Founder · Investor · Scholar

Victor

Ji

Two-time unicorn builder. Founding Partner of Marine Ventures ($100M). Harvard Kennedy School Fung Scholar. Building at the intersection of AI, cryptography, and the future of Asia's digital economy.

Victor Ji
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Unicorn Projects — Manta · SOON
$100M
Marine Ventures Fund
$2B+
Peak TVL — Manta Network
Harvard
Fung Scholar · MIT · Belfer
01

About Victor

A two-time unicorn builder, investor, Harvard Kennedy School Fung Scholar, and Alliance DAO member, Victor Ji operates at the frontier of AI, cryptography, and Asia's digital economy.

He co-founded Manta Network ($60M+ raised, $2B+ peak TVL), serves as Founding Advisor to SOON Network, and leads Marine Ventures, a $100M fund backing AI-powered super individuals. From Boston to New York to Singapore, he has built teams across four continents — now based in Singapore at the heart of Asia’s digital economy.

His newest venture, Agentese.ai, applies AI to geopolitical forecasting and corporate sustainability prediction — the convergence of his Harvard policy training, Belfer Center research, and a decade of frontier-tech entrepreneurship.

AI × Web3 ZK Cryptography Geopolitical AI Venture Capital Southeast Asia Harvard Kennedy MIT Sloan NUS EMBA '26 Alliance DAO
🦄
Track Record
Two unicorn-level projects — Manta Network & SOON Network
Investing
Marine Ventures — $100M fund for AI × Web3 super individuals
🏅
Named Scholarship
Victor & William Fung Scholar — Harvard Kennedy School (冯氏基金会)
Now Building
Agentese.ai — AI geopolitical & sustainability forecasting
02

Work & Ventures

01
Manta Network
Co-Founder
The leading zero-knowledge Layer-2 blockchain on Ethereum. $60M+ raised from Qiming Ventures, Polychain, ParaFi, CoinFund & Yzi Labs. $2B+ peak TVL, millions of users. Title sponsor of ETHKL 2024 and Binance Clubhouse at TOKEN2049 Dubai.
ZK ProofsEthereum L2$2B+ TVLAlliance DAO
02
SOON Network
Founding Advisor — Second Unicorn
Next-generation high-performance blockchain infrastructure. Backed by Jump, IDG, and Anagram, SOON grew into a unicorn-level project — delivering outsized returns to its early believers.
SVMUnicornJump · IDG · AnagramInfra
03
Marine Ventures
Founding Partner — $100M Fund
A $100M early-stage fund backing AI-powered super individuals and agents at the intersection of AI × Web3. Building the next economic rails for human-AI and AI-AI value coordination.
$100M AUMAI × Web3Early Stagemarinevc.org
04
Agentese.ai
Founder — 2025
AI-driven geopolitical forecasting and corporate sustainability prediction. Delivering ESG assessment and decision intelligence for enterprises and think tanks navigating a fractured world.
AI ForecastingGeopoliticsESGThink Tanks
05
P0X Labs
CEO, HK Limited
Core development entity behind Manta Network. Backed by Cyberport — Hong Kong government's flagship digital technology incubator. Group operations HQ relocated to Malaysia in 2024.
CyberportHong KongR&DProtocol Eng
06
Canghai Scholarship
Founder — Philanthropy
The largest alumni scholarship at University of Nottingham Ningbo China, supporting students' academic growth and international exchange — paying forward the scholarships that once opened the world to me.
UNNCEducationLargest Alumni Fund
03

Academic Journey

2026–
🎓 Incoming
NUS Business School
Executive MBA (Chinese) · Class of 2026 — Asia's #1 EMBA (QS)
National University of Singapore · Deepening Southeast Asia strategy through Asia's premier executive education platform.
2018–2020
🏅 Fung Scholar
Harvard Kennedy School
Master of Public Administration (MPA) · International Development & Political Economy
Co-Chair, HKS China Society · President & Founder, HKS Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Club · Visiting Lecturer, Boston University Business School · Guest Speaker, Carnegie Mellon University
2020
MIT Sloan School of Management
Cross-Registration · Course 15.217 — Blockchain & Money
Taught by Gary Gensler (later SEC Chairman). Co-authored capstone research report on blockchain-enabled KYC compliance for Singapore's MAS regulatory framework.
2012–2016
University of Nottingham Ningbo China
BSc Finance, Accounting & Management · National Scholarship Exchange, Copenhagen Business School
Later founded the Canghai Scholarship — now the largest alumni scholarship at UNNC.
🏅 Named Scholarship · 冯氏基金会
Victor & William Fung Scholar
Awarded by the Fung Foundation to outstanding Harvard Kennedy School students demonstrating exceptional leadership potential and commitment to driving meaningful impact across Asia and global affairs. Named in honor of Victor and William Fung of the Li & Fung Group.
Harvard Belfer Center
May – Nov 2020
Research Assistant — Science & International Affairs
Conducted policy research at Harvard's premier international security and diplomacy institute. Focus: technology governance, digital finance regulation, and the geopolitical dimensions of decentralized financial infrastructure.
Harvard University
Aug 2017 – Mar 2018
Research Assistant
Early academic engagement at Harvard covering development economics, emerging technology policy, and international financial markets prior to enrollment at Kennedy School.
HKS Blockchain Club
2018 – 2020
Founder & President
Founded and led the HKS Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Policy Interest Club—a hub for cross-disciplinary dialogue between policymakers, economists, and builders at the frontier of Web3.
04

Research & Publications

⟐ MIT Blockchain Lab · Course 15.217
MAS KYC Compliance on Blockchain: A Framework Analysis for Digital Asset Regulation in Singapore
Authors: Victor Ji et al.
Institution: MIT Sloan School of Management
Instructor: Prof. Gary Gensler
This paper examines how blockchain infrastructure can streamline Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance under Singapore's Monetary Authority (MAS) framework. It explores source-of-funds verification, digital identity, and programmable compliance credentials as mechanisms to reduce friction in digital asset regulation while maintaining systemic integrity.
MIT Sloan · Gary Gensler
Cross-Registration
Completed Gary Gensler's landmark "Blockchain & Money" course—one of academia's most rigorous blockchain policy programs—before Gensler was appointed SEC Chairman.
Boston University
Visiting Lecturer
Invited to deliver lectures at Boston University Business School on blockchain infrastructure, ZK technology, and decentralized finance market dynamics.
Carnegie Mellon University
Guest Speaker
Guest speaker on Web3 entrepreneurship, zero-knowledge proofs, and the intersection of protocol design and global regulatory policy.
Harvard Belfer Center
Published Research
Research contributions at Harvard's Belfer Center explored technology governance and the geopolitical implications of decentralized financial infrastructure.
05

Press & Interviews

TechFlow Post
Manta Network的蜕变:从隐私协议到模块化ZK生态
Victor Ji深度解读Manta Network的战略转型——从隐私公链到模块化ZK基础设施层,以及在市场调整期如何重构价值主张与生态叙事的核心思路。
TechFlow Post · 深度专访
Binance Square
Victor Ji on Manta Network's Modular ZK Vision and On-Chain Privacy
An in-depth conversation covering Manta Network's evolution, the ZK application roadmap, staking economics, and why modular blockchain design is the foundation of the next DeFi adoption wave.
Binance Square · Featured Interview
BlockLayer Podcast
Building Real-World Use Cases With Zero-Knowledge
A 58-minute deep dive on what ZK proofs actually enable — Manta's origin story, why developer experience makes or breaks ZK adoption, and the founder qualities that matter when building through uncertainty.
Apple Podcasts · June 2025 · 58 min
Harvard Belfer Center
Victor Ji — Research Associate, Science & International Affairs
Official profile at Harvard's premier international security research institute, documenting Victor's contributions to technology governance, digital finance policy, and blockchain regulatory frameworks.
Belfer Center · Harvard Kennedy School
Media Columns
Columnist & Regular Contributor
Regular contributor and columnist for leading Chinese-language crypto media, covering market analysis, DeFi trends, and emerging ZK technology developments for audiences across mainland China and Asia.
Chainnews8BtcMars Finance
06

Podcasts & Talks

Building Real-World Use Cases With Zero-Knowledge
BlockLayer Podcast · Apple Podcasts · Jun 2025 · 58 min
Finding Our Way With the Ethereum Scaling Roadmap
ETHKL 2024 Panel · Kuala Lumpur · Oct 2024
From Zero to Hero: A Founder’s Journey
YouTube Interview · Jul 2024
Modular Summit Speaker Interview
Sovereign Radio · Jul 2024
Inside the Layer-2 Ecosystem
Layer2 Insider · YouTube
07

Thesis & Vision

"

The next great wave of financial infrastructure won't come from Wall Street. It will emerge from the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and beyond—powered by cryptography and agents, not legacy banks.

— Victor Ji
THESIS 01
ZK as the Foundation
Zero-knowledge cryptography is not a feature—it is the fundamental layer that makes privacy, scalability, and trust coexist in open systems. Shaped at MIT under Gary Gensler and Harvard's Belfer Center.
THESIS 02
AI Agents Need Money
The autonomous economy requires autonomous payments. AI agents transacting in real-time need programmable, borderless, instant settlement—stablecoins on ZK rails are the answer.
THESIS 03
Southeast Asia is the Frontier
With 700M people, high mobile penetration, and underserved financial infrastructure, SEA is the greatest opportunity for DeFi adoption in the coming decade.
08

Global Presence

🇲🇾
Kuala Lumpur
ETHKL 2024 · Title Sponsor
🇭🇰
Hong Kong
P0X Labs · Cyberport
🇸🇬
Singapore
Home Base · TOKEN2049
🇻🇳
Vietnam
Market Expansion · Speaker
Super Vietnam 2025 ↗ Ho Chi Minh City
🇮🇩
Bali, Indonesia
Coinfest Asia · Sponsor & Speaker
Coinfest Asia 2024 ↗ 6,000+ Attendees
🇦🇪
Dubai
TOKEN2049 · Title Sponsor
TOKEN2049 Dubai ↗ Binance Clubhouse Host
🇰🇷
Seoul
Korea Blockchain Week
KBW 2024 Speaker ↗ ZK Protocol Track
🇺🇸
United States
Harvard · MIT · BU · CMU
Belfer Center ↗ MIT Sloan · Gary Gensler BU Lecturer · CMU Speaker
New Ventures · Partnerships · Research

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