KOREA.
JAPAN.
DONE RIGHT.
Kelpie Capital opens doors in Northeast Asia that protocols cannot open themselves - tier-1 corporate partnerships, exchange listings, and selective investment, backed by the trust architecture that determines whether any of those actually works.
Corporate BD
Northeast Asia
Direct introductions and partnership structuring with Korea and Japan's tier-1 corporates. Eight years of relationships at the top of the regional ecosystem, not LinkedIn, working relationships.
Exchange
Readiness
Experience navigating Korea's exchange ecosystem and preparing protocols for credible listing conversations. A listing is a trust and positioning exercise - most protocols fail before they even submit. We make sure you arrive right.
Selective
Co-Investment
We take positions in protocols where the Korea and Japan opportunity is structurally underpriced. Where Kelpie invests, we support the company actively — through regional strategy, partnerships, and market-entry execution. No passive checks.
Upbit evaluates listing candidates holistically — credibility, Korean market presence, community traction, and timing all factor in. Preparation matters more than most teams realise before they begin the conversation.
Korea's second largest exchange with significant institutional and OTC depth. A presence on both Upbit and Bithumb is widely viewed as a baseline for serious Korean market engagement and broadens a protocol's visibility and liquidity profile.
One of Korea's five fully registered exchanges with a loyal retail user base. A Coinone presence broadens domestic reach beyond the Upbit/Bithumb duopoly and rounds out a Korean market footprint.
Acquired by Binance in 2023 and fully approved by Korean regulators in October 2025. Gopax is now Binance's Korean hub — bringing global liquidity and infrastructure into the domestic market and beginning to reshape the competitive landscape.
Selected details available privately due to confidentiality.
Structured and facilitated the partnership between Elrond (now MultiversX) and Samsung Electronics, resulting in ERD token integration into the Samsung Blockchain Wallet and a Galaxy Store exclusive DApp. Covered by The Block and widely reported across crypto media.
Worked with Hdac Technology - the blockchain venture founded by Hyundai BS&C CEO Dae Sun Chung and backed by the Hyundai group - on partnership and ecosystem development, including their strategic MOU with CasperLabs. Hdac's enterprise blockchain was applied across Hyundai manufacturing and IoT infrastructure, reported by CoinDesk and PR Newswire.
Eight years of working relationships at the top of the Korean and Japanese crypto ecosystem. Korea Blockchain Week, Samsung Electronics, OECD, CoinTelegraph Korea. Not connections - history.
A PhD in Economics from Seoul National University and M&A experience at Morgan Stanley. We understand what Korean and Japanese institutions need to see - structurally, economically, and culturally.
Kelpie Capital is not a team with analysts. Every engagement is handled personally by Alexandre. When we put our relationships on the line for your protocol, it means something real.
One of the highest per-capita crypto adoption rates in the world. Retail-driven, exchange-gated, and relationship-dependent. The right listing at the right moment with the right positioning can be transformative for a protocol's global trajectory.
Regulatory-first market with serious institutional appetite. Entry requires cultural precision and credible introductions. A market where the protocols that win arrived correctly and stayed consistent over time.
Seoul-based. Eight years operating at the top of the Korean and Japanese crypto ecosystem. Every engagement handled personally.
SERIOUS
ABOUT
ASIA?
Tell us about your protocol, what you're trying to achieve in Korea or Japan, and your timeline. We'll give you an honest assessment within 48 hours.