Hi Cristina, welcome to Fintech Interview Series. Tell us about what made you start with the idea of Women Do Crypto?
The idea to create Women Do Crypto, came in 2021, when some of my friends, who knew that I was in the industry for a couple of years, started to ask me: “Cristina, please, teach us about crypto, explain us how you do it”, and since the majority of the requests were from women, I decided to create something exclusively for women. I checked around and I realised that there are no crypto classes specifically for women, so I decided to create it. I wanted to have a place for a network of women where they will feel confident, empowered, enjoy learning, ask questions, share their knowledge, and connect.
I began to consider how I could create educational content that was both informative and interactive, engaging, and thrilling. And I realized that theory is useless without practice. That is why I encourage women to bring their laptops, and I guide them on how to correctly analyse the market, how to select cryptocurrency for long-term investment or for trading, how to recognize warning signs and much more, and they even have homework assignments.
Please tell us, how exactly Women Do Crypto is benefitting people in the growing blockchain movement.
Women Do Crypto, is an organization that aims to empower women by providing essential information in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry. It is also a powerful network of like-minded women who collaborate, support, and encourage each other to create and grow in their personal and professional activities related to the blockchain industry.
Every month we organise two types of meetups: educational meetups, for those who wish to learn about blockchain and cryptocurrency from the beginning, and networking meetups where we meet to discuss different topics from the industry. Anyone can attend these meetups: beginners, enthusiasts and experts and this is a great opportunity to meet other like-minded women, connect, expand your knowledge and build new relationships.
Additionally, I collaborate with professionals from the industry and encourage them to open their doors, engage with our community, and communicate about their objectives. This helps them to grow awareness about their projects and its benefits with our community.
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We’d love to know one advice that you would like to give to our 300 billion global crypto enthusiasts?
For those who have decided to invest in the cryptocurrency market, it’s important, as with any other investment, to understand how cryptocurrencies operate, what their use-cases are and what are the value drivers of today’s crypto assets. Blockchain and cryptocurrency market is undoubtedly full of opportunities, however you should also be aware about the risks related to this industry. There are many scams and fraudulent schemes, that is why it is important to always do your research before investing.
If given a chance to change one thing about the global crypto and digital asset domain, what would it be?
We are aware that the blockchain energy consumption and its carbon footprint are causing significant environmental damage. I wish tech companies work together on this issue and, hopefully, lead to the creation of ecologically friendly crypto mining equipment.
Please tell us a little bit about the evolution of the crypto and web3 ecosystem and how much it has changed in the last 2-3 years.
To get a better idea of how cryptocurrencies have evolved and to comprehend their function and impact on society I would like to go back in 2009, when the first cryptocurrency Bitcoin was created. It provided a quicker, more cost-effective, and secure alternative for people to exchange value without the use of a middle entity. Soon, other cryptocurrencies started to emerge, even faster and cheaper than bitcoin, certain trying to solve different problems in the blockchain ecosystem, others having different use-cases or different incentive structures, by allowing new protocols, blockchains, smart contracts, NFTs or digital assets to be built on the top layer of their blockchain. That is how we arrived from a single cryptocurrency Bitcoin to more than 25,000 digital assets available today. Only a small number of these cryptocurrencies have gained the support of investors and the community, and this is largely due to the usefulness and scope of functionality they support. And only the best projects will endure in the future, and they might be replaced by other cryptocurrency that offer a more advanced and innovative technology.
On the other hand, I see a greater advancement in Web3, even though it is still a work in progress. On Web3, an increasing number of programs and services are being introduced. Decentralization helps users to accept and believe in this technology much more quickly. They are eager to explore the possibilities offered by the Metaverse.
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What are some of the biggest challenges you face when marketing your new idea and trying to better the overall customer experience for them?
Most people do not have much knowledge about crypto and the little knowledge they might have would paint a negative picture because of the large number of scams and frauds prevalent in this space. It is very challenging to get people to see through all the noise and understand the ground breaking technology and how it has the potential to vastly improve our lives.
What are your strategies for the next five years in the blockchain and web3 future?
My journey in the crypto industry has been incredibly collaborative and fruitful so far, and I have a great passion for what I do. However, there is still a ton of work to be done. My objective is to collaborate with major companies from the industry and gain government support in spreading awareness about the many opportunities of blockchain technology.
I want to see the Women Do Crypto community expanding internationally, and increase female involvement in the field of computer science in general. But mostly I wish to help women from those countries, where their access to money is restricted or supervised. And I’m sure that cryptocurrency can help women around the world gain financial independence.
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Tag (mention/write about) the one person in the blockchain industry whose answers to these questions you would love to read!
I greatly admire Vitalik Buterin’s work and his commitment to the blockchain industry. And it is always a pleasure to read any of his interviews or publications.
Your favourite Crypto quote.
If technical analyses always worked, everyone by now will be a millionaire.
Thank you, Cristina! That was fun and we hope to see you back on globalfintechseries.com soon.
[To share your insights with us, please write to sghosh@martechseries.com]
Cristina Ceban is the founder of Women Do Crypto, an organization created to empower women by providing the essential information in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, through educational meetups, learning events, networking opportunities and more. She is certified in Blockchain and Digital Assets by New York Institute of Finance and Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals, however most of the knowledge in this space has come from her own experience in investing and trading cryptocurrency as well as analysing crypto markets. Cristina’s mission is to help women to get the right knowledge about cryptocurrency and to build a network of successful, independent women by helping them to discover the many opportunities available in this rapidly growing industry.
Cristina is committed to provide women with digital literacy and encourage them to enter in the tech field by offering a collaborating environment with experts and professionals from the industry. She is convinced that with the right knowledge about blockchain technology and the support from the industry leaders, women will not just enter this field, but also will assume the leading roles in it.
Women Do Crypto is an organization created to educate women about Blockchain technology and Cryptocurrency investments.
Women Do Crypto offer educational and empowering meetups where women learn about blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, interact with other members, share their ideas and opinions, make new contacts and obtain insights form the latest news in the industry.
