Origin Summit Unveils Second Wave of Global Icons Ahead of Debut During KBW

September 10, 2025 – Seoul, South Korea

With its September 23, 2025, debut fast approaching, Origin Summit reveals a powerful second wave of speakers at the forefront of culture, AI, blockchain and capital.

Story, the world’s IP blockchain, in collaboration with Blockworks, today revealed a powerful second wave of speakers and participants who will take the stage during Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) in Seoul.

The speaker line upbrings together leading voices across AI, blockchain and finance to explore how IP (intellectual property) is becoming the most consequential RWA (real-world asset) class of the AI era set to unlock an $80 trillion, illiquid market at the heart of AI’s next evolution.

Hosted by Story, the world’s IP blockchain, in collaboration with Blockworks and Korea Economic Daily (Korea’s largest finance media group), Origin Summit is the premier institutional forum at the intersection of AI, capital and programmable IP.

This second wave strengthens Origin Summit’s mission – to bridge culture, institutional capital, AI and next-generation infrastructure.

These speakers bring unique perspectives on everything from entertainment and gaming IP to digital identity, tokenization and the future of AI-native creative economies.

Wave two – Confirmed speakers and participants

Sooman Lee, founder of SM Entertainment and founder and CEO of A2O Entertainment

Visionary founder of SM Entertainment, widely regarded as the architect of modern K-pop, having launched global icons like H.O.T., BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation and EXO.

Now leading A2O Entertainment with a focus on AI-driven cultural innovation.

Arthur Hayes, co-founder and former CEO of BitMEX

Legendary crypto pioneer and macro thinker. As co-founder of BitMEX, Hayes helped usher in the crypto derivatives era and remains a powerful voice on DeFi (decentralized finance) and global markets.

Justin Sun, founder of TRON and member of HTX Global Advisory Board

Known for bold moves and industry-shaping deals, Justin Sun is the founder of TRON and advisor to HTX.

Justin built one of the most globally scaled layer-ones in history and remains a prominent voice in global crypto adoption.

A convergence of AI, IP and real-world value

IP is the backbone of global creativity, culture and innovation.

IP spans everything from AI training data and music catalogs to biotech patents, entertainment franchises and UGC (user-generated content).

Valued at over $80 trillion, IP is one of the world’s largest and most important asset classes – but it remains fragmented, illiquid and largely invisible to markets.

As AI advances, access to verified, rights-cleared IP is becoming critical.

Models need structured data, not scraped content, and AI-native applications require infrastructure that can trace, license and monetize contributions in real time.

Meanwhile, institutional capital is searching for the next wave of RWAs, and crypto is evolving from speculation to programmable ownership. IP sits at the center of this convergence.

Origin Summit brings together the builders, investors and cultural leaders unlocking the programmable IP economy, where AI, crypto and capital align around one of the most consequential frontiers of the next decade.

Why Korea

Few places on earth better capture the convergence of culture, capital and technology than South Korea.

It’s home to one of the world’s most digitally fluent populations, a booming creative IP sector, widespread digital-asset adoption and some of the strongest industrial players advancing embodied AI.

• Cultural IP exports, including music, gaming, film and animation, reached $13.6 billion in 2024.
• IP exports have more than tripled over the past decade, hitting $9.9 billion.
• South Korea has the largest number of paid ChatGPT subscribers outside the US, reflecting its world-leading AI adoption. Weekly usage has exploded – up 4.5 times over the past year –  making it one of the most dynamic and AI-savvy markets globally.
• Korea is fast emerging as the frontier of physical AI and robotics, with Samsung, LG, Hyundai and SK leading the charge. It has the world’s highest robot density – 1,012 per 10,000 workers – and a robotics market growing nearly 15% annually, reinforced by the K-Humanoid Alliance aiming for advanced humanoids by 2028.
• Crypto adoption is surging, with 30% of the population – approximately 15.6 million people – actively investing in digital assets.
• South Korean exchanges currently capture nearly 50% of global altcoin trading volume.
• Coupled with a vibrant retail trading base – $663 billion in KRW trades versus USD markets – and consolidated liquidity on platforms like Upbit and Bithumb, Korea has emerged as a critical hub for digital asset innovation.
• The domestic crypto market reached a value of $102 trillion, with daily trading volumes up 20% YoY (year-over-year).

Wave one – Previously announced speakers

Wave one speakers include creators and executives behind BLACKPINK, BTS, Baby Shark, Lineage and leading institutions across finance, blockchain and entertainment.

• Kyoung In Jung, CEO of The Black Label
• Ryan Seungkyu Lee, co-founder of The Pinkfong Company
• Amy Oldenburg, head of emerging markets at Morgan Stanley
• Lee Sung-soo, CAO of SM Entertainment
• Jake Jaekyung Song, co-founder of Nexon
• Rayhaneh Sharif-Askary, MD of Grayscale
• Brandon Yu, president of HYBE APAC
• Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins and Igloo
• Sunghwan Choi, president of SK Networks
• Yat Siu, chairman of Animoca Brands
• Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon
• Jangwon Lee, CEO of Contents Technologies

Event logistics

• Date – September 23, 2025
• Location – Seoul, South Korea (during KBW)
• Format – Curated for institutional investors, IP holders, AI builders and cultural leaders
• Website
• Registration – Limited capacity. Interested parties can request access via the event website.
• Produced by – Story Protocol, in collaboration with Blockworks and Korea Economic Daily

About Origin Summit

Origin Summit is the premier institutional event at the intersection of AI, blockchain, finance and intellectual property.

Hosted by Story, in collaboration with Blockworks and Hankyung Media Group, the Summit convenes global leaders to define the infrastructure powering the programmable IP economy.

Taking place during KBW 2025 in Seoul, Origin Summit will explore how AI, crypto and capital are converging to unlock the world’s most valuable untapped asset class.

About Story

Backed with $136 million from a16z, Polychain and Samsung Ventures, Story launched its mainnet in February 2025 and has rapidly become the leading blockchain infrastructure for tokenized intellectual property.

Story is a blockchain purpose-built to make intellectual property a programmable digital asset with embedded rights.

It enables creators, developers, enterprises and AI labs to turn media, data and AI-generated content into programmable, legally enforceable digital assets, fueling use cases across AI, entertainment, robotics and more.

Designed for scale, Story bridges the gap between outdated legal frameworks and the realities of AI-era creation, making it possible to track provenance, automate licensing and unlock new markets for ideas.

As the foundation for IP’s evolution into an internet-native asset class, Story powers a more open, equitable and composable creative economy.

Users can learn more here.

About Blockworks

Blockworks is an information platform that sits at the center of the crypto industry.

We transform raw, complex data and facts into actionable research, trusted news, alpha-driven insights and world-class events.

The result is transparency and confidence.

They enable investors, operators and institutions to see past the noise, make better decisions and drive the industry forward.

Contact

HV, head of communications at PIP Labs