Loi Luu is a Singapore-based entrepreneur and angel investor best known as the co-founder and CEO of Kyber Network, one of the earliest on-chain liquidity protocols built on Ethereum. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore, where his research focused on blockchain security and smart contract vulnerabilities. His academic work, including the widely cited paper "Making Smart Contracts Smarter" (2016), helped establish early best practices for Ethereum contract auditing.
Before founding Kyber Network, Luu contributed to SmartPool, a decentralized mining pool protocol designed to reduce centralization risk in Bitcoin and Ethereum mining. In 2017, Kyber Network held a public token sale, raising approximately $52 million USD to fund development of its on-chain exchange infrastructure. The protocol became a foundational component of the DeFi ecosystem, processing billions of dollars in swap volume before the sector's competitive landscape intensified with the rise of Uniswap and other automated market makers.
Luu stepped back from day-to-day operations at Kyber Network as the protocol underwent governance and structural changes – including the controversial KNC token migration and the eventual wind-down of the KyberSwap aggregator following a major exploit in November 2023 that drained approximately $47 million from concentrated liquidity pools. The incident was one of the more damaging hacks of that period for a DeFi protocol, and it significantly impacted the project's trajectory.
Notable investments
Luu is listed with a portfolio of 6 companies in his capacity as an angel investor. Public information about the specific names of these portfolio companies is limited. His investment activity is not comprehensively documented on major platforms such as Crunchbase or PitchBook. Based on available public information, his investments appear concentrated in early-stage blockchain infrastructure, DeFi protocols, and Southeast Asian Web3 startups – areas aligned with his technical background and operational experience at Kyber Network.
- Kyber Network (co-founder) – on-chain liquidity protocol; ICO 2017; later suffered significant exploit (2023)
- SmartPool (contributor) – decentralized mining pool research project
- Additional angel portfolio companies: not publicly disclosed at this time
Team
Luu co-founded Kyber Network alongside Victor Tran (CTO) and Yaron Velner. His own background combines academic research in formal verification and smart contract security with hands-on protocol development. He has spoken at major industry events including Devcon and Token2049. Public information about partners or associates in his angel investing activity specifically is limited – he appears to operate as an individual angel rather than through a named fund or investment vehicle.
Recent activity
Following the KyberSwap exploit in late 2023 and the subsequent governance disputes with the hacker over fund recovery, Luu's public profile became less active. As of early 2025, no new founding announcements or major public investments have been widely reported. His X (formerly Twitter) activity has remained focused on blockchain commentary rather than deal announcements. It is not confirmed whether he has continued active angel deployment or shifted focus.
Luu remains a recognized figure in the Singapore and Southeast Asian blockchain community, with a strong technical reputation built during the 2017–2022 DeFi growth period. His experience navigating both the rise and the serious setbacks of Kyber Network gives him a grounded view of protocol risk – an asset in evaluating early-stage projects. Whether he scales his angel activity into a more structured vehicle remains to be seen. Investors and founders seeking to connect with him can follow his public presence via X (@loi_luu).
