Korean web3 research company with Daniel Kim, CEO of Tiger Research

—

by

Raphael Rocher
– 7 mins read

Table of Contents

    Raphael Rocher

    Raphael Rocher contributes to VaaSBlock’s research and RMA™ assessments, specialising in operational risk, governance maturity, and cross-market analysis in Asian Web3 ecosystems. His background in product operations and compliance informs his work evaluating early-stage blockchain teams. He also hosts the NCNG podcast.

    TL;DR: In this episode, Raphael Rocher talks with Daniel Kim, founder and CEO of Tiger Research, an Asia-based Web3 research and consulting firm operating from Seoul, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Daniel explains Tiger Research’s mission: helping enterprises and Web3 projects adopt blockchain through a mix of market research, business/technology development, and hands-on project management. He shares how his background at Microsoft, AWS, and as a hedge fund tech analyst shaped his belief that major technology waves always need trusted local partners to drive real adoption. Daniel breaks down TR’s methodology: relentless daily research, narrative-driven top-down analysis paired with bottom-up networking and problem discovery with clients. The conversation closes with a rapid-fire pitch for why global Web3 companies should build in Asia, especially Korea: massive user base, strong talent, relatively clear regulation, high retail investor appetite, and an unusually aligned ecosystem of enterprises, developers, investors, and regulators. Finally, Daniel teases Tiger’s open-source Korea Blockchain Week report, designed to help visitors enter the market fully informed and ready for deeper collaboration.

    Context

    Raphael Rocher welcomes Daniel Kim to the show for a deep dive into Tiger Research and the realities of Web3 adoption in Asia. Daniel introduces Tiger Research as a Seoul-headquartered consulting and research firm with teams across Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia, focused on helping enterprises and projects leverage blockchain in practical, scalable ways.

    The discussion explores Tiger’s scope of work, the personal motivations behind launching the firm, and how trust and research discipline shape their culture. Daniel then gives a concise but compelling case for why Asia, and Korea in particular, represents one of the strongest regions for Web3 market entry. The episode ends with a teaser of Tiger Research’s Korea Blockchain Week report, published to equip global visitors with an open-source market primer.

     

    Conversation Transcript

    Introduction & What Tiger Research Does

    Raphael Rocher (Host, NCNG): Before we start, can you confirm that you agree with me recording this call?

    Daniel Kim (Founder & CEO, Tiger Research): Yes, I agree.

    Raphael Rocher (Host, NCNG): Perfect. The first question, just to start things off: who you are, what you do, and a quick description of Tiger Research and what your business is in a few lines.

    Daniel Kim (Founder & CEO, Tiger Research): Hi everyone, my name is Daniel Kim and I’m the founder and CEO of Tiger Research. Tiger Research is an Asian Web3 research and consulting firm based out of Seoul, South Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

    Raphael Rocher (Host, NCNG): Can you talk a bit more about what you do — your core business and the reports you deliver?

    Daniel Kim (Founder & CEO, Tiger Research): Tiger Research helps enterprises leverage Web3 technology and combine blockchain with their existing business. We do three things: market research (both private research for clients and public research for audiences), business and technology development, and recently project management for the toughest blockchain-related workloads enterprises face.

    For example, we work with Animoca Brands on their Korea business, Forte on expanding their blockchain gaming platform from the US to Asia, and Klaytn Foundation on their real-world asset business. We also work closely with foundations like Solana, The Graph Foundation, and Everyworld.

     

    Why Daniel Started Tiger Research

    Raphael Rocher (Host, NCNG): What made you decide to start Tiger Research? Was it a specific need you saw, or linked to your past experience?

    Daniel Kim (Founder & CEO, Tiger Research): I started my career in 2010 and worked at large tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, and also at a hedge fund as a technology analyst. A theme across my career was how technology impacts the world.

    I realized that when a technology becomes widely adopted, there are always local supporters and partners who help drive the last mile of adoption. SoftBank began as a Microsoft software reseller; Accenture and system integrators bridged enterprise tech gaps; and even AWS relies heavily on partners — 50–60% of cloud business goes through regional partners.

    Around 2020–2021, I believed blockchain would change how we interact with the internet and solve hard workloads. So I founded Tiger Research to be a research-driven local partner helping enterprises realize the value of blockchain long term. The name comes from my time at a Tiger Cub hedge fund, plus a commitment to staying research-first.

     

    Tiger Research Methodology & What Makes It Unique

    Raphael Rocher (Host, NCNG): Your methodology impressed us. Without going too deep, what’s your process and what makes Tiger Research unique?

    Daniel Kim (Founder & CEO, Tiger Research): The most important thing for us is building and maintaining trust. Even though blockchain aims to create trustless systems, the industry still has many untrustworthy actors and scams. We’re here for the long term (10 to 20 years) and want to be a reliable partner.

    Being trustworthy means: we’re present, we understand what’s happening, we have the networks, and we focus on delivering real results rather than just numbers or assumptions. That culture differentiates us.

    On research specifically, we work hard to stay ahead of trends. Most of us spend at least an hour per day reading official research, white papers, Telegram chats, Twitter, and using tools like Kaito and ChatGPT to speed up study.

    We also use both top-down and bottom-up methods. Top-down: tracking major narratives driving Web3 in each period. Bottom-up: deep one-on-one networking sessions to understand the real problems and motivations of Web2 companies entering Web3 or Web3 companies launching new initiatives.

     

    Elevator Pitch: Why Asia & Why Korea?

    Raphael Rocher (Host, NCNG): If you had 30 seconds to convince a foreign company to invest time and resources into Asia — and Korea specifically — what would you say?

    Daniel Kim (Founder & CEO, Tiger Research): Asia is the place to be for Web3 builders and communities. It has at least 50% of the world’s population, strong talent on both user and builder sides, and some of the most regulatory certainty, especially in places like Singapore. I believe first mass adoption will spark from Asia, particularly in the application layer, because of sophisticated users and strong tech infrastructure.

    For Korea specifically, I look at four factors: builders, developers, investors, and regulation. Korea is above average on all four. More than half of Korean enterprises are interested or already working in Web3: LG has a Web3 research team, SK runs a blockchain wallet/marketing project, and major gaming companies like Nexon, Netmarble (Marblex), and Krafton have initiatives.

    Retail investment appetite is huge. Exchanges like Upbit, Bithumb, and Coin.One rank top five globally by spot volume. Korea also has strong developer density, with many transitioning into blockchain and university clubs actively researching ecosystems. Regulators are strict on VASPs but understand the tech well and focus on investor protection. Overall, Korea is one of the top three environments where enterprises, developers, investors, and regulators align.

     

    Teasing the Korea Blockchain Week Report

    Raphael Rocher (Host, NCNG): Lastly, can you tell us about the research report you published before KBW, without saying too much, to tease people into reading it?

    Daniel Kim (Founder & CEO, Tiger Research): Web3 has a festival culture, but for the industry to grow, we need to be more intellectual and informed. We wanted to open-source what we know about the Korean market to everyone attending Korea Blockchain Week.

    We worked with FactBlock and Hashed, KBW’s hosts, to publish a free research report explaining Korean regulations, key players, thriving L1/L2 ecosystems, wallets, and games. Our goal is to get 10–20,000 participants onto the same starting point so meetings and discussions can go deeper than basic market questions. It’s available free on our Tiger Research site — about 50 pages, plus a TL;DR.

    Raphael Rocher (Host, NCNG): Very good. Thank you very much.

     

    About Tiger Research

    Tiger Research is an Asia-focused Web3 research and consulting firm founded by Daniel Kim, with teams based in Seoul, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The company helps enterprises and blockchain projects adopt Web3 through three core services: market research (public and private), business and technology development, and project management for complex enterprise blockchain workloads. Tiger Research positions itself as a long-term, trust-driven partner in the region, combining narrative analysis, deep field research, and close client collaboration to support sustainable Web3 adoption across Asia.

    Raphael Rocher Contributor

    Raphael Rocher is Contributor at VaaSBlock and host of the NCNG podcast, specialising in operational oversight, risk management practices, and cross-market research across emerging Web3 ecosystems. With a background bridging blockchain, compliance workflows, and product operations, he focuses on improving the structure, transparency, and maturity of early-stage crypto organisations.

    Based between Seoul and Southeast Asia, Raphael works closely with founders navigating complex market conditions, helping evaluate organisational processes, governance readiness, and long-term operational resilience. His work contributes to VaaSBlock’s independent scoring methodology and research outputs, particularly for projects expanding into Asian markets.

    Prior to VaaSBlock, Raphael held roles across product operations and systems implementation, giving him a practical understanding of how teams execute under pressure, scale infrastructure, and manage operational risk. This experience allows him to analyse Web3 teams not only from a technical or marketing lens, but from an organisational and cross-functional standpoint.

    Today, Raphael contributes to ecosystem research publications, RMA™ assessment reviews, and due-diligence guidance for projects aiming to demonstrate higher operational credibility. He frequently examines trends across Korean blockchain ecosystems, cross-chain infrastructure, and the evolving requirements placed on Web3 companies by investors, regulators, and institutional partners.

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