9 March 2021 KR1 PLC ("KR1" or the "Company") Investment: Automata Network KR1 plc (KR1:AQSE), a leading digital asset investment company, is pleased to announce that the Company has invested a total ofUS$200,000 into Automata Network's seed funding round and will receive a yet-to-be-determined amount of Automata ("ATA") tokens. KR1 led the seed funding round alongsideAlameda Research and other respected investors such as IOSG Ventures, Divergence Ventures and Genesis Block. Automata Network is a decentralised protocol that provides middleware-like traceless privacy services for decentralised applications on multiple platforms, including Ethereum, Polkadot and Binance Smart Chain, to achieve privacy, high assurance and frictionless computation. The Automata Network team started the project in 2019 with the relevant research having been published in top tier conferences like Usenix Security and RAID. Recently, Automata Network received a grant from the Web3 Foundation and successfully completed the 'Web 3.0 Bootcamp'. Deli Gong, Co-Founder of Automata Network, commented: "Where Automata Network differs from the existing market is our wide-lens focus, not only on ensuring uncompromised privacy, but also in the purposeful design of our services to be seamlessly integrated onto existing platforms such as Ethereum and Polkadot. Blockchain is increasingly being defined by, and as, an era where community is such an integral part of the value creation process. With the deployment of Automata Network, we aim to make every user interaction along the data chain private, intuitive and secure once more." Keld van Schreven, Managing Director and Co-Founder of KR1, commented: "We have witnessed the abuse of private data in the Web 2.0 era and its severe consequences for the public. Privacy services like Automata form a crucial element in the vision of a fully decentralised web and allow developers and their users to finally take back control. With services such as front-running prevention for traders, anonymous voting, tamper proof data sources for oracles and speedy cross chain transactions, we see Automata as a key infrastructure piece in the emerging Web 3.0 stack and a brilliant addition to the KR1 portfolio." The Directors of KR1 plc accept responsibility for this announcement. --ENDS-- For further information please contact: KR1 PLC George McDonaugh +44 (0)16 2467 6716 Keld van Schreven Simon Nicol simon@KR1.io Peterhouse Capital Limited (AQSE Corporate Adviser) Mark Anwyl +44 (0)20 7469 0930 Allie Feuerlein Nominis Advisory Ltd (PR Adviser) AngusCampbell pr@KR1.io About KR1 plc KR1 is a leading digital asset investment company supporting early-stage decentralised and open source blockchain and DeFi projects. Founded in 2016 and publicly traded inLondon on the Apex segment of the AQSE Growth Market (KR1: AQSE), KR1 has built a notable reputation for generating significant returns by investing in many key projects that are designed to power the decentralised platforms and protocols that are emerging to form new internet infrastructures. www.KR1.io Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation EU 596/2014 as it forms part of retained EU law (as defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018).