Who We Are - The Relique Story
Relique was founded by a group of U.S.-based financial professionals with extensive experience in managing investment funds and high-value assets, in a quest for a new investment vehicle. Drawing on years of exposure to global capital markets, we recognized that memorabilia possesses all the characteristics of a legitimate financial asset—scarcity, provenance, and enduring value—yet has been held back by inconsistent verification and fragmented infrastructure.
Determined to transform this space, the team set out to address the barriers that have historically limited memorabilia's capacity as an investment asset. By combining rigorous financial discipline with strategic insight, we aim to design a platform capable of delivering objectivity, transparency, and scalability, elevating memorabilia from mere collectibles to credible assets that investors and collectors can trust.
Their deep expertise in artificial intelligence, established sporting ecosystem, and intimate understanding of the collectibles market provide critical capabilities. This partnership enables Relique to bridge the market knowledge gap and eradicate liability of foreignness, ensuring that every authentication and transaction meets the highest standard of credibility and reliability.
Relique is redefining what it means for memorabilia to be both collectible and investable, creating a trusted foundation for a market ready to mature and thrive.
One To Appreciate, And One That Appreciate
The founders of Relique all have extensive experience working at financial funds in the United States, where investment decisions always revolve around three core factors: value – risk – trust. Throughout that process, we witnessed:
- 1Traditional financial assets increasingly rely on intermediary trust.
- 2Fraud, manipulation, and geopolitical instability have shaken confidence in many assets.
- 3Global capital has begun seeking alternative asset classes that are clearly scarce.
From the perspective of asset managers with extensive background in institutional finance, we realized that memorabilia—items tied to people, events, and history that cannot be replicated—possess many of the characteristics of long-term valuable assets: objective scarcity, sustainable collector demand, and cultural value across time.
Unlike most traditional financial assets, collectibles have an abstract value driven by a passionate base — much like fine art. According to Kiplinger, of the most reputable financial publication, the demand for sports collectibles has recorded unprecedented growth since the pandemic, outperforming even the S&P 500. Their valuation in the market is expected to have a CAGR of 21.8% over the next decade. The fact that Sotheby’s—whose past auctions include a $157.2 million Modigliani and a $139.4 million Picasso—has stepped into the sports memorabilia market speaks volume. We might as well be witnessing the emergence of a new blue chip investment class.
"With each purchase, you're not simply acquiring an item, but rather investing in a financial asset imbued with a story, a memory, and a tangible connection to your sporting inspiration."
A Question of Trust
With a background in institutional finance and capital management, our founders understand that every investment, irrespective of scale or form, rests upon one principle above all others: trust. It is the single, uncompromising factor that ultimately determines the capacity, resilience, and credibility of any investment vehicle.
Artificial Intelligence - A Natural Extension, Not a Pivot
As the saying goes, modern problems require modern solutions. In this day and age, conventional certification methods have unfortunately become extremely vulnerable to forgery and digital manipulation. Expert opinions, while respected, are subjective and hard to scale efficiently.
The Tech Analysis
- • Sequencing
- • Stroke Order
- • Velocity Fluctuations
- • Micro-tremor Signatures
Developed and tailored by the team of expert engineers at St.B AI, our model performs a multi-layered comparison, assessing subtle variances in patterns, pressure dynamics, and morphology on a level of precision that far exceeds standard naked-eye capability.
The result is a high-confidence, data-driven and probabilistic assessment, each linked to a unique product code and QR identifier to ensure traceability and integrity.
Strategic Partner
We are backed by St.B, providing unparalleled infrastructure and compliance for high-value physical assets. Together, we ensure every piece in our marketplace is secured, insured, and verified to institutional standards.
Meet Our Team
Do Tuan Kiet
Co-founder & Head of SEA Operations
Financial Analyst & Business Consultant at Wander Wealth Partner
Tuan Kiet is one of the co-founders of Relique.co and leads the firm's operations across Southeast Asia. As a seasoned finance and investment expert, he brings his vision and extensive experience in capital management, investment analysis, and risk assessment to the firm's board and channels that into Relique's strategies. At the forefront of the company's mission, he is the driving force behind Relique's mission to establish memorabilia as a credible, investable financial asset, seamlessly blending passion, heritage, and tangible value.
Vu Truong Son
St. B Ecosystem Founder & Director
Msc Applied A.I at SWISS UEMF University
Vu Truong Son is the founder of St. B Sporting Ecosystem - of which the Technology Department - St.B AI - powers Relique.co's Artificial Intelligence authentication technology. He holds dual degrees in International Business Administration and International Finance at Foreign Trade University - one of Vietnam's finest institutions, and a Master's in Applied AI from Swiss UMEF University of Applied Sciences. This, together with years of extensive experience in multiple lines of business positions him exceptionally well to apply advanced technology within a deep and nuanced understanding of the market. St. B's technology underpins Relique.co's commitment to objective, reliable, and scalable authentication.
Doan Trung Phong
Head of St.B AI
AI Engineer at VNPAY; Ex Manager and Lecturer at Thang Long University - Faculty of Information Technology
As a former University Lecturer with multiple certifications in Machine Learning & Deep Learning from Coursera as well as years of experience in AI-Engineering, he brings to the table an invaluable combination of deep technical expertise and practical innovation. Throughout the years he has been the mind behind various high-stakes applications, most notable among which is a transaction fraud detector for a leading "big 4" commercial bank and automated data collector for analysis agents. His work leverages fine-tuned, pre-trained deep learning models, employing techniques such as hyperparameter tuning, transfer learning, and custom loss functions.
Trinh Duc Tan
AI Engineer
AI Engineer at TDMK Ltd.
Key technical contributor focusing on multi-layered signature comparison and pattern variance assessment.
Nguyen Huy Manh
AI Engineer
AI Engineer at Pixta Vietnam
Expert in computer vision integration for forensic material analysis and data-driven authenticity metrics.