Zenith Talks: International Women’s Day Special Edition

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Zenith Chain had a special edition of Zenith talks. The guest were female industry experts in web3. They include Myrtle Anne (CEO, Blocktides), Emily Rose (CEO, Payant), Rebekah Jenkins (CEO, TMN Global), Bolarinwa Adupe (CEO, Centiiv), Sonny Mohanty (Co-Founder, Bitqin).

Introduction of Guests

Myrtle Anne

Myrtle Anne Ramos is a visionary entrepreneur, angel investor, and founder of multiple successful companies, including Block Tides and Place War. With over 12 years of experience in technology, business development, marketing, and public relations

Myrtle Anne Ramos founded the Award-Winning Blockchain, Crypto, DeFi, NFT, IoT, AI, and Metaverse PR Firm, known as Block Tides. She is a graduate of Draper University for Blockchain & Entrepreneurship powered by Tezos.

Emily Rose

Emily Rose Dallara is known as a dog Mom who paints abstract expressionism. She is a coach who helps overwhelmed leaders in Web 3 grow from burnt out and stuck in a cycle of self-doubt. Emily helps them become unshakably confident and focused and do what they want, at the time it pleases them.

She has been a marketing leader in web 3 and crypto in the last 7 years, consulting and helping projects grow. Emily also has a podcast that emphatically discusses Web 3 and its benefits to the global space. Emily is currently the founder of Payant, a web 2.5 escrow solution.

Rebekah Jenkins

Rebekah is one of the women making women foe proud in the Tech world. She is a digital marketer and a crypto enthusiast. Rebekah is popularly called Senator in the Senate of Economy. She has been in web3 for a few years, collaborating with and assisting different projects.

She is currently doing her MBA at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Rebekah Jenkins is one of the Founders of a regulated Blockchain company in Switzerland called EREA World AG | TMN Global.

TMN Global is the first and only company to provide users access to rare earth metals & technology metals via the Blockchain.

Furthermore, Rebekah also uses her online platforms to collaborate with women worldwide to provide education and resources to learn about Blockchain technology.

Emily Rose Dallara

I am known as a dog Mom who paints abstract expressionism. I am a coach who helps overwhelmed leaders in Web 3 grow from being burnt out and stuck in a cycle of self-doubt to feeling unshakably confident, focused, and doing what they want at the time it pleases them.

I have been a marketing leader in web 3 and crypto for the last 7 years, consulting and helping the projects grow. Emily also has a podcast that emphatically discusses Web 3 and its benefits to the global space. I am the founder of Payant, a web 2.5 escrow solution.

Bolarinwa

Bolarinwa is the founder & CEO at Centiiv. She is an experienced Software Developer with a demonstrated history of working in the Management Consulting and Tech industries. Skilled in Blockchain Programming, Content Writing, Project Management, and Frontend Development.

Centiv is an African startup based in Africa to connect Africans to the global market. We are building a solution to enable Africans to do more Blockchain and leverage technology to achieve their goals. Our first payment system, Centiv pay, assists with cross-border payment.

Sonny Mohanty

Sonny Mohanty is the Co-Founder, Investor, and CMO of Bitqin Exchange and Quincoin Foundation, responsible for businesses in India, Dubai, and Singapore. She also oversees hiring and global expansion efforts for Bitqin. Sonny spearheaded and launched Bitqinmart, the professional services arm of the exchange and the Blockchain development consulting firm.

Bitqin is a platform to assist in making Cryptocurrency accessible to everyone seamlessly. So we are committed to providing users safety as regards their digital assets.

Why Did You Go Into Creating Your Crypto Exchange?

Sonny

Before co-founding my exchange, I was working for La Token. So back in 2017, I saw challenges and ways to make things work. However, the market got matured, and I discovered ways to improve. During the lockdown, crypto became known.

Also, the emerging market faced challenges in some parts of the world, and their demand needed to be met. I decided to develop my own thing specifically to meet the emerging market. Because I have experience, it became easy for me to navigate the system.

According To Research Only 13% Of Web3 Founding Teams Include A Woman, And Only 7% Of Founders Are Women; Are You Satisfied With This Analysis?

Emily

Definitely NO. So my goal is always to bring more women into the space. I started this in 2017. At that time, there were few or no women. We had conferences, and we were not seeing women. No doubt there is an improvement with the growth of Web 3 and more. But there is still a need for more women’s participation in the web3 ecosystem.

Why Do Men Raise More Capital Than Women (Funding)?

Myrtle

This is a different answer for everyone. I have put all the limitations and beliefs out of my way. I try to heal that when it comes to me. What a man can do, I can do it also. On my own, I have self-belief. So women in web3 must remove their limitations, believe in themselves, and go for what they desire regarding web3 space and funding. Also, women must not be scared to ask questions in that regard.

Representation Of Women In Leadership Startups

Rebekah Jenkins

This is a power-packed question. I did put out statistics with my team, which show that only 5 to 10 percent of women are founders in the industry, showing that over 90% are men. And of the top 50 most affluent in the industry, no woman exists. Moving on, I talk about gender because there is little representation of women in the industry. A lot of women feel they have been checked out from being leaders in the industry.

So women have a lot of skills, but there is no availability for them to nurture what they have, so the women don’t believe they can do it. For instance, I am a founder; I am just one woman and about thirty men in my company. So I believe that nurturing and most women don’t have contact and access to jobs. Also, women should always have Podcasts and Twitter spaces programs where the conversation can continue, and women will become important in the web3 ecosystem.

Why Is The Population Of Women In The Web3 Ecosystem Largely Low?

Bolarinwa

So, it concerns the popular mentality that tech is for men. And the fact that women are coming to the space is breaking the status quo. People believe it is more of the men thing which dictates the trend and therefore means that women should not join the space but move on. I believe that would change. If we have less than thirteen percent for now, in a few years, it will grow more with time.

Do You Think That There Is A Challenge Of Sentiment And Preference When It Comes To Investments?

Myrtle

It is a full-packed question. But basically, one needs to ask herself what one wants as a founder. The question is do you want to do this? Fundraising is not just about money. A relationship is also significant in this case. That is why LinkedIn is essential. Every woman needs to reach out to people and show that you have the right product. No one will see you if you don’t show what you have.

An example is my company; someone asks me why I am a founder. I should be a CMO. This was a question from an investor. I moved on and left the investor and still got support. So women must understand that their self-esteem is essential. They must believe that their project is good and people will support them.

Sonny

Myrtle brought up a point. I call myself the CMO of the exchange and a co-founder. People recognize the CMO more than the co-founder. But I have moved on. Now leading a dominated male environment. I am not a tech person, but I can speak the tech language. I have been told I am better as a CMO than a co-founder.

I have moved on and turned a deaf ear to words like that. So women must attend webinars, conferences, learn, and more. All of these would improve your self-esteem, and it would be fine. So as a woman, whatever you want to do, believe in yourself

How Can A Woman Deliberately Build Self-confidence In The Ecosystem?

Rebekah

This is a question I can speak from personal experience because I had a huge career change a couple of years. I was a competitive tennis player for 20 years before venturing into the space. I was a tennis player and even became a coach to the extent of becoming the number one under-thirty coach in America. Tennis was all I had and my life.

Unfortunately, I had a bur out and started online courses. I started learning how to be a good marketer and about Blockchain and Cryptocurrency. So in 2019, I started building a project with a life partner and business person. So my past life as a tennis player affected my current career, which had resilience, discipline, and more. So it is the same Rebekah, the tennis player who is now a leader in Switzerland.

Furthermore, I learn daily, read, and acquire more, so when I do this, my workers will not be biased against me. Because they see that I am who I am and dogged towards a better version of myself. I am currently doing my MBA and plan on attending another degree program, which no doubt means other people would follow suit.

How Do You Think Women Looking Forward To Attaining Leadership Positions Prepare Themselves To Make An Impact?

Myrtle

So here I saw a quote that opened my eyes. Always talk to yourself. In our socials, we are more with a few females in Block tides. So it is important always to read. One may need to be more technical, but reading and asking questions are important. Be curious to know so that information can reach you. So I used to tell women not to always depend on Artificial Intelligence. So it is excellent for women to better themselves every day.

Meanwhile, it is a step-by-step. I fund women’s projects so that they can get what they desire. In the last seven years, I have witnessed a lot, so for every woman in a leadership position, you will need to improve yourself, and then it will touch those under you.

Regarding funding for women, we have different campaigns and venture capital. We have small startups to help women. So you might check that by following me on my handles. However, the event aims to solve solutions and problems.

Is There A Need For More Mentorship Programs For Women In The Ecosystem?

Bolarinwa

Before I answer the question. Let me chip into what Myrtle said. It is a people management space. This means you should be able to manage people such that they see your project as the best.

Now to the question. As I said, mentorship and community have a huge role to play. Also, women must be versatile, explore different methodologies, and get to the high ranking level in web3.

How Can Women Create a Balance Between Family And Business?

Sonny,

I have two children and a family; before that, I traveled a lot as a BD person in my former company. You must inform your family about what you are doing to balance everything. This means that communication is key in all of these. So women can communicate and balance the relationship between the families. Also, always speak up about your challenges by contacting family, friends, and more. Also, you need to prioritize your need and what you do.

What Advice Would You Give On Networking For Women?

Myrtle

In all industries, sales are important. And how you speak to people and the like is important. So branding is essential, so I had to join professional bodies that would help boost brands. So I learn a lot from coaches who are into branding because branding helps to sell a product. So I get branding coaches to listen to them and block any negativity.

So it takes a lot of effort. Aesthetics, Branding, and Marketing help to have good networking because branding exposes and helps build the trust of a product. The three mentioned earlier are Aesthetics, Branding, and Marketing. Also, ignore negative comments on social media and focus on positive vibes.

Conclusion

ZenithChain will launch its accelerated program called Zenith Venture for web3 founders, who are building products in the ecosystem. We would be supporting them in various ramifications, from technical support to funding, legal, and more.

The program is a lifetime opportunity for builders who want to join Zenithchain. However, we have a long list of people who want to be part, and there are still limited spaces. So kindly follow us on our social media handles. Meanwhile, thank you all for attending this event. We hope to catch at the top.