[Blooming Lunch] Christie Lee "The Core Challenge of Blockchain is Its Real-World Connection"

Christie Lee, APAC Lead at Aptos Labs

Early member of Moloco and Memebox

A thirst for social impact

Joined Aptos, captivated by its technology

Expanding real-world use cases remains a key challenge

"Meeting good people and having good conversations." This is the basic purpose of Blooming Lunch. We meet outstanding figures in the Crypto Scene (blockchain and digital asset ecosystem) and share their work and lives.

Christie Lee, APAC Business Lead at Aptos Labs, first became connected with the Crypto Scene while working as an investment manager at Iron Grey, an investment firm under SeAH Group. Iron Grey participated as an early investor in Aptos (APT) in 2022. Lee recalls, "For Iron Grey, Aptos was the first cryptocurrency company we invested in."

We met at the Sichuan House Samsung Branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Opened in 2009, this Sichuan cuisine restaurant has been selected for the Blue Ribbon for six consecutive years since 2020. Popular dishes include spicy stir-fried items such as Laziji and Mala Xiang Guo.

Christie Lee appeared dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and we ordered the 'White' lunch course menu. The course included shrimp dishes, Dongpo pork, and Yuringi, and soon after, a rich and well-seasoned crab soup was served first, awakening our appetite. With the soup before us, the conversation began in earnest.

"Certainty about Aptos"

Lee joined Aptos Labs in early 2023. Aptos Labs is responsible for developing blockchain technology for Aptos, a Layer 1 project launched in 2021. She was the first Korean employee hired by Aptos Labs and said, "At the time of joining, I was also the first Asian among non-developer staff," adding, "I joined with strong conviction in Aptos' technical prowess."

She emphasized the technical strength of Aptos, stating, "Among mainnets, it's definitely superior to Ethereum (ETH)." She continued, "Depending on the transaction type, Aptos' transaction fees are at least 100 times, up to 10,000 times lower than Ethereum's, and block generation time is less than 1 second." Compared to Ethereum's average block time of about 12 seconds, this means Aptos can be up to 12 times faster. Lee explained that Upbit, South Korea's largest crypto exchange, recently added Aptos as a blockchain for Tether (USDT) transfers—after Ethereum and TRON—thanks to these technological strengths.

As we talked, the main courses of mango shrimp and Dongpo pork arrived. The mango shrimp was a whole fried shrimp accompanied by sweet mango sauce, while the Dongpo pork, served with Chinese buns, impressed with its uniquely tender pork belly texture. Next came Yuringi—crispy fried chicken paired with a spicy, tangy soy sauce.

Lee shared her experience as an intern at K-beauty startup Memebox in 2013, recalling, "At the time, there were fewer than 15 employees, and I shared a desk with the founder, Ha Hyung-seok, because there was no space in the office." The following year, Memebox became the first Korean startup to secure investment from Y Combinator, the largest US accelerator.

Afterwards, she worked at medical device startup Ybrain and as an early member of the AI-based ad tech company Moloco. Lee said, "Since my student years, I've always been interested in tech and startups," and added, "During university, I even started a business with support from my school foundation." She noted, "Looking back, I always had a thirst for 'social impact,' and that's probably why I became interested in the cryptocurrency industry."

"Plenty to Learn in the Crypto Scene"

Asked about the appeal of the Crypto Scene, Lee answered without hesitation, "There are many people to learn from." She said, "As I work, I learn a lot from those I meet, which provides plenty of inspiration," and added, "That's the biggest reason I'm working in crypto now and want to stay in this field going forward."

There were also mentions of challenges. She said, "Ultimately, the value of tokens and blockchains depends on their points of contact with reality," emphasizing, "For every mainnet, generating even one more real-world use case is the core challenge." She explained, "The rapidly shifting narratives in the crypto industry stem from this ongoing concern. The recent rise of stablecoins also comes from their strong linkage with the real world."

During our conversation, our meal arrived—we chose Jajangmyeon and Sichuan seafood Jjamppong. The Jajangmyeon, topped with two boiled shrimp, was clean and not at all heavy. After finishing the meal, a small serving of mango pudding, about the size of a yogurt cup, was served as dessert.

While enjoying dessert, we also talked about weekend routines. Lee shared, "I usually spend time with my child. Since becoming a parent, I waste far less time, weekdays or weekends," and laughed, "Sometimes, I even take my own vacation days to attend overseas crypto conferences."

After the meal, we moved to a nearby Starbucks. Over two cups of coffee, we chatted briefly for about 20 minutes before parting ways. She planned to stay at the café for her next meeting nearby. Before leaving, I glanced back and saw Lee speaking on the phone.

This interview received no support or compensation from any restaurant or brand, and was conducted without commercial intent. The 'Blooming Lunch' section aims to capture candid conversations at the interviewee's favorite local eateries.