Tekin Salimi is a United Arab Emirates-based investor and founder in the cryptocurrency industry, best known for establishing dao5, a crypto-native investment fund. ^[1]

Education

Tekin Salimi attended Ryerson University and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 2014, he attended National University of Singapore for a Fall exchange program, where he studied Principles of Equity Financing, International Investment Law, Environmental Law & Chinese Corporate and Securities Law. ^[3]

In 2015, he graduated from York University, Osgoode Hall Law School with a Doctor of Law degree. ^[3]

Career

dao5

Tekin Salimi is the founder of dao5, a venture fund focused on the cryptocurrency sector. He announced the formation of the fund in March 2022, initially describing it as an experimental, seed-stage investment vehicle that planned to eventually convert into a founder-owned Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO).

The fund's first iteration launched with $125 million in capital. As the founder, Salimi directs the fund's investment strategy, focusing on sourcing and supporting early-stage crypto protocols and companies. The firm presents itself as both a "principled cryptocurrency investment fund" and a "collective of crypto-native minds." ^{[1] [2]}

In May 2025, Salimi announced the launch of dao5's second fund, continuing the firm's investment activities in the digital asset space. Beyond his role at dao5, Salimi serves on the advisory board for the Thailand Digital Investor Club (TDIC), a position he publicly mentioned in February 2025.

His public statements and social media activity indicate investment interests in various blockchain protocols and token standards, including Berachain and ERC-404. ^[1]

Prior Experience

Before establishing dao5, Salimi served as a Corporate Lawyer at Torys LLP from 2015 to 2017. ^[3]

In 2018, he was a General Partner at Polychain Capital, one of the industry's earliest and most prominent crypto-focused investment firms. During his time there, he was involved in identifying and managing investments in foundational blockchain protocols and decentralized applications, working with founding teams in the emerging digital asset market. ^[1]

Salimi's background also includes experience in traditional finance. He was a Portfolio Manager at Commonwealth Asset Management, where he was responsible for managing investment portfolios.

His earlier roles include positions at the global investment firm Passport Capital and as an Analyst at Onda.

These roles provided him with a foundation in financial modeling and market analysis before he transitioned his focus to the cryptocurrency industry. ^[1]