Decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator 1inch has announced a long-term deal with the Bruce Lee Family Company to promote crypto and decentralized finance (DeFi) adoption with the “Take Crypto SeriousLee” campaign.

According to the announcement, “Take Crypto SeriousLee” aims to shift public perception of crypto from speculation to a practical financial system for the future, using the likeness and ethos of the late martial artist and actor, Bruce Lee.

1inch and the Bruce Lee Family Company will run an ad campaign with the slogan over the next several months, with the push already kicking off with a promotional video.

The partnership builds on an existing connection, with 1inch noting that its own company name is inspired by Lee’s iconic “one-inch punch,” a technique that embodies maximum impact with minimal effort. Just as Lee’s films introduced martial arts to the global stage in the 1970s, this campaign seeks to make DeFi and Web3 more accessible and appealing to the mass audiences.

“We want to spread Bruce Lee’s values alongside the benefits of Web3 to a wider audience,” said 1inch co-founder Sergej Kunz, in a statement. “I’ve been inspired by Bruce Lee since childhood, ever since I first took up martial arts.”

“1inch has always stuck to Bruce Lee’s values, including integrity, resilience, and a serious approach to every endeavor he pursued,” Kunz added.

1inch did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Decrypt.

The partnership with 1inch builds on the Bruce Lee Estate’s prior efforts to engage with Web3 technologies.  In April 2023, the estate collaborated with Shibuya, an NFT-driven video platform, to release the “House of Lee: Genesis” NFT. The $15 Ethereum token, featuring artwork from Emily “pplpleasr” Yang and Shannon Lee, was billed as “your ticket to the House of Lee.”

Bruce Lee has also been featured in the metaverse game Byte City and via collectibles on the Ethernity network.

Edited by Andrew Hayward