Women in Blockchain: Business Figures that Change the Landscape

Blockchain industry grows intensively, with new initiatives popping up practically every day, one risks missing an important and disturbing tendency: gender bias.

Last year, сoin.dance published a diagram that speaks for itself. Have a look.

Bitcoin Community Engagement by Gender (Google Analytics)

Source: coin.dance

The above figures are as of May 2018, yet the situation has improved very slightly. Yes, the industry is not confined by bitcoin — and crypto in general — only, but it all started with it, so the stats are compelling whatsoever.

Why such a huge gap? The study by SAGE Journals points at the stress factor; risky decisions increase anxiety, with men more willing to take such decisions. Another possible reason is that blockchain is about all things tech, so men are more involved in it than women.

Today, we will talk about women who break these stereotypes, with the heavy involvement in the blockchain industry. Thanks to them, the bias situation will gradually change for the better, slowly but surely.

WIB Improves Worldwide Blockchain Awareness

Women in Blockchain, or WIB, is a global blockchain organization that connects women entrepreneurs and self-starters in a single blockchain ecosystem as well as encourages joint initiatives. The organization regularly hosts public events that bring together industry figures, both tech specialists and decision-makers.

Besides that, WIB conducts hackathons, conferences, and other educational events. So far, around 200 women are involved, and the organization continues growing. Among WIB’s remarkable figures, one should mention Melissa Ran, Operations Lead at Tenzorum, Tracy Kuhrt, Community Architect at Hyperledger, and Daniela Barbosa, Vice President of World Wide Alliances at Hyperledger.

Last year, the aforementioned persons organized the panel where participants shared their experience in the blockchain domain, giving tips on how women can build a career in the industry.

Caitlin Long Contributes to the Friendly Legislative Environment for Blockchain

Caitlin Long

Source: Elevenews

Caitlin Long calls herself “a 22-year Wall Street veteran.” Over a couple of decades working in the financial industry and last seven years in fintech, in particular, she initiated a reform that listed legislative parameters for blockchain usage in Wyoming.

One should note that several bills provided the maintenance of corporate records with blockchain that undoubtedly facilitated its adoption in the region. Long believes that with all the positive blockchain developments in Wyoming, her initiative will continue paving the way, establishing clarity of “what is legal and what is not.”

Kelcey Gosserand to Build a Blockchain Community Platform

Kelcey Gosserand

Source: WeWork

Kelcey Gosserand entered the blockchain space as an early investor and became one of its outstanding pioneers. So far, she continues hosting and attending events, performing marketing communications, and developing investor relations, with many accomplished campaigns around the globe.

Besides that, she spearheads an initiative dedicated to building the world’s largest community of blockchain enthusiasts and professionals. Kelcey’s experience in both tech and decision-making allows her successfully balance development and business planning activities, so she is also an active member of several fintech startups in New York and a Program Director at IBM New York.

Colleen Connors Advocates for Blockchain-enabled Digital Identity

Colleen Connors has worked in the fintech technology consulting field for more than fourteen years. The Founder of Bquipped, a sports equipment technology startup, and Chief Operating Officer at Verif-y, blockchain-based startup addressing digital identity issues, she finds innovative solutions for various verticals.

Colleen’s aspirations once led her to the blockchain domain. At Villanova’s Women in Technology conference, she spoke about ways to use blockchain and grow woman presence in that space.

Donna Redel Educates Future Leaders about Blockchain

Donna Redel manages global financial organizations for more than 30 years. One should note that her career began as vividly as it continued; started as an investment banker, in 1992, she became the first woman to be elected as Chairman of the Board of Commodity Exchange.

Following her successful tenure, in 2000, Rebel became a Managing Director and Board Member of the World Economic Forum. Since that time, she has been advocating for geographic and gender diversity across governments and institutions.

In 2017, Donna joined the blockchain movement, now speaking at global conferences and other events, and co-founded The Fordham Law Blockchain Regulatory Symposium two years later. Currently, she conducts blockchain training as well as advocates for improving woman literacy about finance.

Helen Astaniou is for Gender Equality in Fintech

Helen Astaniou

Source: Contentworks

Helen Astaniou, CMO at trade.io, a digital exchange platform, Helen advocates for equal opportunities for men and women within the blockchain space. She speaks mainly about gender inequality among blockchain executives.

For Helen, women are pretty capable of working with sophisticated blockchain concepts, both tech- and business-related. And since she believes that blockchain will eventually come to widespread adoption, she views gender bias as one of the main issues one should overcome in the first place.

Conclusion

Finally, we should toss away prejudices and admit that women can reach the same heights as men, and some of them might go even higher. There is no single receipt for how one becomes better than the other, and if the bias persists, it is only in the heads.

In practice, men and women can be equally successful in this domain, and the actual examples of women figures prove that fact again.