Former SM Entertainment CEO Launches First U.S.-Based K-Pop Company

Nikki Semin Han is looking to disrupt the K-pop industry with the launch of TITAN CONTENT (“TITAN”), a new company that plans to create and manage new K-pop groups in the U.S.

Semin Han, the former CEO of SM Entertainment, one of the biggest agencies managing K-pop talent, including the likes of NCT, EXO, Girls’ Generation, Red Velvet, and WayV, will lead the company alongside an executive team with vast experience in the genre. Headquartered in Los Angeles, TITAN’s founding team includes CEO Katie Kang, chief performance officer Lia Kim, chief visual officer Guoim Lee and chief business officer Dom Rodriguez, with Semin Han acting as chairman of the board.

TITAN will be the first U.S.-based music company entirely dedicated to developing K-pop groups. The company, which houses studios in both Los Angeles and Seoul, looks to bridge the gap between East and West business, and it also has plans to “combine traditional K-pop business models and content with Web3, metaverse, and AI innovation” before expanding into a “variety of festivals and brands” later on.

The company has successfully closed its initial seed finance round, which was led by RW3 Ventures and Raptor Group and co-leader Dreamus Company. Additional investors include Animoca Ventures, Sfermion, Bell Partners AB, Heros Entertainment, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Scrum Ventures, Planetarium, and Avalanche.

“Think of TITAN like the Avengers of the K-pop community joining forces to redefine the industry. With a proven record of elevating global superstars, TITAN’s founders and executives have played key roles in helping shape K-pop and making it a global lifestyle with passionate fans across the world,” said Semin Han.

Per Variety‘s Korean industry sources, TITAN reportedly aims to launch two K-pop girl groups and two boy groups, as well as one male soloist and one female soloist, by 2028. Global auditions are expected to take place throughout 2024.