Meet the Team: A Few Moments (and Drinks) with Roy Hui, Co-Founder and CEO at LightLink

In her first days at LightLink, where Man manages the content strategy, she sat down with Co-Founder and CEO Roy Hui in Singapore to discuss blockchain, leadership, and his vision for the future.

In a quaint bar in Singapore, Roy Hui, CEO and Co-Founder of LightLink, sits down, sipping his draft beer. Admittedly, he doesn’t enjoy the taste all that much. “I’m not much of a drinker,” he confesses. Wearing a simple white button-down and black pants, Roy blends in effortlessly with the other patrons in this bustling bar. Yet, despite the unassuming appearance, he is at the helm of a bold mission: making blockchain technology scalable, predictable, and accessible for enterprises across the globe. 

Roy is in town to attend TOKEN2049, a flagship Web3 conference that acts as a bat signal, drawing entrepreneurs, investors, and developers worldwide. This marks his second time attending the event in Singapore, but this year feels different. 

Last year, we didn’t have as many connections, and our brand wasn’t as big. This year, we’ve grown significantly — more peers, more friends, and LightLink is much more recognizable in the space. Over the past few days, I’ve had the chance to catch up with key partners and friends who’ve been part of that journey.

And he’s not exaggerating. Over just three days, Roy has met with key industry leaders and partners, including Celestia, Animoca Brands, and Mocaverse.

Less than a month after the conference, LightLink announced a strategic partnership with Gravitaslabs, a partner of Animoca Brands, to power Lamborghini’s Web3 automotive platform. As an official chain partner, LightLink will fuel Fast ForWorld, a digital platform Lamborghini and The Motorverse created.

Making Blockchain Scalability Simple

As our conversation shifts from TOKEN2049 to the technicalities of blockchain, Roy’s passion for innovation — he is a computer science graduate, after all — becomes evident. His blockchain journey kicked off back in 2012 with his first Bitcoin purchase. But as he dived deeper, Roy saw significant limitations in Ethereum, particularly around scalability and high transaction costs.

When we started LightLink, we aimed to address the scalability of Ethereum. Over the past seven years, we’ve encountered capacity limitations, latency issues, and prohibitive transaction fees — all barriers to adoption.

For years Roy has tackled some of the industry’s biggest challenges. Today, he is shaping LightLink into a network that is geared toward the future of blockchain and global economies. LightLink was born with a core objective: delivering a blockchain network offering predictable costs and scalable infrastructure — two key factors Roy believes are critical for driving mainstream adoption.

One of LightLink’s key features is its gas abstraction approach, which reduces the need for native tokens in transactions. This simplifies the user experience and helps enterprises better forecast infrastructure costs — a capability that sets LightLink apart from other networks.

Existing public chains are slow and inefficient, but with our bespoke technology, we can offer a much more suitable economic model — one that’s a lot better for real-world applications.

Lightlink’s Enterprise Play

As we discuss enterprise adoption, Roy's passion for the topic is clear. While many blockchain projects focus on decentralized applications (DApps) for niche communities, Roy has charted a different path for LightLink. The blockchain is laser-focused on enterprise adoption, a strategy Roy believes will set LightLink apart from other Layer 2 solutions.

Roy’s leadership style is all about practical problem-solving. Rather than chasing speculative blockchain use cases, he’s focused on solving real-world challenges — from education and payments to transportation. His ultimate goal is to build a network that simplifies blockchain interactions by eliminating barriers like complicated wallets and gas fees and replacing them with user-friendly APIs and social logins.

We’re working to blur the lines between Web2 and Web3. Blockchain shouldn’t be difficult to use. We’re solving significant problems — ticketing, payments, transportation — and that’s what will bring millions of new users into our space.

Scaling up With Strategic Alliances

A key pillar of Roy’s vision for LightLink is the company’s partnership strategy. As our conversation shifts to partnerships, Roy’s excitement is evident. 

Animoca Brands is a substantial brand with a well-established ecosystem. Standing on the shoulders of giants like them gives us access to hundreds of their portfolio companies.

The past two months have been a whirlwind of high-profile partnerships for LightLink. First, The Motorverse teamed up with them to enable digital vehicle ownership, minting driver’s licenses through LightLink’s instant, gasless platform. “6 million users, can you imagine?” Roy says, his enthusiasm palpable.

And more recently, the integration with LayerZero, facilitating seamless interoperability across over 80 blockchains. And just this week, LightLink announced a partnership with Stargate, introducing Bridged USDC + USDT, serving as the canonical stablecoins for the LightLink ecosystem.

“There are no shortcuts,” Roy says, leaning back with a determined look as he takes a sip of his drink. LightLink continues to double down on its efforts, and there’s more to come. While details remain under wraps, their potential partnership with a Middle Eastern conglomerate aims to define new economies, marking a new chapter in their expansion.

If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: Roy’s strategic ability to align with industry leaders propels LightLink’s rapid growth and successful enterprise adoption.

Real Connections, Real Leadership

As the evening progresses, we leave the bar — and his barely touched beer — to head to an Animoca Labs event. Despite his significant achievements, including multiple successful exits from ventures outside of LightLink, Roy remains grounded and relatable. He lights up when talking about his family. “My son said ‘cap’ the other day. I had no idea what that meant,” he shares, eyes crinkling with amusement. He toys with ChatGPT, chuckling as he shows me a paragraph the AI wrote about Layer 2s in a Gen-Z style.

It’s moments like these that make it clear why Roy connects so easily with others. At the conference, he met up with developers from Joy Dragon, winners of LightLink’s recent hackathon with Encode Club. He shares a selfie on his personal X account, grinning next to them as he holds up a personalized wallet and handwritten note they gifted him. “This is why we do what we do: celebrating real connections in the digital age,” he writes.

As we step into the humid Singapore night, Roy pulls out his phone, glancing at Google Maps to find our next stop. His mind is already shifting gears — thinking about the partnerships, events, and opportunities that lie ahead for LightLink.

Catch Roy at Devcon! Don’t miss your shot to connect, snag some alpha, and explore ways to join the LightLink ecosystem.

See you in Thailand for Devcon 2024!