Who Run The World? Meet The Women Leading The Web3 Revolution
Web 3 is the brave new world – the promised land! It’s where decentralized systems are king (or should we say queen?) and we get to start over again. This time, we’ll do the internet better – that’s the theory, at least. But is Web 3 truly superior in every way? Is it more equal? More welcoming for minorities and marginalized people?
Currently, statistics suggest not. In fact, a study by Crypto Head found last year that only 5% of all crypto entrepreneurs are women. That’s more than a little concerning. So what’s going on? How do we bridge the gap? Where are the women of Web 3?
To get the lowdown, we spoke to three women leading the Web 3 revolution. What can the pioneering ladies in the space tell us about the challenges and opportunities of building the next iteration of the World Wide Web?
Meet Erin Murphy, chief growth officer at Topl: a decentralized protocol unlocking sustainable innovation across supply chains and markets
Erin Murphy hasn’t always been in tech. From international development to blockchain boss, she pinpoints the devastating Nepal earthquake of 2015 as both a career- and life-defining moment.
“The chaos, the red tape, the lack of accountability of funding, the marginalization of people who needed aid…”
These experiences shaped Erin, who is now leading the charge to redefine impact in the voluntary sector using blockchain technology.
What’s it like to be one of the women leading the blockchain revolution?
It’s not easy; we’re outnumbered, and sexism in the workplace is not something that evades Web3. We have a role model issue, wherein most roles women fill are not technical.
All of that said, there are incredibly rich and wonderful communities of women and allies of women in the space, from DAOs to Discord channels.
How can we improve the experience for women in Web 3?
To make the space welcoming for women, we need input from women; we need to be informed by women’s lived experiences to create the solutions and products that can help remedy the wrongs of legacy systems.
We also need to focus on women from the Global South. The Web3 space purports to be building new infrastructures to ensure participation from people across the globe, but we need actual representation of those voices to bridge current gaps.
Meet Drea Burbank, CEO of Savimbo, a platform for fair-trade carbon offsets from the Colombian Amazon
How did you get into Web3?
We use Web3 to track our carbon credits from origination to retirement (cancellation against emissions).
I wasn’t originally interested in Web3 because of the crypto-bros culture. But I reluctantly began adopting the technology, because it’s the best way to track small-scale supply chains and transact between disparate entities. In our case, that means 1,000 farmers in the Colombian Amazon canceling out the emissions from one large US emitter, for a fair-trade floor payment and shared profits.
How do you navigate the working world of Web3 as a woman?
I can happily report I’ve been formally inducted as a “crypto bro” by my male Web3 friends, who were far more tolerant than I first realized. The reality is there are lots more women in Web3 than in other computing disciplines, because the culture allows for high levels of anonymity in its programmers. Female programmers tend to naturally gravitate to the space, where they are judged on their work rather than their gender.
In many ways, women benefit from simply inviting themselves to the table in high-tech builder spaces. Women tend to be good at balancing a lot of inputs, making connections in novel spaces, as well as adding emotional context and novel use-cases to new technologies.
Given the relative success of female entrepreneurs and their focus on results over talk, Web3 offers a lot of room for female builders right now.
What advice do you have for women who want to work in blockchain?
I highly recommend that women get involved and seek out male collaborators who value their abilities, rather than being turned off by misogynist culture that devalues their gender.
Many of my Web3 international male collaborators have been delighted that more women were working in the space, and were interested in working with me because I brought diverse competencies to their builds. Not forgetting my sisters who are happily building because they like to, and now have new tools to do it with!
Women always have friends in tech, they just have to find them.
Meet Olivia Steele, President and CEO of Conversation Couture: a company training professionals in luxury virtual retail sales
How did you get into Web3?
I first got involved with Web3 when I learned how it puts power in the hands of individuals instead of large organizations. Working in virtual retail sales, individuals are the key to any business success. It became apparent it was something I needed to become very familiar with!
Why do we need more women in Web3?
Blockchain is all about organizing information to protect it. I feel strongly that the woman’s perspective in this area will serve Web3 progression well. Do you know a woman who isn’t organized?!
The way women make calculated decisions is different to men – a female input will only make for more progress. Studies have shown that we are simply better at trading than men (on average 34% better!). Women account for over 85% of customer purchases.
If we don’t get involved, this space simply won’t grow and develop to its maximum potential.
What tips would you give women looking to move into Web3?
The beautiful part of where we are with Web3 is that it’s in the building stage. Who better to run the show and understand what other women need to feel more comfortable using cryptocurrency than women building it?
There are tons of ways to upskill yourself in Web3. To start, find what you are passionate about and what you feel could be better.
Web3 is all about empowerment of individuals: as women, we need to empower each other to be part of the conversation, and the Web3 movement as a whole.
Featured image by KOBU Agency on Unsplash
