Women in Bitcoin
Thanks to those of you who have contributed to the Bit. I was ~$2,700 in the hole last week, and I’m now down to only $1,990. When I get down to zero, I’ll delete this banner. In the meantime, here are some wallets you might fund in order to help me cover the Bit’s daily costs:
Blockchain: 1MkF9FgxP4wQ4pqRe4uDuzAPNRCAQUA646
Circle: 18Za7SmHRxbmkEj5QLeSqnYWGm8zjsWf7y
Coinbase: 12oGSjXu5YZSRE6pfmcPxQxvswMRUVn9ZQ
Xapo: 3QyLGqnYnpg9wybJh8ZSY2wVvrti7twKj9 (multi-sig!)
Or @ChangeTip me on twitter @twobitidiot
What’s up with that little purple logo underneath the TBI avatar?
A number of top bitcoin companies (and one Idiot) are teaming up to celebrate women in bitcoin (and beyond) on International Women’s Day this Sunday (and beyond). You can read more about the campaign here.
While it’s not statistically surprising that an industry dominated by startups and that sits at the intersection of finance and technology is sparsely populated by women, the ratio is still pretty bad by just about any measure. Over 90% of employees, users, executives, investors, and enthusiasts in the industry are still men. So while I’m usually not a fan of arbitrary appreciation days like this (I find them patronizing in many circumstances), I’m willing to try anything to boost engagement with the sex that controls the purse strings of most American households, and makes the industry itself more approachable — not just in appearances, but in reality. You should too.
Let me say that I’m all for the twitterati [Note: this is a gender neutral, relatively common term, not a “branding” as has been suggested to me], but for today, I’d prefer to highlight the contributions of women who are less active on social media and gender advocacy (which is a visible cause, but by itself, usually one with limited impact), and more focused on those who are building the foundation of the blockchain industry (less visible, significant levels of long-term impact) as those seem to be the types we are desperately trying to woo. A glass half full observation would be there are more women FTEs working on bitcoin-related projects or at bitcoin ventures at this point than there were total employees in the industry at this same time last year. A glass half empty observation would be that the women in bitcoin’s operating leadership ranks are trickier to spot.
[Note: I apologize if my original post made it seem as if I was dismissing certain groups. As you can see from my follow-up post, it was my intention to write a two part series on the subject; however, man or woman, you have greater impact if you’re doing things vs. writing about them. Not backing down from that, and I’m surprised if that’s even incendiary…]
Here are the women at funded bitcoin companies who sit in their respective C-suites: Cindy McAdams (Xapo), Karen Gifford (Ripple), Juthica Chou (LedgerX), Catheryne Nicholson (BlockCypher), Hannah Kim (Volabit), Megan Burton (CoinX), Joyce Kim (Stellar), Annemarie Tierney (SecondMarket), Elizabeth Rossiello and Charlene Chen (BitPesa), Luciana Gruszeczka (BitPagos), and Anjali Kamath (BitPay).
No listicle or arbitrary ranking here; just proof that there are in fact awesome entrepreneurial women in places of authority within the industry. There’s a long way to go to get to respectability (much less balance), but it’s not a bad start.
*My knowledge is, of course, limited, but before you start peppering me with “but you forgot Jane Doe” emails, note “funded” and “C-suite.” If I made a glaring omission then let me know.
For Entrepreneurs
The MIT E-Lab is a well established (20+ year) program that helps startups by matching them with MIT & Harvard business school students for a semester. The E-Lab is now looking for cryptocurrency related startups at various stages, so apply if you think this could help your efforts. (You don’t need to be local, but a c-level exec has to be in Cambridge frequently.) To apply, or for more info on E-Lab visit http://elab.mit.edu/.
Events
MIT Bitcoin Expo — March 7–8th
Get your tickets today — MIT is hosting its second annual Bitcoin Expo on March 7th and 8th!
This premiere student-run event, hosted by the MIT Bitcoin Club and Wellesley Bitcoin Club, features two days of panels and presentations from leading professionals and academics in the cryptocurrency space. You’ll hear from engineers who maintain and develop the core Bitcoin protocol, academics on the cutting edge of cryptocurrency research, and founders and executives of some of the hottest million-dollar startups in bitcoin.
Join hundreds of students and professionals as we learn about the most recent and upcoming legal and technical developments in Bitcoin. Delve into the heart of recent developments with experts like Gavin Andresen, Jeremy Allaire, Adam Ludwin, Charlie Lee, Constance Choi, Peter Todd, Jerry Brito, Joi Ito, Andreas Antonopoulos and many, many more.
Day One will provide insight into the Bitcoin mainstreaming process as well as the legal and security challenges for Bitcoin companies to overcome. Day Two will detail the inner workings of bitcoin and the new technologies that are emerging as the industry develops. Join us as we strive to understand the present and build the future.
The event is free for students and only $125 for 2 days for professionals.
For more information visit mitbitcoinexpo.org
Inside Bitcoins Conference and Expo — New York (Apr. 27–29)
Inside Bitcoins is the largest bitcoin and blockchain technology focused event series worldwide. Join Inside Bitcoins when it returns to New York for the third year. Speakers include Barry Silbert, Marc Hochstein, Brian Kelly, Dan Morehead, Perianne Boring, Gil Luria, and more.
Plus, TBI Daily readers get 10% OFF any pass with code TBIDAILY. See you there!
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Bitnet, San Francisco, Belfast, London (VC-backed)
-Leading digital commerce platform & former Visa team.
-Open positions: Engineering (Customer Success, Lead UI, Product, DevOps), Sales Director (EMEA), Sales Engineer (San Francisco)
-Check out Bitnet (https://bitnet.io/careers.html) and email jobs@bitnet.io
Coinbase, San Francisco (VC-backed)
-Largest “universal services” bitcoin company.
-Open positions: Security Engineer, Software Engineer (2–3 years mobile product development), Regulatory Compliance Investigator, (1 year conducting SAR investigations)
-Check out Coinbase (https://www.coinbase.com/careers/)
BitGo, Palo Alto (VC-backed)
-The leading Bitcoin multi-sig security company
-Open positions: Back-end / Front-End / iOS / Security Engineers, UX Designer
-Check out BitGo (www.bitgoinc.com/jobs) and email jobs@bitgo.com
Bolt, San Francisco (VC-backed)
-Stealth startup focused on consumer applications of Bitcoin.
-Open positions: Security Engineer, Ruby Engineer, UI/UX Designer, Executive Assistant.
-Check out Bolt (bolt.com) and email jobs@bolt.com.
Today’s Tid Bits
Ripple Labs Joins Cross-Border Payments Association
http://www.coindesk.com/ripple-labs-joins-cross-border-payments-association/
Ripple Labs, the San Francisco based startup behind the digital payment network Ripple, has joined the International Payments Framework Association (IFPA). The IFPA provides best practices, rule sets, and guidance on how to improve cross-border payments. The partnership will help Ripple “create a complete, real-time, cross border payment system,” according to Nilesh Dusane the director of business development at Ripple Labs.
Former Netscape Director Launches Bitcoin Remittance App Abra
http://www.coindesk.com/launch-bitcoin-remittance-abra/
As mentioned in last night’s post, Bill Barhydt, the entrepreneur and former Netscape director, debuted a bitcoin venture called Abra. Users can deposit cash into the Abra app through an approved teller or by using their debit card, and then send money anywhere, the app then uses bitcoin in the back end to facilitate peer-to-peer transactions. All transactions are then denominated in US dollars. Previously, Barhydt founded mobile banking startup Boom Financial, which raised $17m in 2012, and WebSentric, one of the first online meeting services. He is also credited with giving the first TED Talk on bitcoin.
The Future of Bitcoin: The Readers Weigh In
http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2015/03/04/the-future-of-bitcoin-the-readers-weigh-in-at-a-glance/
The Wall Street Journal’s MoneyBeat blog conducted a poll that found that 83% respondents said they believed there is a future for crytocurrencies such as bitcoin. WSJ then went on to collect and edit excerpts from some of its readers about bitcoin, which can be found here. Feel free to submit your two sense.
Introducing CoinDesk Research: Exclusive Insight, Comment and Analysis
http://www.coindesk.com/introducing-coindesk-research-exclusive-insight-comment-and-analysis/
CoinDesk has launched a new in-depth analysis reports service, CoinDesk Research. This platform will hope to provide industry-leading research and insights on the main issues around digital currencies and analyze their emergence into the mainstream. The inaugural CoinDesk Research report is about regulation, and features insights from legal experts, comments from HSMC and Wells Fargo, and even detailed information on tax, licensing, and banking.
First Annual Bitcoin Women’s Day is Coming this Sunday
https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/first-annual-bitcoin-womens-day-coming-sunday/
On Sunday, March 8th the Bitcoin community will celebrate the first annual Bitcoin Women’s Day. The day will shine a light on the accomplishments of women within the Bitcoin community and will hope to spur the growth of women to begin using Bitcoin. As of now, less than 8% of Bitcoin users are female. The logo on the top of blog, below the TBI avatar, is the official logo for Bitcoin Women’s Day.
Have a tip or feedback? Email me! (2bitidiot@gmail.com)
