Hello there future Wavemakers!

In case you missed it, we launched WAVE, a partnership powered by AllBright and Ripple, earlier this month. We’re on a mission to educate and empower women and marginalised communities to make waves in Web3.

On Thursday 3 November, as the NFT London conference kicked off and the city was buzzing with Web3 and NFT enthusiasts, we opened our club doors to host an event celebrating the launch of the partnership.

More than 80 people came together to network and learn from our two insightful panels of women making a significant impact in Web3.

Check out the Web3 Party & Panel

Why is it important for women to take the stage and talk about Web3? Based on the 2022 Triple-A study, only 21% of crypto owners are women. This number is not just about investing. If this number is an indicator of how many women are participating in the ecosystem, it also likely means that there are not enough women on teams creating and building businesses in Web3 and less diversity in its products and services. The outcome is that fewer women can benefit from this new technology and will have a lot of catching up to do later down the line as compared to men.

That is why we, together with Ripple, wanted to bring you six incredible women who are paving the way in these unknown waters and were kind enough to share their insights and experiences with us.

If you are nervous about taking the first steps in learning about Web3, you shouldn’t be. All our panellists agreed that the best way to start is small – be it subscribing to a podcast, taking a course, attending an event, or perhaps even setting up a wallet. Cassie Craddock, Senior Director of Business Development at Ripple, explains her first ‘toe-dip’ action was to buy a cheap NFT and learn through trial-and-error. These words are encouraging considering she is now one of the senior leaders at Ripple, a prominent business in the blockchain and crypto industry.

We also discussed how and why Web3 is changing different industries and creating opportunities. One of the most popular use cases of NFTs today is digital art and collectibles. Saira Jamieson, a multimedia artist and another one of our panellists, explained the opportunities blockchain created for her as an artist. Saira shared that, by using NFT technology for her art, she can receive royalties fairly and split any earnings from her digital artwork with charities or other collaborators. In the past, galleries would take most of what the artwork sold for, whilst today, the technology allows artists creating in the digital realm to be more independent, reach a bigger audience, and sell without the need for an intermediary.

Beyond the creative industries, our panellists discussed various other applications of blockchain in the real world, stressing the increasing importance of utility in Web3.

You might associate an NFT with beautiful art or a picture of a monkey, but applications of non-fungible token technology go much further than that. Tokenization of mortgages in the real estate sector, as well as carbon credits when it comes to carbon markets, are just some of the use cases that are currently being developed and, in some instances, already exist.

Somi Arian, founder of InPeak platform and a successful Web2 entrepreneur, explained that she was drawn to a Web3 business model because it created the possibility of dialogue and ownership. The community-focused nature of Web3 allows brands to effectively engage with their customers in a way that encourages co-creation, open dialogue, and a constant feedback loop. This open communication channel means that your community can tell you what they want and you can build something they will want to buy, explained Hamisha Mehta, co-founder of the Gold Bangle Club, an NFT community for women built around South-Asian culture and art.

Our panellists agreed that marketing and building products is different in Web3. The old tricks of the trade don’t necessarily work in this space, but this is exactly what will drive innovation and new ways of marketing and community building.

One major takeaway from the evening was that we are at the precipice of something new, different, exciting, and rapidly evolving. And women need to be at the forefront of this new technology, driving the narrative and shaping the industry, to ensure greater diversity and financial inclusion, not just for women but for minorities in general. This innovation will not be a success unless we ensure that we have a seat at the table.

Olga Miller, Founder and CEO of Smartpurse, summarised it best on the night: "Women should be involved in Web3 because there is a whole new economy forming while we are still thinking about our pension gaps, so let’s not fall behind, let’s get on with it!”

Ready to learn more and dive into the Web3 Revolution?

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

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

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

Disclaimer

AllBright cannot guarantee that all of the information provided in this video or article is accurate. Use the information provided on our website at your own risk. If you wish to make an investment you should seek independent financial advice before doing so, and ensure that you have carried out your own research on the product or company that you are investing in. Any advice provided is not tailored to anyone’s individual situation, as each individual is in a different situation. AllBright does not accept any liability whatsoever for any action taken or losses incurred as a result of the information provided on our site.