KMate Korea is Tony's latest venture. He's built VECINO into five formats across Sydney — three restaurants, a private event space, and a time-shared café concept — doing AUD $4.5M (about ₩5B) in combined annual revenue, while running product businesses on the side, from wholesale coffee distribution to a live-commerce chocolate brand. Now he's running live Seoul tours, content, and Airbnb experiences, with Australia next.
The Founder
Tony grew up between Seoul and Sydney. Before hospitality, he worked in fashion and grew up on hip-hop — the same instinct for mixing things that don't obviously belong shows up in everything he's built since. In 2017, with co-founder Eunice, he turned that instinct into VECINO: Korean flavor in a Mexican format, soju meeting tequila in a cocktail glass. It grew into five formats across Sydney — three restaurants, a private event floor, and a time-shared café concept — doing AUD $4.5M (about ₩5B) in combined annual revenue, while Tony ran product businesses on the side: wholesale coffee distribution, personal-import resale, and a chocolate brand he took straight to live commerce. In 2024 he stepped back from day-to-day VECINO operations — he still owns the brand today — and moved to Seoul to build KMate Korea from zero. In September 2026, he's doing it again in Australia.
Korean-Mexican fusion, grown to five formats across Sydney. Still owns the brand.
Fashion background, hip-hop culture — the same instinct for mixing things that don't obviously belong.
Relocating to Australia to run the same hands-on playbook there.
"I don't build one business at a time. I build the ones that are missing."
Est. 2017, VECINO is Tony's Korean-Mexican fusion brand, grown into five formats across Sydney. He personally ran it from 2017 to 2024 and still owns the brand today — the same hands-on hospitality now running KMate Korea.
Same brand, five different formats — built to prove the concept works in more than one shape.
On the first floor of VECINO Glebe sits Vecino Fiesta — a private dining and event space for up to 30 guests, complete with its own bar, a balcony over Glebe Point Rd, and a look that's landed it on Instagram feeds far beyond Sydney. Booked out on the strength of design and word of mouth alone, no paid ads.
Before KMate, Tony sourced brands, distributed them, and sold direct to customers himself — three different product businesses, three different channels.
Tony spent 15 years in Australia — including building VECINO into a 4.8★, five-format Sydney brand doing AUD $4.5M (about ₩5B) a year — before returning to Seoul. He understands exactly what international visitors feel: the confusion, the excitement, what to skip and what to never miss.
Tony bridges both cultures — making Seoul feel welcoming, not overwhelming.
Bus up Namsan (not the tourist cable car). Chimaek delivered to Han River. The spots Koreans actually use.
No bus tours. No crowds. Just you, your group, and your KMate navigating Seoul together.
These aren't concepts on a slide — EP.01 and EP.02 are live, priced, filmed, and already running with real guests, with content on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. EP.03 is currently in production.
National Museum → Namsan Tower local bus route → Han River chimaek picnic → Moonlight Rainbow Fountain show. The view that makes you fall in love with Seoul.
Gwangjang Market street food → Hanbok rental → Bukchon Hanok Village → Samcheongdong hanok café. Walking a 600-year-old city like a local. Filmed with a real influencer collaborator at Gyeonghoeru and Heungnyemun.
Ktown4u COEX → SM HQ & GWA store → Seongsu pop-ups → Hiker Ground XR stage (free) → Cheonggyecheon walk → Jongno yajang BBQ dinner.
Every route is designed around how locals actually experience Seoul — not how guidebooks say you should.
Korea welcomed a record 18.94M foreign visitors in 2025, and the government is targeting 22–23M for 2026 — driven by the global K-content wave. Most Korean hospitality and content operators are still built for a domestic audience, not this one.
The same playbook that built VECINO from zero, now applied to Seoul hospitality — with a clear expansion path.
Prime-location properties — like Jung-gu hanok — paired with inbound content can lift both occupancy and rate.
International guests are a segment most Korean creators and hosts haven't built for yet.
Tony still owns VECINO. In September 2026, he's relocating to Australia to run the KMate playbook there too — same founder, same hands-on model, new market.
The long-term roadmap: grow KMate Korea from founder-led tours into a marketplace that matches visitors with verified local Koreans and small businesses. These are targets for a future funding stage — not today's numbers, which stay on the Track Record above.
Property owner in Seoul, content partner, or interested in the Australia expansion — tell us what you're looking to do.
Or fill in the form and Tony will reach out directly.
Everything you need to know before spending a day in Seoul with Tony.
Press inquiry, question about the deck, or just want to know more before a partnership conversation? Send Tony a message directly.
Property, content, or investment — tell us what you're exploring and Tony will follow up directly.
