email candyce@femaletechleadersmagazine.com
I know that the hot topic now is WHY we call ourselves Female Tech Leader if I am JUST a Tech Leader (or a founder) .... why should I put myself in this box, why should I use a label like that, why should I devalue myself and add a female if everyone knows I am a female...
The debate is open in the wild and has turned viral on social media a couple of times in the past two years - I totally get it and I agree on so many levels BUT Statistically, women are still underrepresented in the tech and startup ecosystem And pos Covid we are expecting to see even worse numbers from stats and reality, just google quickly and check reports from all around the world that shows local and global numbers.
We talk a lot about diversity, minorities, equality... but in reality, nothing has changed. I wear FEMALE as a badge of honour because I know that still have so much to do and that his change is very far to be a fact and the path is going to be hard As Kalpana Chawla (an Indian-born American astronaut and engineer who was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space) said: "The path from dreams to success does exist May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it "
Sincerely,
Candyce Costa Editor-in-Chief and Disruptorwww.femaletechleaders.com
Before I started my own business, I built a successful career as an executive in a global multi-billion dollar technology company. I joined this company back in 2006 as a junior software engineer, I was a fresh college graduate with zero production experience. Within a few months, I was promoted to a team leader, and then a couple of years later I became a project manager, program and delivery manager, then engagement manager, and now I hold an executive position and manage a portfolio of $20M+.
At the same time, throughout the last 7 years, I have been going through my personal transformation journey - I made several life-changing decisions (for example, in 2017 I moved to the USA from Ukraine as a single mom with a 5-year-old daughter), and these decisions significantly influenced my life and how I see myself.
This personal growth journey resulted in my decision to start my own business in 2021.
My company is called Breverie, and its mission is to empower women around the world to realize their fullest potential and to create positive change in their lives and in the world at large by tapping into who they are and by bravely building their own life path in alignment with their values and desires. In order to achieve this, I have created a unique holistic approach to personal growth, and I have also launched the Breverie mobile app that, using this holistic approach, guides users on their selfdiscovery and self-development journey. I was able to do that thanks to my personal and professional experience - in a way it has become a natural combination of both
Tell us about you and your career and business!Founder
My parents were engineers, I was good at math while in middle and high school, I didn’t have many college options in the city where I grew up. And I was 16 when it was time to pick the college and major. So to some extent, the decision was made for me - I ended up studying applied mathematics and computer science. Most professors who were teaching us were traditional, “old school” educators - they were men in their 50s-70s, and pure science was all they really knew and cared about. Or even when it was a class about technology, it was a very old technology (we were studying a Turing machine and COBOL!)
And then I took a completely different technology class. It was taught by a younger guy (he was in his 30s) and he wasn’t an educator in a traditional way, instead he had his own tech company. And I remember attending his class and hearing for the first time what true modern IT was, what it’s like to be a real hands-on tech professional, and what modern programming languages are out there. It was like a breath of fresh air!
This is when I decided that I don’t want to dedicate my life to science, but rather want to use tech to create something cool.
Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?
In college, we had around 1 girl to 5 guys ratio. When I started my career, it was a common occurrence that I was the only woman in the room. And it used to intimidate me a lot I used to be afraid to speak up and voice my opinion on topics, even when deep inside I was confident that I was right. The fact that I was often the youngest person in the room didn’t help either.
Over the years, I gained confidence and learned not to be afraid of it anymore. I learned to do and say what needs to be done and said, regardless of who I am talking to.
These days, I am seeing some companies, particularly modern startups, that not just claim, but really prove that they value equity, and I am definitely seeing more women holding executive positions, or women in tech in general
Having said that, even these days I am often the only woman in a meeting, so we definitely have more to do in this area.
As to why this is the case, I believe it comes back to that stereotype about what a tech person is - a young, nerdy-looking guy sitting in a dark room surrounded by monitors and wires who is typing some magical things on the keyboard :)
I think we need to be doing a better job marketing the tech industry to young smart women out there. We need to build another image of what the industry is - an industry full of innovation and excitement, an industry that gives you the freedom to express yourself and to be creative, an industry that allows you to build things that change the world for the better.
I think that both men and women face the same challenges, however, women often face additional challenges. The industry has evolved and improved significantly in the last 16 years, but I do see that even these days women often have to first prove that they can perform on the same level as men, before they are even considered as being equal to men Especially in companies that are still run by mostly male leadership teams.
Another important thing to remember is that women are traditionally expected to take care of their families. It is becoming more and more common for companies to offer paternity leaves along with maternity leaves, but childcare is not just about that. Kids get sick, someone needs to take care of them after school, drive them to and from sports classes - it’s great when both parents share these responsibilities equally, but by default, it’s still a woman’s responsibility.
And she rarely gets any support from her employer in this regard (again, there are amazing exceptions that I have seen, but it’s not common yet). So, many women end up having to choose between creating a family or building a career, while ideally they should be supported and encouraged to have both
When I started my business, I knew a lot about how to build a digital product, but honestly, I had almost zero knowledge about howtomarketitonceitlaunched.
Tobecompletelytransparentwithyou, I thought it would be easier than it appeared :) And maybe it’s actually good that I didn’t know what the actual process would look like, as otherwise, I might have been too scaredtoevenstart.
At the same time, I do wish I had spent more time creating a solid marketing strategy and plan during the 12 months it took me to develop the Breverie app. While it would still be based on assumptions and would have to be validated and/or adjusted based on the actual data and feedback, I do believe it could’ve saved me time and budget, had I donethat.
So, let me say this: it might be a more challenging journey than what you expect, but it’s still worth knowing what you are dealing with sooner rather than later. Launching a new digital product is not the end of the journey, it’s really just the beginning, so take time and create a plan on what exactly you will be doing during the first year of your business. It will likely change (partially or even fully) along the way, but it willgiveyouabaselinetooperateagainst.
As I already mentioned, I think we should be promoting it more. More meetups, more female-led classes in colleges where successful women in tech would come and not just teach, but share their experience, their stories.
And what is important, it’s not just colleges, it actually needs to start earlier. My company has an initiative where our employees teach 9-13-year-old kids (whether they are our employees’ children or not) how to program games and simple applications. Or Girls Who Code organization is another great example. We need to be doing more of that! We need to be sharing the word and spreading the message about what technology is among the younger generation because they are the future.
What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in your industry or what you wish to know before starting yourcareer/business?
Do you think that women in technology careers face different challenges than men do?
I really love the story of Lena Korres, the founder of the Greek beauty brand Korres. While she is not a woman in tech, she is a woman in science I remember listening to an interview with her where she was telling her story and a story of the brand. She was saying that she didn’t want to just create a product, she wanted to create a unique and innovative product that would truly change people’s lives. And she did! Her brand has quite a few products that are still one of their kind on the market.
And I remember thinking to myself how creative that is - to be inventing something new.
Because I don’t know about you, I never thought of myself as being a creative person. What comes to mind when we say the word “creativity”? Artists, musicians, designers. But definitely not software engineers or scientists And listening to her interview allowed me to look at what I was doing from a completely different angle - what we as women in STEM are doing is creative. Whether it’s a new innovative skincare product, a mobile app or something else - we create something that didn’t exist before. And isn’t that creativity?
It is crazy to think that even today, in 2022, the workplace is not really designed to support women and their needs.
I already touched on this, but let’s talk about maternity leave again for a second. A couple I know just had a baby in August, and the mom who is a teacher and sports coach in middle school is required to get back to work full time by mid-October. It’s not even 8 weeks of leave! And the only reason she even got these 8 weeks was that her doctor wouldn’t clear her earlier.
I had the luxury to stay at home with my daughter for 2 years, and I knew that my company would happily take my back whenever I was ready. But not every woman has this luxury I cannot even imagine what it’s like to leave your 2-month old baby at home for 8+ hours. An option could be to bring the baby with you to the workplace, but I can only name one or two companies that I’ve seen that have dedicated rooms for breastfeeding/pumping. Or another example. Both me and my husband have been working from home since covid started, and we do have the flexibility to arrange our work day the way it works best for us Our daughter just started 4th grade this year, and for the first three weeks of school they didn’t have any after school care, so we needed to pick her up from school. We live half a mile away from school, and between me and my husband we were able to handle it. But what about parents who have office jobs? We live close to the biggest medical center in the country, so many parents are doctors or nurses. And I have no idea how they are able to handle both parenting and their jobs, especially if they have several kids. They are heroes!
So, my point is, if we want to ensure that women are set up for success, we need to take their unique personal and family needs into account while planning and arranging the workplace and work schedule
These days, people expect you to be available all the time - you have the phone, there is an email app on your phone, so you should be able to respond to your email 24/7, right? And with covid, when many people switched to working fully remotely (tech industry has probably adapted it better than any other industry!), boundaries between work life and your personal life have faded even further.
So it is up to us now to re-establish those boundaries. It is up to us to set expectations with people that we do not respond to emails outside of our normal working hours, or on the weekends. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, emergencies do happen, but it has to be an exception, not a rule.
Someone I work closely with has an email signature saying something like this: “I have established my own working hours which might not be your working hours. If you receive an email from me outside of your working hours, please do not feel obligated to respond” And this is amazing. This is him showing that he respects the boundaries of the people who he interacts with. This is what we all should be building - an environment where we, on one hand, set our own personal boundaries and make it clear to other people what they are, and on the other hand respect other people’s boundaries.
The truth is, sources of inspiration are everywhere. What I try to do is be present and notice them. Whether it’s me going for a morning run at sunrise, or my daughter painting a beautiful painting and me watching her do that, or my app users sending me messages of gratitude and saying how Breverie is helping them change their lives. It is a book you read, a movie you watch, or a conversation you have with your spouse sitting in your backyard after your daughter went to bed.
These simple things are what truly matters, and all we need is to just make an effort to notice them. We often take them for granted and don’t pay attention to them, and only when something bad happens do we realize how important they really are. But why wait for something bad to happen? Why not pause today and look around yourself? Our common excuse these days is “I am too busy for this”, and I get it, I fall into this trap all the time too. But then I stop myself and almost force myself to slow down and be present. And these are usually the moments of the most impactful insights and fullest satisfaction
“Happiness is a form of courage.”
This has been my motto for the last several years. It’s not enough to just have dreams, you need courage to pursue those dreams. You need to be strong to stay true to your path knowing that there will be people who will want to pull you in the wrong direction, whether intentionally or not.
And sometimes these are people whom you truly care about, and it will be a very hard decision - you will feel that you are disappointing them or even hurting or betraying them. But you need to remember that this is your life, and your primary responsibility is to live this life in order to fulfil your purpose, not satisfy someone else’s needs or unrealized dreams.
Would you like to share some thoughts on how you’ve balanced your personal life withwork?
What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in your industry or what you wish to know before starting your career/business?
I would've liked to know that there was a big community of women that welcomes and onboard any newcomer. I would also have liked to know that everyone is learning still and that not knowing anything wasn't that big of a deal Learn step by step because there's so much to do, and it can feel overwhelming.
In your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle for women to succeed in the workplace/business?
Our own minds.
I think we very often feel intimidated and a strong impostor syndrome. This takes up so much energy, there's none left to develop and grow. We need to understand that it's not necessary to know everything and be good at it in the beginning. It takes time and dedication but also needs to be fun and satisfying.
We live in a world augmented by social media, where everyone draws conclusions from the pictures they see. Of course, various rumours do reach me. I reacted strongly to some of them at first, but then I learned to let go, because the higher you climb the social ladder, the more you’ll encounter unfounded statements about yourself. Anyway, there is no time to even read them, let alone worry about them.
What do you think are the main challenges and opportunities for the next generation of women leaders?
We live at an intersection of realities: Web3 is taking over our minds and lives, while most people still do not understand what it is. The most important challenge is bringing them all to this new world that we are so carefully created for new generations It is the new generation that will have to set new rules of the game because now it is clear that the world we lived in before is already completely different and can no longer exist by the old rules.
Meeting all kinds of inspiring people, many of who became my friends, is definitely the highlight of this journey. By diving into web3 a whole new world opened in front of my eyes and I learned so so much! Having met you as well, having your attention, being able to share my point of view is definitely part of this rewarding experience within web3.
Main challenges and opportunities for the next generation of women in tech specially web3?
It might be overwhelming to stay on track with so many developments happening. But even if we want to, we cannot and do not need to know everything about every technology, we just need the right source of information when the time comes. This is where a network of experts who support you and who you trust with their wisdom can be very helpful. At the same time it is quite easy to acquire new skills and knowledge because there are so many webinars, platforms and literature that can be accessed freely. Many of us are self-learners through tutorials on YouTube or other channels. In this rapidly evolving space it is necessary to stay curious and open to leave the comfort zone and try new things. We are still early in the web3 space, everyone is learning so it is important not to be afraid to make mistakes.
Ten years from now: future of technology. What are your thoughts and wishes for the next age of internet and technology?
In ten years, I hope that kindness has scaled 100X over anger, hatred, caste systems, and the fear of other. Decentralization has the power to bring great minds together who can constantly reimagine, build, and activate quality of life systems through technologies; however, that kind of thought and innovation takes a mind that is clear of anger and hatred in that creates chaos and peril. I believe that women will have a huge impact on achieving this kind of decentralized world.
What do you suggest the tech industry could do to encourage more women to choose tech and make it more attractive improving the lack of balance in the industry?
I see a lot of effort and real traction happening recently with more women-owned and operated funds. I truly believe that those women have enormous opportunities to effect change in a short amount of time. My main philanthropic focus is education for girls. There are fine organizations like Girls, Inc. and programs like Girls Who Code that are changing the narrative internally and externally for and about girls. It's been one foot in front of the other but now I believe the decentralization of society is underway.
Facing the biggest obstacles to succeed in the workplace/business: what is your advice to face the challenge?
The best advice is to keep a positive attitude an open mind and a flexible approach to be able to quickly adapt your approach , and be creative which will allow you to see things from a different perspective. A good communication is key as well to be able to collaborate effectively with others around you and move in the right direction.
The lack of women in the technology sector is a fact. Why do you think/opinion about this tendency?
Despite plenty of focus on the issue, women remain outnumbered in technology and hard to retain. According to the TrustRadius 2021 Women in Tech Report, 72% of women in tech say they are outnumbered by men 2-to-1 or more; 26% (more than a fourth) report being outnumbered by 5-to-1 or more. A study from Accenture and Girls Who Code found that half of the young women who go into tech jobs leave the field by age 35. Tech and business leaders need to do more across many areas, from recruitment and training to culture building. Most importantly tech leaders should make reducing the gender gap an important and shared business goal so that the entire organization will share the challenge of getting more women into tech and keeping them there.
Tell us about your first collection.
I am the creator of 10 000 unique foxy characters – the main heroes of the play to earn gaming project The Rogue Fox Guild! My team and I set out to build a fun to play, memorable RPG game set on the blockchain, where you play a scruffy little fox – the underdog with great capacity to become a true hero and earn big rewards! Motivation behind this is to tell our story as well and prove that even a little foxy is capable of great deeds! Our team is female led – quite a rare sight in the NFT gaming (not only) industry, so we are more motivated than ever to show what we can do!
Did you ever find obstacles for being a female artist? Are there concepts you do feel more comfortable approaching while delivering a project?
I have never had obstacles in my artistic endeavors…or maybe...have had the usual (but just blew past them) I do think nowadays women are pushing the boundaries of art even further and to me they seem to be more open and expressive compared to men. And more libated in their topics – never shy from self-expression and diving deep into the tightest corners of the human mind and soul. Also delivering fresh ideas into the field of tech and research. We need this to grow!
One thing I do notice is more men at gatekeeper and decision-making positions. Especially in art and animation – we have so many women coming into the profession but somehow most of the times the “leader” is a male - even in female dominated projects.
We have long passed the times where the male is the money maker in the house, sets the goals and controls the budget. I believe that women should have access to positions where they manage teams and make budget decisions – and I think we are damn good at it! We need our voice to be heard loud and clear! Especially in arts – female artists should also know to produce, strategize and work with money not just “do art”.
Wired Differently. CEO
Being offered investment from major tech players who are neurodivergent, respectful and great to communicate with... with all the validation and relief (and luck) this represents for us at Wired Differently. These people give me a voice as an entrepreneur and therapist in tech... so I can give other people a voice and a space in the world through our app as well as jobs to (generally) neurodivergent people of all ages and backgrounds wanting to get into support and tech.
We have less money as a group. We have less influence. We have more care responsibilities. We are expected not just to organise ourselves but other people around us. We give birth. We have career gaps. Our neurodiversity gets picked up late if at all. We tend to get told we have mental health issues instead of being neurodivergent. We have to communicate in a less assertive style to be seen as 'attractive and nice to work with' Combine all the above handicaps with being in a sector that is traditionally male and we have it all working against us. I see this in other sectors. It's important to see the social context and the economic system and to locate tech within that I think.
I’m lucky in that I’m passionate about my work. I’m passionate about people and I’m passionate about making a difference. Working in Healthtech with ZavFit, building a platform we really believe will change people’s lives for the better is all the motivation we need. Most people believe that making a difference in the corporate world is nearly impossible, but with the right drive, team and dedication, you can start to see those changes coming to the fore and that’s incredibly rewarding.
1 Make sure it actually interests you Because if it does, you will excel!
2. Don’t underestimate the science. We must make sure that only evidence based, scientifically backed data in healthtech is being used to encourage behavioural change.
3. Ask Why. You won’t be expected to know everything, but having an inquisitive mind to learn, ask why and challenge the status quo is an enormously valuable skill to have and it’s the only way we improve as any industry.
4 Never underestimate the difference you can make to any organisation Big or small.
Yes! Web3.0 and the blockchain space are still very male (and alcohol) dominated. Some people think they can do anything to insult or demean the integrity of women because, in their view, women can’t and won’t fight back. I've gotten a lot of unsolicited advances from men when they are drunk for example! Women have to learn to be firm in the boundaries and stand up for ourselves!
What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in your industry or what you wish to know before starting your career/business?
It's not me to offer advice or preach- I'm happy to share learnings from my own journey though!
Learning #1: Be yourself – know that you are always enough. Even when you *feel* that you are not enough, that sort of honesty about your flaws will get you places as long as you are crystal clear about the market value you bring to the table. It's okay to be vulnerable sometimes too!
Learning #2: Be present and actively listen. People almost always never say what they want. Learn to suss out the unseen- is it money, fame, power, attention, ego that someone wants? Paying attention to the unseen and unsaid has served me well, over the alternative of engaging someone in logical arguments and “being right”.
Learning #3: Negotiate well. Always think about how you can put more value on the table and ask for more rewards. Usually, when people don’t negotiate well, it is because they don’t know what others are getting as a market value and/ or they haven’t really understood the business model and their contribution to it yet. …
and bonus takeaway: DO NOT MISREPRESENT. It might sometimes be quite intimidating in tech, especially when it comes to not knowing technical details!
Don't let that hold you back though. In general, you can propose or ask however audaciously, and thou shalt not misrepresent or lie. People respect honesty, hustling spirit, guts and ambition.
Do you think that women in technology careers face different challenges than men do?
In your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle for women to succeed in the workplace/business?
I think it is what I refer to as the Lean In syndrome. The notion that one can have it all and not fail at anything, which is total BS in my opinion. Something is always going to fail a little bit. It is impossible to conquer it all. So this notion of trying to do it all then means that there is this expectation that we can do it all instead of allowing some room for error or space to have balance. So if a women needs more time off for a family related issue understanding that instead of seeing it as a barrier or hurtle
Absolutely, I think that there is a feeling that you always have to be one step ahead given that women are usually balancing more external factors than men. Women are usually not only working but also caring for the home, children, etc, which means that there is a sense of trying to manage it all and that in itself is an additional challenge.
I also think that women in tech are generally seen to manage the more "creative" jobs so portions like developer and strategists etc are not as easy to enter as they tend to be more of the boys club. Our mission with BABs is to help get more women from underrepresented countries into Web3 via teaching them to code. There is a real lack of women and a real lack of women devs and we want to change that.
Do you think that women in technology careers face different challenges than men do?
What do you think are the main challenges and opportunities for the next generation of women leaders?
One thing that makes me happy is that women are connecting with one another and creating alliances, supporting thru multiple programs, VC, Grants, and more, and yet, the acceptance of females in leadership positions, especially in emerging or conservative countries would be quite challenging, however, the access to technology and internet opens many doors, by providing initial support and coaching, everything else is available online, including youtube, this is how I was lucky enough to educate myself, grow, get promoted and make some noise.
Do you think there is a diversity issue in the tech sector? How the lack of women in technology has affected you?
The Tech sector is primarily dominated and run by men, in both, well developed and developing countries, based on my observation I could only witness the rise of Women and their participation in the tech industry that is good news, and yet many more need to be motivated, coached, assisted, and rewarded, the road ahead is quite long, and yet, the process of welcoming women to the industry had started that makes me happy and keeps motivating me. SINOFY has given me endless opportunities to unleash my talents, and improve my skillset and various circumstances gave me the opportunity to be nominated to lead the team and join as a Co-Founder.
Fale sobre você e seu negócio / carreira.
Carreira para mim não é apenas sobre mim, mas principalmente sobre o outro e como eu posso contribuir positivamente. Precisa ter um propósito, um porque. Eu escolhi beleza e moda porque sempre quis deixar as pessoas mais bonitas, através de experiências e opções que reforçam a autoestima. Nessa jornada, tive a oportunidade de trabalhar em empresas e com marcas incríveis na LVMH e na Puig no segmento de luxo, premium e life style. São marcas que nos encantam e fazem sonhar como Chanel, Givenchy, Fendi, Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Valentino, Prada, etc Nessa jornada, quando conheci a marca Phyto, a beleza e a moda deixaram de ser apenas estética, mas também passaram a envolver autoconhecimento, equilíbrio e saúde, e busquei ampliar meu repertório estudando mindfulness, yoga, beleza limpa e sustentabilidade E neste ano a tecnologia web3, o metaverso e a educação se tornaram uma nova paixão, uma nova etapa de beleza, moda e experiência e eu e mais 3 sócias estamos ambicionando colaborar na construção de um mundo mais transparente, equilibrado, descentralizado e sustentável, lançando a Academia Love4u.
O sector de tecnologia ainda é um campo dominado pelos homens. Qual seriam os seus conselhos e dicas para as mulheres superarem os obstáculos enfrentados?
Infelizmente o mundo de uma maneira geral, e não apenas em tecnologia é regido por uma cultura machista, onde os principais postos de liderança ainda são dominados por homens. Mudar essa dinâmica requer tempo, já que historicamente, em comparação a eles, é muito recente a nossa mudança de papel de donas do lar para donas do mundo. O conselho que eu dou, é antes de qualquer coisa, desenvolver o auto conhecimento, saber quais são as motivações e as fortalezas e focar nelas. O sucesso depende muito mais das nossas habilidades emocionais e eu destaco a confianca, auto estima, planejamento e foco como pontos de atenção. Desenvolver uma rede de apoio também é muito importante ao longo da jornada e ter sempre um hobbie como fonte de experiência e prazer. E é claro, buscar estar sempre atualizada, mas entender que não podemos dar conta de tudo então desenvolver a liderança descentralizada e amar trabalhar em equipe são complementos importantes para o sucesso. Tecnologia é uma área que está em constante evolução então se possível conectar com os melhores profissionais sejam homens ou mulheres e buscar ter no seu currículo empresas que investem em tecnologia para ter uma forte formação.
Esse ano eu decidi inovar na minha pessoal e profissional. Inovar é uma palavra que tem origem no verbo latino innovare, que significa, em essência, renovar ou restaurar e pode ser aplicada em todos os aspectos da nossa vida. E eu mudei radicalmente, eu mudei de lado. Eu me tornei empreendedora em tecnologia e eu sempre digo que não é uma jornada fácil, talvez mais difícil do que ser mãe, esposa, fazer mestrado porque essa iniciativa demanda muitos soft skills e só 3% da população mundial nasce pronto. Os outros 97% tem que se desenvolvido e demandam auto conhecimento. Eu me dediquei ao auto conhecimento pessoal durante anos da minha vida, mas agora o auto conhecimento tem que ser voltado para o profissional. Então, ao longo da nova jornada desse ano, parei uma semana para fazer um curso de imersão que é preparado pela ONU e que no Brasil é oferecido via Sebrae. Durante 1 semana de imersão fui impactada entre conteúdo pratico e emocional para acessar e fortalecer 30 emoções necessárias na carreira de um empreendedor. Além das emoções, existe o hard skill, a preparação técnica que me exige vários desafios, seja na atualização tecnológica e pedagógica quanto no dia a dia da construção do negócio em si. O desafio tecnológico e pedagógico é necessário porque inovei no campo de atuação, e fundei junto com mais 3 empreendedoras uma Academia de Educação e Inovação para Web3 e Metaverso, a Love4u Academy e na qual a Female Tech Leaders é nossa parceria. O negócio em si, que uma vez desenhado, tem o desafio de ser validado e ser implementado para poder dar o retorno esperado. E nessa jornada, temos que estar preparados para surpresas, depois de termos desenvolvido o nosso golden circle, com why, how and what, fomos testar e tivemos que pivotar e desde Outubro estamos redesenhando para relançar a proposta de valor no ano que vem. Então o meu dia a dia, é de estudo, atualização diária sobre o que acontece na tecnologia web3 e metaverso, na moda e segmentos de life style (arte e cultura) já que todos os dias temos novidades. Essa atualização envolve pesquisa no Linkedin, leitura de newsletter dos provedores que assino, jornais, revistas etc Na rotina semanal costumo ter entre 2 a 3 reuniões seja com o time da Love para planejamento e ou alinhamento de alguma iniciativa do nosso calendário. A terceira parte é dedicada a curadoria e que demanda um grande investimento, porque envolve uma pesquisa prévia, agendamento e conversa. Nessa etapa, dependendo da demanda eu posso ter entre 1 a 4 conversas digitais semanais para conhecimento e validação de parcerias A quarta parte do dia é dedicada a construção de conteúdo junto com o time seja com ativações ou postagens nas mídias sociais ou textos para o nosso site e newsletter, temos uma troca muito ativa diariamente já que todos os dias acontece algo E por último, além da construção do negócio em si, curadoria e comunicação, também me dedico a captação de investidores, embaixadoras e parceiros comerciais. Costumo fazer o primeiro filtro, mas as minhas sócias participam de todas as decisões estratégicas e táticas, porque nos comprometemos em construir uma relação transparente e descentralizada. Todos os meses temos algum evento, e isso também me exige uma preparação especial porque ou posso ser entrevistada ou estar entrevistando alguém. Essa parte tem sido cada vez mais intensa porque estamos ativando cada vez mais a nossa comunidade. Então o meu dia, é como uma montanha russa, com novidades que giram entre conquistas e frustrações. mas a jornada apesar de ser desafiadora tem sido muito prazerosa e em breve vocês terão mais novidades sobre a Love4u Academy.
O problema de diversidade (não somente o baixo número de mulheres) no setor de tecnologia existe, fato. Você poderia compartilhar a sua jornada pessoal com a gente?
A minha jornada pessoal na tecnologia é muito recente, conforme eu já descrevi eu comecei esse ano. E como estou em um mundo novo com desbravadores, a comunidade, principalmente a internacional tem sido muito receptiva. Quando um segmento ainda não tem muita competição, as pessoas tendem a se ajudar mais. O desconforto é gerado quando a briga é mais acirrada. Então, o meu conselho é se você está enfrentando dificuldades para se estabelecer, que tal avaliar se especializar em web3 e metaverso, o mercado financeiro e especulativo está em baixa mas o mercado para construção e desenvolvimento de comunidades nos segmentos de life style e marcas premium está em ampliação e em curva de aprendizado. Esse é um ótimo momento para estudar, começar a desenvolver networking e se destacar.
Segundo Maria Klawe (Presidente do Harvey Mudd College) existem 3 motivos alegados pelas próprias mulheres para que elas não entrem no mercado de tecnologia: falta de interesse, não acreditarem serem boas em tecnologia e não acharem que irão trabalhar com pessoas com as quais se sentiriam confortáveis ou felizes. O que podemos fazer para inverter esta realidade?
A mudança também depende de nós, mulheres que já estáo no segmento. Nós podemos e devemos ajudar, abrindo espaço para mais mulheres. No projeto da Love4u Academy por exemplo, busquei mulheres para serem co-fundadoras. E também procuro me conectar com iniciativas femininas. No Brasil faço parte de algumas comunidades, e no exterior estamos com parceria com a Female Tech Leaders e em 2023 procuramos reforçar ainda mais essa parceria no Brasil. Eu acredito muito em união, em construção em conjunto então dessa forma podemos co-criar um futuro melhor para todas nós. Porém não sou ingênua em achar que teremos um mundo exclusivamente feminino, então para mim diversidade é também trabalhar com homens, mas buscando estarmos no mesmo patamar de oportunidades.
Quais são os maiores desafios que as mulheres que desejam se aventurar no mundo da tecnologia enfrentam hoje?
Para mim o desafio está não no fato de sermos mulheres, não é um desafio de gênero mas de papéis e atribuições. E esse desafio transcende o setor de atuação. Nós as mulheres, durante anos fomos responsáveis apenas pela casa e pelos filhos. A partir do momento que saímos a procura de realização profissional, pelo menos no Brasil, assumimos mais um papel, mais uma jornada que tem uma forte demanda emocional e física. Então, o sucesso e paridade profissional, passa por mudar a cultura machista de apenas ser o provador mas também ser companheiro e ter colaboração na vida como um todo. Só assim acredito que teremos condições de ter um modelo mais equânime socialmente e profissionalmente. E para essa mudança acontecer de forma plena, também depende de nós mulheres, na educação que damos aos nossos filhos, já que estes um dia serão não só profissionais mas também maridos e pais e que poderão vir a dividir e nos apoiar mais nas atividades e na vida de forma holística.
O que as empresas podem e devem fazer para atrair mais mulheres para o sector de tech e para posições de liderança (não somente na atração de talentos mas tambem na retenção destes talentos)?
As empresas tem evoluído muito acompanhando o nosso crescimento profissional, e termos mais mulheres em posições de liderança ajuda a refinar o olhar e o cuidado. Então o olhar passa a ser mais para o indivíduo, e não apenas para o profissional E como indivíduo nós não temos apenas o trabalho, somos mente, corpo e alma e temos família. Então para mim, para poder atrair, desenvolver e reter talentos femininos considero de extrema relevância oferecer uma infra estrutura para mente, corpo, alma e família. Para mente, já existem corporações que oferecem plano em academia, mindfullness, yoga que pode ser presencial ou digital. Pensando que somos mais do que apenas o eu, mas também podemos ter filho, uma rede de apoio como creche no próprio espaço de trabalho ou próximas são fatores relevantes para o acolhimento. E pensando na profissional, ao longo da carreira e dos desafios somos exigidos de forma diferenciada então para mim retenção não é apenas salário competitivo mas é também um plano de desenvolvimento que contemple o emocional e o técnico. E acima de tudo entender que a vida não é só trabalho, então valorizo muito a cultura corporativa que respeitam os horários oficiais de descanso e estimulam que não haja comunicação e trabalho fora do horário de expediente. Claro que podem haver exceções, mas já está comprovado que somos mais produtivos e criativos quando vivemos novas experiências
Esse ano eu conheci mulheres incríveis começando pelas minhas sócias, e pela fundadora da Female Tech Leaders, a Candyce Costa, mas existe uma em particular que me inspirou e me trouxe para esse mundo e que eu tenho a sorte de ser minha irmã. Ela se chama Adriana Hoppenbrouwer, ela assim como eu tem o background em marketing, mas desde 2018 ela é co-fundadora da The Fabricant, uma empresa digital only e que é pioneira na moda e na web3.
Qual seria sua mensagem para as mulheres que estão tentando entrar na tecnologia?
Façam parte da comunidade Female Tech Leaders e da comunidade Love4u Academy, estudem conosco e aprendam conosco para co-construirmos juntos um mundo melhor. Também busquem comunidades femininas que sejam do seu estado ou país e que tenham projetos que você tenha afinidade. Pode parecer uma fórmula pronta, mas eu realmente acredito que a mudança é através da educação e da colaboração. Em um mundo novo, com uma tecnologia em desenvolvimento e estágio inicial de adoção, existe uma real oportunidade de construção e colaboração.
A vida não é sobre esperar a tempestade passar, mas é sobre aprender a dançar durante a chuva. É saber curtir principalmente a jornada e não apenas o resultado !
O que você acha que devemos fazer para encorajar mais meninas a considerarem uma carreira em tecnologia?
Focar no desenvolvimento das nossas crianças, dos nossos filhos, dar a elas desde cedo a oportunidade de estudar programação. Nós já temos a sorte de que grande parte da população já está no mundo dos gamings Minha filha, por exemplo, com 6 anos já está no Roblox e no Minecraft e ela os descobriu sozinha. Cabe a nós, a tirarmos do papel passivo de jogadora e darmos a ela a chance de conhecer o lado criativo em ser programadora e ou desenvolvedora daquilo que ela tanto gosta. E assim novas gerações vão começar em posição de igualdade e ter a oportunidade de ingressar na carreira com preparo.
eira.
ofissional com background em planejamento e a formação de 2 startp ups digitais uma no brasil mercado de luxo, farma, beleza, fintechs, entre as de comunicação para empresas nacionais e multinacionais. A Love4u Academy é um Hub de educação e inovação para web3 e metaverso. É um negocio que foi pensado com muito cuidado e carinho para fazer a diferença, acreditamos que o conhecimento é a chave da mudança e compartilhar conhecimento ainda mais em tecnologias tão novas requer ainda mais comprometimento e tem seus desafios. Temos muita coisa prevista para acontecer no proximo ano e estamos trabalhando arduamente para concretizar todos os projetos que envolvem a Love4u Academy.
Conta pra gente como e um dia na sua vida profissional!
No que diz respeito a Love4u o dia dia é de muita pesquisa, estudo para acompanhar as tendencias, novidades e ficar a par do que esta acontecendo no mundo da web3 e também na web2, leitura das newsletters que assino e linkedin fazem parte da rotina diária. Fora isso, temos reuniões de pauta, de business, direcionamento de estratégias , atualizações no planejamento do negocio em si que é muito vivo e demanda de todas nós dedicação.
O sector de tecnologia ainda é um campo dominado pelos homens. Qual seriam os seus conselhos e dicas para as mulheres superarem os obstáculos enfrentados?
Nós mulheres precisamos abrir espaço para mais mulheres, meu melhor conselho é apoie outras mulheres, seja uma mola impulsionadora que gera e dá oportunidades para outras mulheres capacitadas e incriveis que temos no mercado, só assim vamos conseguir ter mais visibilidade e ganhar espaço. Valorize , divulgue, indique o trabalho de outras mulheres não apenas por serem mulheres mas por serem capazes e por terem excelência no que fazem.
O problema de diversidade (não somente o baixo número de mulheres) no setor de tecnologia existe, fato. Você poderia compartilhar a sua jornada pessoal com a gente?
A minha jornada começou no marketing de luxo passando por agencias de publicidade aonde ainda atuo, porem sempre em uma linha paralela a tecnologia me acompanhou como uma curiosidade, depois como uma forma de empreender e tentar entender já que sou uma pessoa de comunicação. Eu diria que foi meio desbravando sozinha errando muitas vezes por desconhecimento ou ate mesmo pela falta de conviver e achar apoio em mais mulheres que estivessem ligadas a tecnologia de alguma forma. Pivotei muitas ideias participei de projetos que foram muito bacanas e esse conjunto de acontecimentos me trouxe ate aqui, então valeu a pena.
Segundo Maria Klawe (Presidente do Harvey Mudd College) existem 3 motivos alegados pelas próprias mulheres para que elas não entrem no mercado de tecnologia: falta de interesse, não acreditarem serem boas em tecnologia e não acharem que irão trabalhar com pessoas com as quais se sentiriam confortáveis ou felizes. O que podemos fazer para inverter esta realidade?
Acredito que falar mais sobre o tema, ter mais comunidades voltadas para mulheres discutirem tecnologias ter um lugar onde se sintam livres da pressão e do receio de falar, de perguntar e expressar seus questionamentos já é uma boa alternativa. Hoje temos muitas comunidades que abraçam tudo isso e que possibilitam um ambiente seguro para se expressar e dar os primeiros passos. Além disso, apoiar ensinar, compartilhar conhecimento.
Quais são os maiores desafios que as mulheres que desejam se aventurar no mundo da tecnologia enfrentam hoje?
Por ser um ambiente ainda dominado por homens existe uma forma muitas vezes de exclusão das mulheres, seja não sendo ouvidas, não tendo cargos de chefia ou sendo excluida eventualmente de uma tomada de decisão. Segundo a pesquisadora Simone Strumpf, da Universidade de Londres existe a cultura "brogrammer", um neologismo entre "brother" e "programmer", que oscila entre confraria masculina e clube do bolinha, ou seja a brodagem masculina ainda é real mas nao deve ser um empecilho para que as mulheres comecem
O que as empresas podem e devem fazer para atrair mais mulheres para o sector de tech e para posições de liderança (não somente na atração de talentos mas tambem na retenção destes talentos)?
Primeiro oferecer salários iguais para homens e mulheres estamos no seculo 21 e isso ainda é motivo de discussão. Criar um programa de desenvolvimento de talentos interno criar possibilidades de crescimento dentro das empresas e assim reter os talentos. Ter mais mulheres na liderança.
Há alguma pessoa específica em tecnologia que te inspira?
Adriana Hoppenbrouwer-Pereira Co-Founder / CCOda The Fabricant que é uma Digital Fashion House e Mina Markam é engenheira sênior de Front-End no Slack é mentora e instrutora de grupos em prol de mulheres na tecnologia.
Qual seria sua mensagem para as mulheres que estão tentando entrar na tecnologia?
Arrisque-se. Se joga e vai com medo mesmo.
O que você acha que devemos fazer para encorajar mais meninas a considerarem uma carreira em tecnologia?
Incentivar desde novas a não terem medo de novas tecnologias, de games de estudar programação de achar um caminho divertido e interessante para que se sintam a vontade.
Qual é a sua frase favorita?
“Você não encontrará nenhuma paixão se voce se conforma com uma vida que é inferior àquela que é capaz de viver” Nelson Mandela
The existing web2 landscape is fraught with many rough edges, including centralization, weak security architecture and data privacy concerns. Estimated to be worth $6 billion in 2023 per Market Research Future data, web3 is seen as as an alternative to the status quo.
It involves a grand use of blockchain, artificial intelligence, semantic web, and sophisticated VR technology for a highly immersive digital web experience. The actualization of web3, as presently perceived, relies on investors who believe in the space, can provide knowledge and resources and of course financing to web3 startups and entrepreneurs in exchange for equity stakes (or tokens) in the web3 startup or company.
Web3 investment is a high-risk venture. The probability of failure is too substantial to ignore, so angel investors must exercise restraint and do detailed due diligence before investing into a web3 startup. Here are the crucial factors to consider before angel investing.
Ever wondered why Elon Musk has no difficulty finding investors for his numerous companies? His track record speaks for him. It is important to invest in web3 startups with founders and/or a management team with verifiable track records of excellence You must be sure of their competence, strong work ethics, drive, knowledge depth, experience, and discipline to grow a web3 startup to prosperity.
Unveiling founders and their management team relies on your ability to ask pertinent questions. It is necessary to ask questions about the team’s motivation, the scalability of the web3 startup, and its long and short-term operational and financial goals. It is also necessary to ask questions about the startup’s organizational structure, the management team’s capacity to actualize its objective, the business plan, operational costs, and likely additions to the management team.
Needless to say, the decision to invest must be based on the conviction that you can work with the founder and his management team. The questioning session must reinforce your belief in the team. It must guarantee that their integrity is not challenged. It is highly recommended that you involve experienced advisors and investors to help unravel the team.
Understanding the web3 landscape and the problems it seeks to solve gives a deep insight into its resultant market opportunities. Before investing in a web3 startup, you must identify the problems it intends to solve and the market potential of solving these problems.
What percentage of the web3 market does the startup intend to capture long and short-term? What is the startup’s marketing strategy, and does the startup have the potential to scale and become indispensable in the web3 space? These and similar questions must be answered satisfactorily before proceeding. Make sure you define satisfactory for yourself beforehand through benchmarking, market research and if possible detailed conversations with experienced investors
While angel investors are not averse to investing in very early-stage startups like venture capitalists often are, taking cognizance of a startup’s early traction before investing is crucial. A web3 startup’s early traction can be a key indicator of its ultimate viability. It also indicates the team’s confidence in their web3 startup, in which they have invested time and resources to achieve this early traction. Early traction includes the existence of a customer base, a web3 product or service (MVP), participation in early-stage web3 incubators, and strategic partnerships entered in furtherance of the startup’s objective.
Financial metrics are used to evaluate a business’s performance across crucial areas, including marketing, finance, operations, and human resources. An angel investor must look beyond beautiful rhetoric and deeply evaluate a startup’s financial metrics before investing. He/She/They must have a firm grasp of the startup’s customer acquisition cost, projected revenue over a period, gross revenues and expenditure, future financing plans, the startup’s monthly burn rate and most importantly, its profitability Due diligence is complete with an in-depth analysis of the startup’s financial metrics and other key performance indicators.
An investor pitch deck enables you to scrutinize a startup before granting the founder an audience in an investor pitch. The document must show an interesting business and financial prediction, a well-crafted executive summary, compliance with relevant regulatory authorities and other necessary information. Think of the investor pitch as the window to the web3 startup. It gives a brief insight into the startup, its arrowheads and the business venture seeking your investment. It is of no use to arrange a meeting if the investor pitch deck does not strike you as interesting or expertly prepared.
There is no business without a risk factor to consider. The web3 space being at the conceptual and early development stage makes it imperative for every angel investor to understand the risk involved fully. Identifying the legal, regulatory, technological, and operational risks involved in a web3 startup before investing is important You must be convinced of the efficiency of existing precautionary measures presented by the founders to nip the risks in the bud or ameliorate their impact.
Please note that this is not financial advice and just a starting point to your research into becoming a web3 angel investor. Do your own research, do proper due diligence, understand the venture you are investing in fully and make sure you can explain both the venture and all the reasons why you invested with utmost clarity Also make sure the contracts for the investment are properly vetted and the vehicle through which you do this investment, e.g., a syndicate, have the right legal structure.
What have you invested in? And what are your main thoughts?
Mona Tiesler is a Venture capital investor focused on investments in Web3/DLT/blockchain solutions/decentralised business models.
Experienced business development professional with a demonstrated history of working in both corporate and start-up environments (Fintech, Edtech, Foodtech), graduated with an MBA from INSEAD.
Recent years have seen the growing presence of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. More and more, women are seen as a rich, robust and diverse source of innovators.
There are many women to celebrate in the world right now who are facing the hardest challenges of all: securing a safe place to spend the night; finding food, water, and shelter for their children and elders; or getting access to basic hygiene and medical care. McKinsey research shows women have felt the greatest impact from the global pandemic.
But closing the gap the FinTech gender gap remains a priority for Innovate Finance. It is important that all women entrepreneurs and business owners strive to ensure female leaders play a vital role in creating better financial services for our communities.
Although we have a lot of work to do to support more female FinTech founders and CEOs we should not overlook the contributions that women already play in our ecosystem. Many institutions that support FinTech companies – including regulators, professional services groups, government organizations and marketing specialists– are headed up by women Together they are driving FinTech forward and helping to create one of world’s most successful business sectors.
Both McKinsey and Women in FinTech Powerlist 2021 have shined a spotlight on the women leading innovation in financial services. In its 7th year, the Powerlist has increasingly attracted a global audience, resulting in applications and nominations from around the world The 2021 iteration shines a spotlight on 250 women across 9 categories. These women leaders are pioneering new frontiers and building legacies in agriculture, banking, beauty, education, fashion, healthcare, and high tech.
The transformation of financial services is being driven by passionate, inspiring female leaders representing all levels of seniority and all components of the FinTech ecosystem. In their role as entrepreneurs, founders, investors, bankers, communicators, tech experts, and more, it is these outstanding women who are moving the needle and making financial services more sustainable, more effective, and more inclusive for all. Shining a light on the incredible women making a true difference is necessary today more than ever, and something we must all work towards every year.
The Women innovators series highlights women who bring new ideas to life, disrupt business models, break industry norms, and coach the next generation of innovators. Their impact has elevated them to the top of academic, industry, cultural, and nonprofit circles.
Carnellia Ajasin, is CEO of Mind Katalyst - a tech & innovation venture studio. We're making the difference we want to see in the world through building humanity-centered tech products and experiences that people love applying emerging technology as an insightful medium. We love co-creating products that improve life, making access to capital equitable for scalability and creating new ecosystems Work with Mind Katalyst to help you scale your technology products, contact us for more details www.mindkatalyst.com or support@mindkatalyst com
We have a responsibility to shape a better future.
The evolution of the internet (web 1.0 + web 2.0) has provided us with a sense of fear as well as hope. The problems technology has solved and also created are multifaceted, complex and dynamic. As the dawn of Web3.0 is upon us NFTs, DAOs, DeFi, Blockchain technology and VR/AR/XR and allthings “the Metaverse” the question is will its evolution continue to provide innovative solutions and will web 3.0 provide solutions to some of the global challenges we face?
Today, right now we have the opportunity to guide and shape the future.
I work at the intersection of arts, culture, mental health, psychology and technology because of this multi-disciplinary experience, I’m acutely aware that the field of virtual reality, which forms the basis for the Metaverse, utilizes terminology “borrowed” from psychology, mind/body wellness and mental health practices Terminologies such as:
Embodiment, Presence, Immersion, Multi-sensory Integration, Interoception, Proprioception, Sense of Agency, Bodily Consciousness
“Tech leaders” of the Metaverse speak of presence, immersion, agency, ownership, and integration, but I wonder if they know the original intention of these terms?
The context of their use in virtual reality has now morphed to describe the abilities of technology to design and build synthetic, immersive virtual environments with increased and improved function and fidelity. Meanwhile, these virtual environments are actually encouraging a sense of dis-embodiment, reduced presence, and removal of agency in our organic, biological world. Indeed, somatic practitioners, body-based mental health practitioners, and mind-body facilitators truly know the original intent of these words
The Metaverse is the representation of possible worlds and therefore possible selves, with the aim of making them appear, and feel, as real as possible.
All the senses are implicated in the development of the body schema, including aural, haptic, gustatory, visual, olfactory, kinaesthetic, vestibular, and somatic sensory patterns. Vision provides optic information about the form of our bodies; the vestibular senses provide us with knowledge of the body’s positional relation to the environment; while the somatic senses provide us with tactile and positional information about the body in space.
The phenomenological philosopher Drew Leder has emphasized how the body tends to become within our conscious awareness mainly in times of illness, tiredness, or when there is difficulty in accomplishing a practical activity. In contrast, in our everyday activities, we are largely unaware of our bodies. Rather, we are engaged with and immersed in our various practical activities. On these occasions, we do not have to consciously think of how to walk, run, reach, grasp or other similar activities.
Therefore, bodily awareness is precognitive for much of the time.
What are the implications on our authentic bodily awareness in the Metaverse?
Central to much of this research is the organizing principle of a body ‘schema’ or ‘scheme’. The body scheme is a well-established concept in the psychological sciences that refers to the implicit knowledge of the relational position of one’s body and its parts in space and time The body schema is conceived of as dynamic and relational, being constantly restructured by the acquisition of new skills and movements.
It is assumed that awareness (both conscious and unconscious) and movement of the body, enable the functional distinction between the nature of the physical body and that of our extended body in space. As such, the body scheme provides the basis for meaningful human interaction within the environment
What is historically novel creating not only new psychological risks but also introduces questions about the ethical and legal complexity caused is the integration of the conscious and unconscious mind of a physical human being into the digital Metaverse.
Our organic bodies and brains have evolved under very specific conditions and over millions of years, now interwoven and informationally integrated into technical systems for representing possible realities. Increasingly, it is not only culturally and socially embedded but also shaped by a technological niche or “AI”, driven by autonomous dynamics and ever-new properties. This creates a complex involution, a feedback loop or information flow in which the biological mind and AI influence each other in ways we are just beginning to understand. It is these complex relationships that makes it so important to think about the ethics of the Metaverse in a critical, evidence-based, and transparent manner.
So what am I trying to say?
In summary if we’re going to use the terminologies of embodiment, presence, immersion, multi-sensory integration, interoception, proprioception, sense of agency and ownership, in the context of the Metaverse and the technology that supports it. We must use these terms in their holistic sense as they relate to both the virtual and organic worlds to ensure the context of relational human interaction is understood in its entirety by not only humans, but the AI the Metaverse will build….
Nina Jane Patel is the co-founder and VP of Metaverse Research for Kabuni. Patel is a movement psychotherapist and doctoral scholar, awarded the Wilkie Calvert Scholarship and was awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts for new research investigating the relationship of the body, movement and self-expression in the Metaverse.
Elevate Life - The Metaverse in Motion Podcast www ninajanepatel com
It is no secret that cryptocurrencies are a highly volatile asset class. One moment they seem to be reaching new heights and then the very next day they can suddenly drop significantly. The opposite also holds true, so there is a lot of big sudden movements in price and value in this assets class.
The volatility of cryptocurrencies can be problematic and risky so the average person may not want to deal with it. You can see the amount of volatilty one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, has faced as compared to US Dollar, both trading against the Canadian dollar in the figure below.
This is where Stablecoins come in. Not only do they address the problem of volatility, but they also provide an easy value of exchange between fiat and cryptocurrencies. This is particularly a good use case for remittances and are a liquidity tool for cryptoexchanges.
To deal with this problem of high volatility in cryptocurrencies, we have Stablecoins. As the name implies, they are less volatile and relatively “stable.” Stablecoins are special types of cryptocurrencies which are pegged or linked to other fixed assets and that gives them the ability to maintain their fixed value
Stablecoins maintain their stabililty in four main ways:
1 Fiat-collateralized: By being pegged or collateralized to a fiat currency. This is the most common way that stablecoins maintain their fixed value. Each stablecoin is backed to one unit of fiat currency, the most common being the US Dollar. Backed means that there exists a reserve of one unit of fiat currency per unit of stablecoin. However in reality, some stablecoins do not actually maintain a 1:1 ratio as they are expected to, which gives way to risk. Example of fiat-collateralized stablecoins are Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC).
2 Commodity Collateralized: These stablecoins are pegged to commodoties or assets such as gold, precious metals, oil, real estate etc. The risk with this is that commodoties and assets can tend to appreciate or depreciate over time and so these stablecoins are exposed to that possibility However they also provide the added utility that holders can exchange them for either cash or the underlying asset.
The most common commodity used for such stablecoins is gold. Examples of commodity-collateralized stablecoins include Tether Gold (XAUT) and Paxos Gold (PAXG).
Source: Cbinsights
3. Crypto-collateralized: By being pegged to other cryptocurrencies, certain stablecoins maintain their relatively fixed values. However, keeping into account the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies, when using crypto-collateralization, the stablecoin is usually over-collateralized, so for each stablecoin, you would have much more cryptocurrency to make up for sudden price movements. This whole process of crypto-collateralization also occurs on-chain and is done via smart contracts An example of a crypto-collateralized stablecoin is DAI.
Image4. Non-Collateralized: Some stablecoins are not pegged to anything and instead maintain their value through an algorithm. The algorithm along with smart contracts ensures that the supply of the tokens in circulation is maintained in a way that price stability is reached The disadvantage with these stablecoins is that as they do not have any real collateral, in order to be successful they need to be continuously growing which can prove challenging when the market is down. The most infamous example of non-collateralized or algorithmic stablecoins is TerraUSD.
Did you know that stablecoins existed even before Ethereum was launched?
The first stablecoin was actually BitUSD which was launched on the BitShare blockchain in July 2014. Interestingly it was launched by two people, one of whom was Charles Hoskinson who would later go on to be one of the founders of Ethereum and after that also of Cardano.
Next in line was NuBits which was released in September 2014 and this falls under the Seigniorage Shares category. While both BitUSD and NuBits did not fare so well in maintaining their peg over time, it is worth noting that both projects still exist to date. They are both collateralized over crypto.
Tether was originally called “Real Coin” and launched in October 2014 on Bitcoin blockchain. A month later, it was rebranded as Tether and is currently the number one stablecoin by market capitalization. This is despite the fact that it suffered a major crash in 2017 after $31 million of USDT tokens were stolen and also it has been under a lot of scruitiny for not sharing the exact value of its reserves. Ideally, a fiat pegged stablecoin should be holding a 1:1 ratio of stablecoin to fiat currency reseverve. Tether has been under criticism for holding much less fiat currency in reserves than they should, and also for not revealing the exact values.
If you look at the image below, the stablecoin DAI comes in fourth space in stablecoins listed according to Market Capitalization using CoinMarketCap. DAI is a stablecoin that was launched by MakerDAO which is a decentralized organization and it is a crypto-collateralized stablecoin.
I came across the original Reddit post from 2014 by Rune Christenson, one of the founders of MakerDAO. The title of the reddit post is “Introducing eDollar, the ultimate stablecoin built on Ethereum.” To put this in perspective, Ethereum was to be launched in 2015, even though its white paper was released in 2014.
eDollar would eventually lead to the making of DAI stablecoin, which was launched in 2017. You can read the original Reddit post here .
Another important stablecoin launched in 2017 that is worth mentioning is USDC or USD Coin. It currently holds the spot as second place in terms of stablecoins by market capitalization USDC or USD Coin is also Coinbase’s official stablecoin
After 2017, stablecoins exploded in 2018 and there were 36 new stablecoins launched in 2018 alone. By 2019, there were a total of 66 stablecoins.
According to the Blockchain Council, earlier this year in February 2022 there were approximately 200 stablecoins in existence.
Ethereum is the most popular blockchain for Stablecoins, with more than 50% of stablecoins based on the Ethereum Network. According to the Consensys State of Stablecoins report, there are 33 stablecoins built atop of the Ethereum blockchain, with Bitshares in second place having 8 stablecoins and Stellar in third place with 6 stablecoins.
Stablecoins offer a way of connection between the fiat and cryptocurrency world. Yet they do have a risk element in them The riskiest stablecoins are the algorithmic or non-collatoralized stablecoins as is obvious from the recent Terra/Luna episode. Even people who had never heard of stablecoins got to hear about them around May 2022 when the stablecoin TerraUSD and its sister coin LUNA crashed, taking down approximately US $200 billion with them. However even collateralized stablecoins are not are not completely risk free. In particular, when stablecoins promise to have a certain amount of reserve currency behind them, yet fail to provide exact figures and there is opacity instead of transparency, it gives way to concern for customers, consumers and even regulators. Uncertainty due to regulatory issues is another aspect that also needs to be kept in mind. However the pace of innovation in the stablecoins and cryptocurrencies space remains unprecedented so there is hope for exciting breakthroughs in the future.
Founding Member of the Oxford Blockchain Foundation. Graduate level lecturer. Financial Economist turned Blockchain, Metaverse and Web 3.0 Strategist. Head of AllStarsWomen DAO UAE Chapter.
Amna Usman Chaudhry
We DO LOVE quotes!
If you ever read our interviews for the past 3 years, you know it!
Quotes help you to focus, reduce your stress, ignite your motivation, and keep you working towards your goals.
Once I replied when someone asked me why I love inspirational quotes and I just said: "Inspirational quotes are awesome because they inspire me to keep going."
So it is time to share with you my 25 most inspirational quotes and I hope will help you to do the same.
1. Feminism isn't about making women stronger. Women are already strong, it's about changing the way the world perceives that strength.
2. There's something so special about a woman who dominates in a man's world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.
Rihanna
3. I raise up my voice not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.
Malala Yousafzai
3. I can promise you that women working together – linked, informed and educated –can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet.
Isabelle Allende
4. I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. Maya Angelou
5 Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another Toni Morrison
6. The more I have spoken about feminism the more I have realized that fighting for women's rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop Emma Watson
7. I'm tough, and ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay."
Madonna
8. When a man gives his opinion, he's a man; when a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch.
Bette Davis
9. We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you would threaten the man.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie10. We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women's voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.
Sheryl Sandberg11. I hear a lot of people saying, when talking about girls' empowerment and women as well, you'll often hear people saying, 'You're helping them find their voices', I fundamentally disagree with that.
Women don't need to find their voice. They need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen.
Meghan Markle
12. I am a woman with thoughts and questions and shit to say. I say if I'm beautiful. I say if I'm strong. You will not determine my story - I will. Amy Schumer
13. Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. … It shouldn't be that women are the exception. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
14. I am a woman and a warrior. If you think I can't be both, you've been lied to. Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
15. I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. Estée Lauder.
16. Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.
Oprah Winfrey
17. The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. Roseanne Barr
18. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt
19. If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman. Margaret Thatcher
20 Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim Nora Ephron
21. The biggest barrier for women is the thought that they can’t have it all. Cathy Engelbert
22. There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself. Hannah Gadsby
23. The worst thing that we can do as women is not stand up for each other, and this is something we can practice every day, no matter where we are and what we do –women sticking up for other women, choosing to protect and celebrate each other instead of competing or criticising one another.
Amal Clooney
24. The glass ceiling will go away when women help other women break through that ceiling.
Indra Nooyi
25. Strong men, strong men, men who are truly role models, don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful.
Michelle Obama
What is your favourite?
Women Force NFT was created based on 4 pillars: Sustainability, Inclusion, Education, and Art. We are supporting non-profits and taking action to preserve the environment. We recently partnered up with a tech fundraising company, Kinder, and committed to donating up to 40% of our NFTs primary sales to support the Amazon Rainforest, local communities and indigenous people. All donations are happening through blockchain to transparent and impactful organizations.
Besides helping the environment, Women Force also provides web3 education (we formed a partnership with Nas Academy and Female Tech Leaders); art mentorship, high resolution & exclusive digital arts by Di Couto (a well-known Brazilian artist who has been painting murals and canvases for over 15 years, and previously partnered with internationally recognized brands such as Adidas, Gucci, L’Oreal, Havaianas, etc.); a trip to Rio de Janeiro or Amsterdam; among many other benefits that will foment our mission.
Our allowlist is already opened & early sales will happen before Christmas, on Dec 22nd. Allowlist mint price: 0,07eth
The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything by Matthew Ball
The term “Metaverse” is suddenly everywhere, from the front pages of national newspapers and the latest fashion trends to the plans of the most powerful companies in history It is already shaping the policy platforms of the US government, the European Union, and the Chinese Communist Party
But what, exactly, is the Metaverse? As pioneering theorist and venture capitalist, Matthew Ball explains in his book.
Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy by David J Chalmers
'One of the most important living philosophers' Bryan Appleyard, Spectator
In the coming decades, the technology that enables virtual and augmented reality will improve beyond recognition
Within a century, world-renowned philosopher David J Chalmers predicts, we will have virtual worlds that are impossible to distinguish from non-virtual worlds
But is virtual reality just escapism?
The Times and Financial Times Book of the Year 'Enticing' Sunday Times | 'Engaging' Financial Times | 'Essential' Reid Hoffman
As technology accelerates, the human mind struggles to keep up - and our companies, workplaces and democracies get left behind. This is the exponential gap.
Now, a leading technologist explores how this exponential gap is rewiring our world - and reveals how we should respond
A deeply original analysis of our technological future and the ethical dilemmas that await us,
The New Breed explains how the treatment of machines can reveal a new understanding of our own history, our own systems, and how we relate-not just to nonhumans, but also to one another.
A bold, exciting exploration of how building diverse kinds of relationships with robots--inspired by how we interact with animals--could be the key to making our future with robot technology work
In the actual NFT industry there is a gap; like in any other WEB3 industry and this is the lack of safety Lots of users are being scammed and like in the WEB2 environment, scammers can get very intuitive towards taking everyone’s assets - and this includes all players, not only those who are starting in this industry but literally all players.
A great example of this is the #YugaLabs Discord hacking. So as you can see, even the big names can be somehow tricked into a downfall and this obviously affects the community, and stakeholders as well.
With this said, this gap needs to be filled ASAP and it is possible that the KYC and AML strategies will might be used in the next steps, otherwise, this industry along with all WEB3 sectors will be faded to protect “bad players” who certainly will not refrain to swap a wallet with no pity, while the general public is disregarded.
However, KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti Money Laundering) are clearly “against” the “Decentralized” idea behind blockchain itself so how to resolve that? That is a tricky task but a required one.
For instance, a health diligence to detect bots and synthetic IDs is a good start - This will allow to reduce the cluttered amount of duplicated and sometimes unnecessary accounts:
1
-
2
3
4
By doing regular Real-Time Digital & Social Checks
- By monitoring Live Transactions;
- By having a Risk Scoring for the wallets regardless AML and KYC compliance
- By pushing the AI and machine learning concept further.
For your reference, there are lots of new apps that will do this for you - in case you have nothing to hide and are a legitimate individual using the WB3 scenario. Needless to say, DYOR before all and make sure that those you are dealing with are also legitimate players - even if they do not provide enough KYC/AML compliance.
Some tricks that can do the job on safety for you:
A - Make sure that all environment that is based on community engagement has a strong leadership, and that the management team of that specific environment is a well-known person IRL (In Real Life); NFT projects included, make sure that:
A-1. Secret mints and seret mint dates along with pricing decided on last minute can be a pitfall - So make sure that things are researched;
A-2. Amount of community members does not necessarily mean that the community is good or bad - bots and duplicated accounts are everywhere and by having lots of registered “customers” does not mean quality but quantity only in most of the cases;
A.3 - Mind that people you know may be hacked and that is of right risk: hackers will contact you back as your legitimate “friend” and will ask for things - Taking into consideration, do not forget to act under a common-sense flag, otherwise you will be the next to lose your assets.
While we do not have a proper regulatory set of rules for the above mentioned - and most of all other rules found on the WEB2 scenario - it is strongly recommended that you never share anything, even to known “friends” and people who you “know” for long time on the NFT industry and WEB3 in general. It is really simple: Do not trust!
It may sounds rash or rude but in reality, the most precious things on the WEB3 industry in general is your own assets, like mine are important to myself so do not feel guilty if anyone ask you to share details or even send them precious information - do not forget the most important asset in the IT industry in general is DATA - more specifically - YOUR data!
Other tricks that can do the job is having a “burning” wallet ( that you use for minting assets and transferring funds), a second burn wallet so you can have a contingency in case of having the first wallet compromised and finally, make sure that you have a COLD wallet - According to a quick Google, (it is also called "hardware wallet" and "offline wallet," the cold wallet stores the user's address and private key and works in conjunction with compatible software in the computer )
Overall, trust your gut, act under a common sense and always research - look for the “red flags” , the small bits and bobs here and there, those kinds of things that you never saw before on the WEB3 industry before spending your valuable assets
NFTs are all the rage right now, rightfully so, and are completely shaking up the art world. Artists have become very crucial to the NFT industry, but what is largely stopping artists from minting NFTs is the confusion surrounding how they work. There is a ton of data out there (which can get very overwhelming), so continue reading for a simple breakdown on how NFTs work and the legal mumbo-jumbo behind them.
Before diving into what an NFT is, it is important to understand the difference between fungibility and non-fungibility. A 100 Rupee note is fungible because it can easily be replaced with another 100 Rupee note. But something that is nonfungible is something that is unique and cannot easily be replaced; Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ for instance, cannot be switched with Da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’.
To create an NFT, you must first ‘mint’ the digital version of your artwork. This means that if you want to mint an NFT from your artwork – like a sculpture or a painting – you would have to create a digital file of that artwork and then upload that digital file onto the NFT platform that you are using.
When you upload the digital file, a token gets attached to it and is uploaded onto the blockchain being used, thus minting an NFT
Minting turns a simple file into a crypto asset which can be traded on a digital marketplace using cryptocurrencies or even fiat currency. The existence of the token on the blockchain allows verification of the ownership of the underlying artwork. You would also have to pay a fee i e ‘gas fees’ to initiate the transaction on the blockchain and list your NFT for sale on the NFT marketplace you choose.
Legal jargon you need to know before you mint an NFT!
1. Ownership vs. Copyright: When you mint an NFT or permit a marketplace to mint one on your behalf, any transfer of that NFT will usually mean transfer of ownership of the NFT, but the copyright in the underlying artwork will remain with you, unless contractually parted with. Copyright grants the owner the exclusive right to, amongst other things, create derivate works, distribute copies and reproduce the work.
2. Original work: The underlying artwork should be original and unique. Minting an unoriginal artwork or stealing art from someone else would be considered copyright infringement or copyright theft.
3. Collaborative work: If you want to mint artwork that: (a) incorporates another artists’ work, or (b) has been created in collaboration with another artist, you will need to get permission from that artist.
4. Commissioned work: Make sure the underlying artwork of the NFT was not commissioned by somebody else. For artwork that is commissioned by someone else, or created during your employment, you may not be the owner of the intellectual property rights and would therefore be restricted from minting an NFT from it or would need permission
5. Licensed work: If you have licensed or transferred your rights in the underlying artwork to somebody else, it would be optimal to review your contracts with the licensee / transferee before minting the artwork.
6. Marketplace T&C: When you’re minting your NFT, make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions of the NFT marketplace that your NFT will be sold on. An NFT marketplace would usually require you to grant certain rights to them in order to promote your NFT. They will also pocket a percentage of the initial sales Be careful about what rights you part with
7. Double whammy: After minting your artwork on the marketplace of your choice, you must not mint it on any other marketplace. This could amount to your NFT being deleted and you being banned from one or both the marketplaces!
8. Remember that an NFT is not the digital file itself, but rather a representation of it on the blockchain network.
1 NFTs offer you a chance to take on the digital market and unlock an international audience for your work, thus making your art more accessible and opening up a whole new revenue stream.
2. Traditionally, when art is sold, the artist only receives payment from the first sale. But with NFTs, since they are sold using blockchain technology, you would get a royalty or percentage of all future sales. For instance, if your NFT is sold for 100 USD the first time and you are entitled to 20% on all sales, you would still get that 20% if it is sold subsequently for 10,000 USD, and a percentage on every following sale.
3. NFTs enable the trading of your work in a more secure manner. Since NFTs live on the blockchain and the certificate of ownership attached to them verifies authenticity, it becomes very difficult for anyone to duplicate the digital file and very easy to trace previous owners, thus creating a safe and clear title during sale.
4. You do not need to worry about storage and maintenance costs, since the NFT exists in the digital world and can be easily accessed by anyone from anywhere with an internet connection.
The above list is still very non-exhaustive The benefits for artists entering the NFT space are high. While art NFTs are the most popular category of NFTs, they aren’t the only types out there.
NFTs exist in several other forms such as collectables, sports memorabilia, video games assets, virtual land, memes, music, domain names, fashion NFTs, utility NFTs, etc.
One can purchase an NFT to gain access to exclusive communities, perks, rewards and even offline parties! Then there are real-world asset NFTs which provide virtual ownership of a physical object, and the token attached to such NFTs provides an additional layer of security to establish ownership of a real-world asset or commodity since it cannot be forged. Further, NFTs are also being developed to be used for the verification of online identities of individuals!
The potential application of NFTs is explosive and endless, and companies and individuals all over the world are joining the trend. For artists, those who are established as well as those still to make a name for themselves, now is the best time to enter the global marketplace that NFTs offer.
Anuradha is a tech and IP lawyer, and founder of ZeroTo3 Collective, a bespoke legal and business consultancy for clients in Web3, emerging technologies and media and entertainment
In addition to being a lawyer, she is also an alumnus of University of the Arts London, and holds a degree in filmmaking along with some experience in the film and media industry
Anuradha is presently working towards demystifying Web3 and bringing sound advisory services to this space.
Female Tech Leaders promotes, inspires and motivates Tech Women and Founders to play an active role in the industry.
We focus on women in tech and supporting to close the gap and breaking the ceiling
Apply to be a Guest
