Sebastian Ko is a Consultant in the Corporate, Commercial and TMT Practice of ELLALAN. He is a lawyer with business experiences in technology startups and venture investments. He specializes in advising Web3 projects and blockchain technology teams.
Sebastian is experienced in advising Web3, fintech, IT, and biotech clients on corporate, commercial, financial, and regulatory matters, as well as compliance and enforcement cases. In particular, he has extensive involvement in cross-border VC fundraising, cybersecurity, data privacy, licensing (product, IP, and regulatory), and employment issues.
In Web3, he has deep product knowledge and advises a diversified range of foundations and projects, including bridges, DeFi, DID, GameFi, metaverse, NFTs, SocialFi, RWAs, and wallets. He has advised dApps on established and emergent blockchains, including Layer 1, Zero-Knowledge, and other roll-ups. He has worked on simple and complex multi-jurisdictional deals, including seed, series A and B investments (via SAFE, SAFT, convertible note, and other fundraising structures); exchange listings and secondary market activities (CEXs and DEXs); product issuances; on/offshore entity set up and structuring, DAOs and decentralization.
Before joining ELLALAN, Sebastian was Senior Legal Counsel and Asia Regional Head of E-Discovery Review at a global leading alternative legal solutions provider. He practiced financial regulatory law and dispute resolution at Linklaters and Debevoise & Plimpton.
Sebastian is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
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EXPERIENCE
- Admitted as Solicitor, Hong Kong
- Admitted as Attorney, New York and the U.S. Supreme Court
- BCL, University of Oxford
- BSc (Math) and LLB, Monash University
- PCLL, University of Hong Kong
- MBA, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- ISC2 Cybersecurity Certification
- Fellow, Governance Institute of Australia
- Industry Associate, Centre of Blockchain Technologies, University of College London
- Member, Committee on Practice Venues, Law Society of Hong Kong
- Member, Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute
- Research Fellow, DEC Institute, Switzerland
- Advanced Practitioner, IACCM Contract & Commercial Management Certification
- Lecturer (part-time), University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Law
- Tutor, Risk Management Education, Academy of Law
- Accredited Mediator (General Panel), Law Society of Hong Kong
- 10 Years Award, Law Society Pro Bono and Community Service Recognition Programme, 2023
- Inter-Pacific Bar Association Scholar, 2014