Team, Investors, Partners
Team
CEO Chan Lee
Chan oversees all key decisions at Arena-Z, bringing a rare blend of technical expertise, business acumen, and product leadership.
A Computer Science graduate from POSTECH, Korea’s leading technology institute, Chan began his career as a product designer at Samsung Electronics. He later became part of the founding team at DAYLI Financial Group, one of Korea’s largest fintech companies, where he led product strategy for the DAYLI Marketplace.
His entrepreneurial journey includes roles in Private Equity, startup leadership in the F&B and gaming sectors, and co-founding NEXTMATCH, the company behind Korea’s #1 dating app. After NEXTMATCH’s successful exit (acquired by Metalabs, a KOSPI-listed company), Chan founded NOD Games, driven by a belief in the future of NFTs and blockchain gaming.
Chan is also the inaugural CEO at UNOPND, leading incubation efforts for emerging Web3 projects
CRO Steve Hwang
Steve leads Arena-Z’s engineering, technical strategy, and product execution.
With over 20 years of experience in online and mobile game development, Steve has helped build globally recognized titles. While studying Computer Science and Electronics Engineering at Seoul National University, he was part of the founding team at Gamevil, now a publicly traded gaming powerhouse.
His career spans leadership roles at Electronic Arts, NHN, and Com2uS, where he contributed to major titles including FIFA Online, NBA Street Online, and Go Online.
In 2019, Steve co-founded NOD Games with longtime friend Chan, bringing his deep gaming expertise and love for player-centric design to Arena-Z.
COO Han Yoo
Han leads marketing, operations, and business development for Arena-Z.
A lifelong gamer with a passion for Web3 innovation, Han’s professional background blends corporate leadership and startup agility.
He built his early career in product management and supply chain operations at LG Electronics, where he led multiple product launches in the US market. During his time there, Han developed a strong interest in blockchain technology, originally exploring its use cases for supply chain transparency.
This curiosity evolved into a full commitment to Web3 gaming, leading him to become a founding member of NOD Games in 2019.
Han holds a Technology Management degree from the University of Illinois and, outside of work, enjoys long walks with his Golden Doodle.
Investors & Partners
Investor a16z (Andreessen Horowitz) Crypto
Arena-Z is proud to be backed by a16z, one of the world’s most influential venture capital firms with a deep focus on both Web3 technology and interactive entertainment.
As an early investor in transformative Web3 infrastructure and gaming projects, a16z’s support reflects their conviction in the long-term potential of Arena-Z’s platform-driven, player-owned economy model.
Investor YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs)
Binance Labs, the investment arm of Binance, brings unparalleled expertise in blockchain ecosystems, token economies, and Web3 user acquisition at scale.
As one of Arena-Z’s earliest strategic investors, Binance Labs plays a key role in helping us build a sustainable, scalable ecosystem that can reach millions of Web3 players globally.
Investor Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India)
Sequoia Capital, now part of Peak XV Partners, has a strong track record of backing high-growth technology and consumer platforms across Asia.
Their investment in Arena-Z signals a belief in the platform’s ability to scale user adoption, drive regional growth, and become a category leader in the emerging Web3 gaming space.
Investor Hashed
As one of the most prominent Web3-focused investment firms in Asia, Hashed has been instrumental in shaping the early success of Arena-Z (formerly League of Kingdoms).
With deep expertise in Web3 gaming, token ecosystems, and community growth, Hashed’s continued involvement helps us align product, economy, and community strategies for long-term impact.
Investor SkyVision Capital
SkyVision Capital is a Web3-focused investment firm with expertise in layer-1 and layer-2 infrastructure, token economies, and scalable blockchain gaming projects.
Their support reflects a shared belief in Arena-Z’s potential to become a core layer for Web3 gaming infrastructure, offering scalability and player-centric economic models powered by $A2Z and AZ Chain.
Investor Yield Guild Games (YGG)
Yield Guild Games (YGG) is one of the largest and most influential gaming guilds in the Web3 space, with a mission to onboard millions of players into blockchain games.
As a strategic partner and investor, YGG brings direct access to a vast and engaged player base, along with deep experience in community engagement, play-to-earn economies, and ecosystem growth strategies.
Their involvement strengthens Arena-Z’s ability to drive early user adoption, especially during key game launches and seasonal reward campaigns.
Investor Avocado DAO
Avocado DAO is a leading Web3 gaming community focused on player empowerment, education, and game adoption across emerging markets.
With its strong operational focus on onboarding, retention, and player support, Avocado DAO’s partnership with Arena-Z ensures that players from diverse regions have the tools and community backing needed to fully engage with our ecosystem.
Partner Optimism
As the core development team behind the OP Stack and Superchain ecosystem, Optimism plays a critical infrastructure role for Arena-Z.
By building on the OP Stack and launching AZ Chain as an Ethereum L2, Arena-Z aligns with Optimism’s vision of scalable, low-cost, and interoperable blockchain ecosystems.
This partnership enables us to deliver a fast, gas-efficient, and game-optimized environment for both players and developers, while contributing to the broader growth of the Superchain network.
Partner Rarible
As a leading multi-chain NFT marketplace protocol, Rarible provides essential infrastructure for Arena-Z’s asset trading and marketplace ecosystem.
By integrating with Rarible’s protocol, Arena-Z ensures that in-game NFTs, gear, and collectibles are easily tradable across major marketplaces—enhancing liquidity, accessibility, and visibility for players.
This partnership aligns with Arena-Z’s commitment to an open, player-owned economy where assets earned through gameplay hold value beyond the game itself.
Partner DeSpread
DeSpread supports Arena-Z as a Web3 growth partner, providing ecosystem advisory, marketing strategy, and community building services. By collaborating with despread, Arena-Z amplifies its reach across the blockchain gaming community and ensures effective go-to-market execution for key product launches, token events, and governance initiatives.
This partnership helps Arena-Z maintain a strong presence across both Web3-native and broader gaming audiences.
Partner The Sandbox
The Sandbox represents a cornerstone in Arena-Z’s multi-game interoperability strategy.
Through shared community events and NFT collaborations, Arena-Z and The Sandbox work together to promote cross-metaverse engagement and asset utility.
By aligning with one of Web3’s most recognized gaming platforms, Arena-Z expands its footprint in the broader metaverse ecosystem while offering players opportunities to use and showcase their assets across worlds.
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