Women's Entrepreneurship In Crypto

Today is Women's Entrepreneurship Day, which has been celebrated worldwide since 2013 every 19th of November. The goal of Women's Entrepreneurship Day is to help raise awareness regarding the importance of women participating in the global economy, not just as product consumers and service users but also as entrepreneurs spearheading the development of various industries. 

The gender gap between the number of executive-level positions in companies held by men and women is also an important issue addressed by Women's Entrepreneurship Day, which encourages women to become industry leaders who are making a difference in the world.

Finally, Women's Entrepreneurship Day is about making the business environment more inclusive toward women and less a male-dominated segment of society. 

On this Women's Entrepreneurship Day, we'll explore female entrepreneurship in crypto, what are the key factors that can contribute to its growth, and we'll have a look at some inspiring success stories of influential women in crypto.

 

Women Are Into Crypto Too!

One of the most common gender-based misconceptions about cryptocurrency and blockchain technology is that crypto is a male industry and that women generally have no interest in this new, disruptive technology. This claim couldn't be more far from the truth.

In fact, available data shows that around 37% of the 420 million global crypto holders are women, compared to 21% in 2021. Women hold some 26% of all jobs in the crypto industry, while 70% of female crypto holders are storing their crypto long-term and are considered HODLers.  

These numbers clearly show that women are absolutely an integral part of the crypto industry, and unlike common myths claim, yes, women are into crypto too! 

Blockchain technology and crypto bring an unprecedented level of innovations and change to how people can pay for products and services, manage and store their funds, as well as how they can interact with each other, and women are just as fascinated by crypto as men.

 

Female Entrepreneurship in Crypto

While women account for around a quarter of employees in the crypto industry, statistics show that just 3% of crypto businesses have female founders. Furthermore, just 10% of crypto fund partners are women, while only 5 of the top 120 global crypto companies have at least one female co-founder.

This means that there's a vast difference between the number of women interested or involved in crypto in some capacity and the number of women who are engaged in the industry as entrepreneurs, company founders, and C-Suite executives.

But why is it so, and could these figures change?

Initially, the crypto community was relatively small and populated mainly by "tech-geeks" who believed in Bitcoin in 2009 and 2010, when most of the world was quick to dismiss BTC. The first investment funds, large-scale businesses, and exchanges to enter the industry were simply reproducing the standard gender gap rate in entrepreneurship, which is a result of long-lasting social, economic, educational, and other factors. 

Luckily, the change is happening before our very eyes, thanks to female blockchain organizations like Global Women in Blockchain and inspiring female entrepreneurs and industry leaders who take upon themselves the task of paving the way for female entrepreneurship in the crypto industry.  

 

Empowering Women in Crypto Through Blockchain Education and Community Building

Comprehensive blockchain education and community building are essential factors that can contribute to the growth of female entrepreneurship and success rates in the crypto industry.

CryptoChicks is an excellent example of a non-profit female blockchain project aimed at helping women navigate the world of blockchain technology and join the industry as creators and entrepreneurs. Their CryptoChicks Academy is a valuable educational resource that helps women obtain the necessary skills to enter the crypto market. 

Women Do Crypto is an example of a networking platform that connects women in the blockchain industry and encourages them to found their own crypto companies. 

The Association for Women in Crypto is an international community of female crypto professionals and entrepreneurs that organize gatherings and networking events. At the same time, Global Women in Blockchain aims to unify crypto educational resources that help women become industry leaders and start their own crypto companies. 

Furthermore, there are blockchain conferences such as International Women of Blockchain, which are basically all-encompassing crypto summits that focus on the role of women in the industry.

 

Examples of Influential Women in the Crypto Industry

Let's have a look at a few inspiring cases of female entrepreneurs in the crypto industry.

 

Elizabeth Stark

Elizabeth Stark is a computer science professor with a rich career at top US universities, who jumped onto the crypto bandwagon, attracted by the technological innovation of Bitcoin. She is now the co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs, spearheading efforts to create Bitcoin scaling solutions that can boost the BTC network's overall performance. Elizabeth has been featured in Forbes and the New York Times as a top-tier female crypto entrepreneur.

 

Jutta Steiner

Jutta Steiner is a co-founder of Parity Technologies, an innovative blockchain company geared toward developing Ethereum-based platforms. The company specializes in providing custom blockchain solutions for projects that want to build on Ethereum. Jutta is a passionate blockchain and decentralization advocate who began her career in McAfee before shifting to the Web3 sector, and she was also a researcher at the University of Edinburgh. 

 

Meltem Demirors

Meltem Demirors is the Chief Strategy Officer of CoinShares, one of the largest crypto asset management platforms in Europe. Meltem is an experienced blockchain and finance professional, often seen at key blockchain conferences as a keynote speaker and panel participant. She is a vocal supporter of cryptocurrency as the future alternative to traditional money. 

 

Galia Benartzi

Galia Benartzi co-founded Bancor Protocol, one of the leading DeFi crypto projects on the market. Bancor is an innovative blockchain project that allows users to automate on*chain trading strategies and execute arbitrage trades between Bancor and external exchange platforms, among other features. Galia is also the CEO of a cross-platform software company called Particle Code. She is an example of a female success story at the core of a top-notch crypto project.