The Team is Everything, Always

Youngro leads overall Republic Asia investment and business strategy, as EVP and Board Member at Republic, where he has also led Republic's strategic international expansion. Founder/CEO of Brassica, a "web 2.5" alternative investment infrastructure startup providing back-end solutions to alternative. Previously, co-founder/CEO of NextSeed (first SEC-registered Funding Portal; acq. by Republic in 2020), and also international funds and private investments attorney for 8 years at Cleary Gottlieb, Kirkland Ellis and Weil Gotshal in NY, Moscow, Shanghai and Hong Kong. BS from Cornell, JD and LLM in International Law from Cornell Law.

My personal mission in life is to democratize finance to create opportunities for everyone. Having lived and worked globally all my life, I believe the greatest impact for new FinTech & web3 opportunities over the next decade will be in Asia. Leading enterprises will need to manage complex innovations within increasingly tight regulations, and Republic Asia will help lead the way.

Paul Lee is a Senior Director at Republic Asia, where he manages our overall asset management practice and operations. Paul has a wealth of experiences in private equity and law, having previously worked at Lehman Brothers Private Equity in Hong Kong where he invested in growth equity companies in tech, and also at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York as an corporate attorney advising clients in the tech and healthcare sectors on IP licensing and M&A matters. Paul was also a part of the transactions team at Roivant Sciences, where he was focused on investment execution and company building with Asian corporates and institutions. Paul holds a BS from Stanford University, JD from Harvard Law School, and MEng from UC-San Diego.

I am a firm believer in the power of technology to shape our future for the better. As an investor, I am driven by a passion for backing innovations that have the potential to unlock human potential and foster economic freedom. As an IP specialist, I am particularly excited by the potential of blockchain technology to revolutionize the way assets are generated, invested, and consumed in the digital realm. Republic, the leading global private investment platform, provides me with the ideal platform to put my philosophy into practice, with an emphasis on technologies that enable frictionless transfer of value and a comprehensive understanding of infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.

Kelly brings extensive cross-border investment management experience ranging from distressed debt, hedge funds, real estate to start-ups & growth equity. Current focus is web3 adoption in art/culture and retail tech. She graduated from Seoul National University, BA and Columbia Business School, MBA.

Culture has the power to reach the remotest part of the world and technology enables its diffusion. Today, Asia is at the center of both and that’s why we are excited. By identifying and cultivating the trailblazers of the web3 era, we can help close the cultural, technological, and societal gaps.

Wil has 12 years of experience in Asia and brings extensive expertise in investment, corporate development, and venture to the team. Prior to joining, he managed institutional clients, totaling $40 billion in AUM, at PIMCO. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Riverside, and a Master's degree, with honors, from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

As a global society, we're witnessing a growing wealth gap and limited access to financial resources, resulting in the unintended consequences of increased poverty, climate change, and social inequality. Similar to how the internet catalyzed the global connectivity of finance in the late 90s, I believe web3 innovations applied to finance will be the next step toward promoting financial democratization and inclusion for all.

Jenny was born in South Korea and grew up in different parts of the world including India, Germany, Israel and the U.S. Jenny has prior experience in Investment Banking at Nomura Securities New York and London. She holds B.B.A. from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Growing up in different parts of the world, I always found myself connecting with diverse cultures and ethnicities. I aspire to continue being a global citizen in the professional world, facilitating cross-border transactions and maximizing access to resources and capital globally for everyone.