Founder of the Week: David Yu

• David Yu is CEO and co-founder of VeVe, a digital collectables trading platform.
• Yu is a New Zealand based serial entrepreneur who started off with a comic book store in Auckland before transforming his business into a global trading platform.
• As part of Yu and VeVe’s success, the company has enjoyed collaborations with industry giants including Marvel, DC and Disney.
• A great deal of Yu’s success with VeVe is his passion for gaming, collectables and the industry more broadly.

 

 

Tell Me About Yourself and VeVe

 

I’m the Co-Founder and CEO of VeVe, where I oversee global strategy, brand partnerships, and product innovation. I’ve been in the gaming and collectibles space for over 25 years, starting with my first venture, Games R Us, a specialty hobby retailer I founded in New Zealand when I was 17. With my Co-Founder, Dan Crothers, we launched VeVe in 2021, reimagining collecting for the digital age by offering licensed digital collectibles and digital comics through blockchain technology. We partner with iconic brands like Marvel, Disney, and DC Comics to create premium experiences, giving collectors worldwide the opportunity to engage with their passions.

 

What Inspired You To Start VeVe? What Problem Were You Trying To Solve?

 

As lifelong collectors, Dan and I saw first-hand how geography and cost challenges limited access to physical collectibles – especially living in a remote corner of the world like New Zealand. With VeVe, we wanted to address the limitations of traditional physical collecting. The rise of blockchain tech presented a chance to solve these problems, making collectibles instantly accessible, globally available, and fully authenticated. Our vision was to create an inclusive digital platform where anyone, anywhere, can easily collect and enjoy their favourite characters and stories without the barriers and limitations inherent in physical collecting.

 

 

What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge So Far? How Did You Overcome It?

 

One major challenge was scaling rapidly to meet an unexpected surge in demand. When VeVe first gained traction, our systems struggled under the immense growth. It forced us into a critical pivot to rapidly upgrade infrastructure while maintaining user trust. Transparency with our community was essential, so we openly communicated our progress. Facing this head-on taught us invaluable lessons in adaptability, ultimately strengthening VeVe’s foundation to consistently innovate according to feedback, and in that we fostered an even deeper connection with our users.

Can You Describe A Pivotal Moment That Significantly Shaped the Direction of VeVe? 

 

Launching VeVe Comics at SXSW 2024 was a defining moment for us. Up to that point, VeVe had primarily focused on digital collectibles, art, figures, and pop culture items. Introducing licensed digital comics, starting with major publishers like Marvel, marked a strategic shift and significantly expanded our platform’s cultural and commercial footprint.

Seeing the overwhelming response from fans and collectors, many of whom had never engaged with NFTs before, validated our belief in the potential of digital comics as a new and accessible category. It wasn’t just about technology; it was about storytelling, nostalgia, and fandom in a new format.

That moment reinforced two things for us: the importance of constant innovation, and the need to remain deeply connected to fan culture. It also signaled that digital collecting wasn’t a trend, it was evolving into a new form of mainstream engagement.

 

How Do You Define Success?

 

For the Business: Success at VeVe means creating a global community deeply engaged with digital collectibles. If collectors are enjoying the experience – completing collections and chasing drops right when they launch – then we’re succeeding. It’s less about numbers and more about seeing digital collecting stand on its own as a beloved hobby.

As a Founder: For me as a founder, success means staying true to the passion that started it all. If I wake up every day still excited to build, to innovate, and to push the boundaries of what’s possible, then I know I’m on the right path.

But it’s not just about my personal drive. Real success is seeing our fans around the world genuinely enjoy what we’re creating. When VeVe gives people new ways to connect with the brands, characters, and stories they love, and it brings joy into their lives, that’s the most fulfilling reward. If we’re creating value, building community, and staying authentic to our mission, then that’s success to me.

What Advice Would You Give To Someone Thinking About Launching Their Own Startup?

 

Build something you genuinely love, something that reflects who you are and what you believe in. Passion is the fuel that will keep you going when the excitement fades and the obstacles pile up. In the darkest hours, when nothing’s working and you’re questioning everything, it’s your love for what you’re building that will carry you through.

Make a habit of truly listening to your customers. Not just hearing them, but understanding them. Their feedback is one of your greatest gifts, it will keep you grounded, honest, and evolving in the right direction. The best products are co-created with the people who use them.

Learn to be adaptable. The startup journey rarely follows a straight path. Markets shift, technologies evolve, and what you thought was the answer today might not be tomorrow. Your ability to pivot with purpose, without losing sight of your vision, will be key to your survival.

But above all, build resilience. There will be setbacks, doubts, and failures. Some will hurt more than others. But if you believe in what you’re doing and stay relentlessly focused on learning and execution, you’ll find a way forward. Success isn’t just about the destination, it’s about how you grow through the journey.

 

What’s Next For VeVe? Any Exciting Developments We Should Watch Out For?

 

Right now, I’m incredibly excited about several key initiatives that are pushing VeVe into its next chapter of growth.

First, our integration with StackR is a major milestone. It allows VeVe users to buy and sell collectibles using our native OMI token, giving collectors more autonomy and flexibility to trade on their own terms. More importantly, it brings real utility to OMI and deepens its role within our ecosystem.

We’re also preparing to launch the VeVeVerse, our mobile-first metaverse experience. This will allow fans to immerse themselves in interactive 3D spaces, showcase their collectibles, and engage with others in entirely new ways. It’s not just about owning digital collectibles, it’s about creating meaningful, persistent experiences around them.

Beyond the platform features, I’m excited about how VeVe is contributing to the creative economy. As we expand our roster of IPs, from comics and pop culture to fashion and beyond we’re building a bridge between licensors, artists, and fans. This creates powerful new opportunities for creators to reach global audiences, and for fans to engage with the content they love in dynamic, digital-native formats.

There’s a lot more on the horizon, including new partnerships and technologies but at the core, we remain focused on creating value for our community, empowering creativity, and pushing the boundaries of digital collecting.

 

 

Want to be featured as TechRound’s Founder of the Week? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.

 

Founder’s Five with David Yu

 

David Yu has clearly established himself as a forward-thinking, ambitious entrepreneur, with VeVe having achieved phenomenal success in its fairly short life. We wanted to know a little bit more about the man (or one of the men, alongside co-founder, Dan) behind VeVe. Here’s our exclusive “Founder’s Five” with David Yu.

 

1. Favourite Business tool?

Slack and Notion. Communication and clarity are everything in a fast-moving business like VeVe. Slack keeps our global team connected in real time, and Notion helps us manage complex projects with structure.

 

2. One lesson you learned the hard way?

Don’t scale before your infrastructure is ready. In the early days of VeVe, we experienced overwhelming demand that tested our platform, team, and support systems. That taught me to balance ambition with operational preparedness.

 

3. One Future Trend You’re Watching?

The convergence of physical and digital collecting. We’re moving into a world where ownership isn’t bound to one format. The next wave in collectibles is phygital digital assets tied to physical goods, and it’s going to reshape the way fans engage with brands.

 

4. One Quote You Live By?

 

“Vision without execution is just hallucination”, by Thomas Edison. You can dream all you want, but if you don’t follow through with focus and discipline, it’s just noise.

 

5. One Book/Podcast You Recommend?

 

“The Hard Thing About Hard Things”, by Ben Horowitz.

 

Want to be featured as TechRound’s Founder of the Week? Know someone who deserves to be recognised as a founder making waves in the startup landscape? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.