KOR Protocol Raises $7.5 Million Series A to Build the Creative Asset Clearinghouse

KOR Protocol, the platform building the creative asset clearinghouse, today announced a $7.5 million Series A, capital provided by 1kx and Blockchain Capital at a $100 million valuation. KOR is also supported by existing investors and strategic partners across entertainment, technology, and venture capital.

AI has collapsed the cost of production, but the barrier to being discovered, distributed, and paid has never been higher. Independent talent now has the tools to make professional work, but not the coordinated system to turn that work into opportunity. KOR is building the clearinghouse for this market: an end-to-end system of action where output can be registered, talent can be guided by AI agents, opportunities can be routed to the right labels, agencies, MCNs, brands, curators, and platforms, and payments can move faster and more transparently across the ecosystem. 

KOR is starting with entertainment because it is where the mismatch is most visible. Entertainment has the largest attention flows, the highest upside outcomes, and one of the clearest gaps between what gets consumed and who captures the value. AI has commoditized tools and knowledge work, but it cannot commoditize original creativity, cultural gravity, or the ability to command attention. Yet much of the entertainment industry still relies on manual scouting, fragmented platform data, slow deal flow, and outdated payment systems. KOR is designed to rebuild that infrastructure for the AI era.

The Series A reflects growing demand for better systems around talent discovery, rights management, licensing, and payments. The funding will help KOR expand its products, grow its library of licensed music and entertainment content, deepen its industry partnerships, and bring more creators, rights holders, and entertainment businesses onto the platform.

Ritty Quin was appointed CEO late last year to lead the company’s next phase of growth across the technology engine and the creator economy. A PhD holder and UCL alumnus, he began his career at ByteDance before moving into marketing roles across the technology space. Quin is also a YouTube Partner and electronic music producer signed to Live Nation Asia. He has generated over 30 million impressions as a creator, appeared on Beatport’s Top 100 House Charts and BBC Radio 1 Dance, and headlined Creamfields Asia in 2025. 

“AI has removed many of the barriers to creating professional work, but it has not fixed what happens next,” said Quin, CEO of KOR. “As both an artist and an operator, I know how difficult it is to translate strong work and audience momentum into distribution, partnerships, and sustainable revenue. KOR is building the system that connects those pieces by helping talent get recognized earlier, reach the right opportunities, and build lasting careers.”

Since launch, KOR has built meaningful traction across its ecosystem, surpassing 1 million lifetime sign-ups, established relationships with more than 1,000 creative and rights partners, and generated more than $2 million in gross revenue. Current partners and collaborators include globally recognized brands and franchises including Black Mirror, Beatport, mau5trap, Imogen Heap, Banijay Group, KDDI, and more. The company sees this as early evidence that creators and entertainment businesses are looking for better systems to manage the next phase of the talent economy.

KOR’s platform focuses on three parts of the creator journey: producing and registering work, finding the right audience and commercial partners, and turning that momentum into revenue. It helps establish origin, authenticity, ownership, and clearance for creative work, while using audience insights and workflow tools to connect talent and content with relevant opportunities. The platform also helps creators and commercial partners manage licensing, payments, commissions, revenue sharing, and other financial processes more efficiently.

KOR’s product suite includes Pacer, KORUS, VRSNS, Streamline, and KOR Hubs. Pacer is an AI-powered workspace that helps artists and their teams manage release strategy, audience insights, fan engagement, partner outreach, and campaign execution. It brings information from across an artist’s career into one place and helps turn that information into a clear plan of action. KORUS is a music creation and remix platform that allows artists to release official music packs for fans and creators to reinterpret with permission. The platform is designed to make collaborative music more accessible while ensuring that original artists and rights holders retain control and participate in the value created. VRSNS, Streamline, and KOR Hubs provide additional tools around content creation, audience intelligence, community building, and direct monetization.

The funding will support KOR’s next phase of growth as it expands its products, develops new partnerships across music and entertainment, and brings more creators and commercial partners onto the platform. KOR’s long-term goal is to become the place where emerging talent meets opportunity: helping creators get discovered earlier, enabling entertainment businesses to identify stronger signals, and giving the next generation of artists, filmmakers, DJs, and digital creators a clearer path from making work to building sustainable careers.

About KOR Protocol

KOR Protocol is building the clearinghouse for talent in the AI era. The platform helps creators, artists, rights holders, and entertainment businesses move from creation to discovery, distribution, and monetization in one coordinated environment. Through products including Pacer, KORUS, VRSNS, Streamline, and KOR Hubs, KOR connects emerging talent with the labels, agencies, brands, platforms, and communities that can help scale their work. To learn more, visit korprotocol.io.

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aakanksha@korprotocol.io