In this week’s EDIT, we are celebrating the upcoming launch of WAVE by AllBright and Ripple, the leader in enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions, a partnership dedicated to increasing diversity and inclusion in Web3 through creating learning and networking opportunities for women.

The first learning pillar for WAVE is our video course on the basics of Web3, created for women by women. Guiding the first course is Kelly-Anne Perera, Vice President of Ape Squared Creative, a bespoke studio specialising in metaverse development, who is making waves in the Web3 industry for her advocacy in helping women learn and work in the space. At AllBright, we believe that knowledge should be accessible to all and for over five years we have been working to equip women with the necessary skills and knowledge to progress in their careers and create new opportunities in business. Together with Ripple, which has been collaborating with leading universities around the world to accelerate education, research and innovation in Web3 through its University Blockchain Initiative, we want to introduce our community to Web3.

The early days of any new technology can be full of unfamiliar jargon and confusing concepts. This is the time of exponential innovation, powered by builders, early adopters, and enthusiasts. Whether you are curious about blockchain technologies and Web3 from a personal or a professional point of view, we will give you the foundational knowledge and the right tools to start exploring this space and begin making waves.

Our first course for WAVE titled How to Prepare for Success in Web3 is aimed for people who aren't yet familiar with the space and are curious to explore. The courses will offer punchy video content, nano-animations, deep dive sessions, and a get-started worksheet with an instant digital course guide walking you through the foundations of Web3.

We caught up with Kelly-Anne to discuss her journey into a career in Web3 and why she is excited to be presenting the first course for WAVE to the AllBright network. Kelly-Anne’s path into Web3 is one of the more traditional ones, she spent a number of years working for a tech company focused on the gaming industry, which subsequently spun out into a Web3 studio. There, Kelly-Anne looked after various aspects of strategy development, go-to-market rollout of the new metaverse, brand partnerships, community building and everything in between. She is also a Web3 consultant, passionate about Web3 education and helping big brands educate their staff about the world of Web3, powering their subsequent expansion and strategy into this space.

“When I first entered the space, you didn’t know where to get the information and a lot of educational content still contained a certain level of complex language, so it was hard to navigate,” said Kelly-Anne Perera. This drove her back to university to do a course in blockchain strategy. The knowledge that she is now generously sharing with others.

While preconceptions about being a 'techie' often fuel the intimidating nature of Web3, Kelly-Anne explains that anybody can equip themselves with the right skillset to explore this new frontier of technology [Web3.] “In the longer term, a lot of it will be solved by more practical use cases for blockchains, but it is also a case of creating learning opportunities to make the space more accessible and not keep closed for the select few”, she says.

Having worked in tech, Kelly-Anne knows first-hand that representation of women in tech is very low. Of those women in tech, only about 8% are in Web3 and from those, the number of women in positions of leadership is even less. Hence why she is focused on helping women realise that there are more women in the space, that we have strength in numbers, and that there is a safe space to ask questions and suggest new ideas.

In building this course, both AllBright and Ripple very intentionally wanted to include not only the content around Web3 but also practical tips for overcoming imposter syndrome and creating a toolkit for building your resilience in the space.

Kelly-Anne has seen women supercharging their traditional careers through Web3. “I have seen women elevating their careers by initiating Web3 pilots and divisions within their organisations and ultimately ending up leading those newly formed Web3 divisions. Because having 10 years as a Chief Marketing Officer, does not mean that someone will automatically be able to successfully navigate marketing in Web3. It takes that pioneering mindset and the desire to embrace innovation to be able to create Web3 strategies.”

As we move through the different stages of the course, the learners will also have the opportunity to dive deeper into a long-standing and leading developer blockchain for tokenization of assets such as the XRP Ledger (XRPL). Here Kelly-Anne emphasises why she thinks learning about XRP Ledger would be relevant to the AllBright community. “XRPL is one of the most trusted and reliable blockchains for its speed, scalability and carbon neutrality. It is a great technology and has such versatility, it can be used both by start-ups and large financial institutions. Low costs and the speed of transactions means the barrier to entry is a lot lower if you are just entering the space or thinking about starting a blockchain-based business in the future. AllBright has always been a pioneer for women, so I am excited to support this initiative.”

Learning the foundations is a great start but having a plan on how to continue your learning journey is also important. Kelly-Anne suggests attending networking events and conferences as a vital part of getting more involved in the ecosystem. “It is at these in-person events, that you will meet people and start building out your network, which will become an important part of staying up to date with the industry. She also suggests making a habit of listening to Web3 podcasts and joining community channels like Discord and Telegram."

If you would like to learn more about the fascinating world of Web3 and tackle this new frontier of technology, we suggest the following:

1. Visit our collection of courses under the AllBright Academy tab on the website.

2. Check out our upcoming events dedicated to Web3 activities under the AllBright Events tab on the website.

3. Join our Women in Web3 community group to nurture your learning and connect with others interested in the space.

We look forward to welcoming our first cohort of wavemakers in November 2022.