From the Internet to Connected Devices
IBT Ignite

For Richard Zhou, the connecting line between the internet, connected devices, blockchain, and real-world assets lies in the way he builds. Since entering business during the internet era of the late 1990s, the serial entrepreneur has moved into each new category with the same objective: identify useful infrastructure early, then develop it within the governance and regulatory structures needed for long-term operation.

That approach has led Zhou to found three publicly listed companies and raise nearly C$30 million from hundreds of investors across his ventures. Today, as founder, president, and chief executive officer of Blockchain Venture Capital Inc. (CSE: BVCI), he is applying that experience to regulated digital-asset services and RWA tokenisation.

Zhou's interest in emerging infrastructure took a practical turn in 2016, when he participated in the commercialisation of LoRaWAN Internet of Things (IoT) technology in Canada and Asia. The work was an early effort to make low-power, wide-area connected systems commercially viable.

He also designed a prototype for next-generation micropayments that combined IoT devices, LoRaWAN, stablecoins, digital wallets, and satellite networks. The concept anticipated a world in which connected devices could exchange small payments across decentralised networks, linking communications technology with financial settlement.

That experience helped shape Zhou's move into blockchain. He saw the technology as a way to rebuild trust and settlement on-chain, but his focus remained on operational businesses rather than short-term market trends.

Building Regulated Crypto Infrastructure

BVCI's development reflects that compliance-first approach. On 1 July 2019, Canada Day, the company launched CADT, the first Canadian-dollar-denominated stablecoin. Its businesses also include Trillium Coin, a FINTRAC-registered crypto OTC desk, alongside work in real-world asset tokenisation.

Zhou took BVCI public on 12 August 2022. Operating a listed Canadian fintech company through changing crypto cycles has required him to balance market adoption and monetisation with disclosure, governance, and investor expectations. His response has been to build through regulated entities, maintain public-company reporting, and keep compliance within the operating model from the outset.

A Public-Market Operator

Zhou's experience extends beyond BVCI. He founded and formerly served as president and chief executive officer of Green Panda Capital Corp., and he was previously a board director of Internet of Things Inc. (TSXV: ITT). Across his career, he has combined the roles of founder, operator, business leader, and public-company executive.

That background now informs BVCI's RWA tokenisation work, which is focused on public companies, mineral assets, and private equities. The aim is to bring assets on-chain while accounting for the regulatory and governance obligations attached to them. For potential investors and partners, that distinction matters: the company's strategy rests on operating experience in both public markets and regulated financial services.

The Next Listing Goal

BVCI is now pursuing an uplisting to Nasdaq, a goal that would place the company before a broader capital-market audience. Zhou is also involved in the design and commercialisation of several AI agent gadgets, continuing a career shaped by successive infrastructure cycles.

The pattern is consistent. Zhou enters developing technology categories early, connects them with practical financial uses, and builds within formal corporate structures. As BVCI pursues its Nasdaq objective and develops its RWA business, its progress can be assessed against a concrete record: three public companies founded, regulated operations established, and nearly C$30 million raised from hundreds of investors.