Yes\u2014but that\u2019s the nature of building businesses that extend beyond purely on-chain activities. However, tokenization and AI will accelerate the innovation cycle and adoption curve. New ownership and incentive models will further drive the co-creation of products and infrastructure, making large-scale adoption more feasible than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a pre-seed investor, I\u2019ve learned that success often comes from contrarian bets. Venture capital requires optimism\u2014it\u2019s easy to find flaws in any startup or idea, but our job is to ask: What if? How? Then, we make smart bets to push ideas forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That belief is literally embedded in tmr Ventures\u2019 motto:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nTurning today\u2019s \u2018what ifs\u2019 into tomorrow\u2019s \u2018what is\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Closing Remarks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2025 is the Year of the Snake\u2014a creature that sheds its skin to grow. As an industry, we must do the same: evolve, adapt, and shed legacy debt and outdated assumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is just the beginning of our journey. If you\u2019re building or investing in this space, let\u2019s connect\u2014together, we can shape a better tomorrow. \ud83d\ude80<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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