Notable Women of Crypto
Putting the spotlight on some of the most innovative and influential women in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries
If you have even the smallest bit of experience or exposure to the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries, then you may have noticed that these spaces are predominantly occupied and led by men. Let’s face it, women have always been fighting for basic workplace equality and have had to deal with many obstacles that have unfortunately put them at a statistical disadvantage when it comes to representation in these fields. With that being said, there is definitely a fair share of exemplary women who have gone above and beyond to usher in new heights of achievement for everyone across the world. So, in no particular order, let’s take a look at some of the most impactful women in the crypto and blockchain industries.
Elizabeth Stark
The first person we’ll be discussing is Elizabeth Stark. Stark is the co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs and is also a Fellow at the digital currency policy organization Coin Center. She co-founded Lightning Labs with software developer Olaoluwa Osuntokun in 2016 and remains CEO of the company, which is a major contributor to the development of Lightning, a decentralized network for scalable, instant transactions using smart contract functionality in the blockchain.
In addition to her work as CEO of Lightning Labs and as a Fellow at Coin Center, she was previously an advisor at Comma.ai, a startup building autonomous driving technology, and has advised numerous other decentralized technology and blockchain startups. She was also the founder of StartBitcoin.org, a group of entrepreneurs focused on the future of digital currencies and decentralized technology.
Marie-Antoinette Tichler
Next, we have serial entrepreneur, community advocate, and social technologist Marie-Antoinette Tichler. She has devoted her life to enlightening individuals about their digital legacy and valuing the remarkable influence of technology as a whole. She is currently the founder and CEO of C2Legacy.
C2Legacy is a digital/cryptocurrency asset management platform which utilizes blockchain technology. Tichler took advantage of her background in building and educating underserved youth on technology, to build the C2Legacy platform. Marie-Antoinette is a vocal leader in the crypto space and shares her crypto knowledge, as well as, C2Legacy news and updates to her followers on her Twitter, where you can follow her too!
Cherie Aimée
Cherie Aimée is a Forbes featured brand influencer, near-death survivor, international speaker, & VIP Partner/Contributor for Influencive. Cherie has been a keynote speaker in front of hundreds of world renown medical surgeons and medical professionals as well as spoken to elite entrepreneurs in places such as Indonesia and Italy.
Currently, Aimée serves as the VP of Community Management for ShipChain, a company utilizing blockchain technology to bring transparency to the transportation and logistics industry. In her role at ShipChain, Cherie uses her expertise in digital marketing to grow the brand, leading ShipChain to becoming one of the fastest growing Telegram ICO groups in the industry.
Toni Lane Casserly
One of the most recognizable and prominent names in the cryptocurrency industry, Toni Lane Casserly is the co-founder of the renowned CoinTelegraph. She is known as a blockchain expert, prominent public speaker, and advisor to a number of successful projects including Tether and AidCoin.
Often referred to as the Joan of Arc of blockchain, and the young star of Bitcoin by her peers, Toni utilizes CoinTelegraph as a means to shape the psychological perception of the market and provide financial information from the digital currency world. The amount of influence and impact on the cryptocurrency industry that she has control over cannot be overlooked and should be applauded by anyone seeking to gain exposure to any of these fields. With so many readers, her online publication truly has the opportunity to shape and influence the minds of many through writing.
Kathleen Breitman
Moving forward, let’s meet Kathleen Breitman. Breitman has extensive knowledge in blockchain technology and in 2014 — alongside her husband Arthur Breitman — released the white paper for Tezos. They officially launched the project in October of 2016 and have since earned the backing of major investors such as Tim Draper. She has legitimized herself as one of the leading figures in the cryptocurrency space through her many achievements and accolades.
Today, Kathleen Breitman serves as the CEO of Tezos, a blockchain-based smart contract platform with an on-chain governance mechanism to coordinate and push upgrades to its network. Prior to Tezos, Kathleen was a senior strategy associate for R3, a blockchain consortium of more than 70 financial firms. She has also worked at Accenture, Bridgewater Associates, and the Wall Street Journal.
Tiffany Hayden
Tiffany Hayden is a homeschooling mother, liberty advocate, and fintech enthusiast. Co-founder of Casheer, Inc — a free mobile payment processing platform for merchants and consumers — Tiffany is also a member of Bitcoin GNO, which is an online community for women involved in Bitcoin. Outside of her professional interests, she is also a member of The Michigan Peace and Liberty Coalition.
She currently serves as the Community Manager at Edge Secure, a multi-asset Blockchain wallet. Tiffany discovered Bitcoin in 2012 and saw the many social benefits of it, pushing her to become a member of several Bitcoin educational groups and remain active in the Fintech community. Additionally, she’s consistently ranked as one of the top blockchain influencers by sharing her cryptocurrency knowledge with her many Twitter followers.
Preethi Kasireddy
Here, we have technology leader and enthusiast Preethi Kasireddy. Kasireddy is a software engineer based in San Francisco. She’s an avid learner who taught herself how to code, and is passionate about using software to build useful products for the world. Currently the Founder & CEO at TruStory, Preethi was first introduced to blockchain technology in 2014 during her time at a16z, when they made the investment in Coinbase.
Prior to that, she was a partner at the top venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, an Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs, and studied Systems Engineering at USC.
When she’s not immersed in Machine Learning, Cryptocurrencies, JavaScript, React, or Functional Programming, you can find her giving back to the tech community through writing and teaching.
Arianna Simpson
Arianna Simpson is an investor, speaker, and writer in the crypto-space. Simpson first started investing in Bitcoin around 2013, and is now an active early-stage investor in the crypto and blockchain industry. She is the founder and Managing Director of Autonomous Partners, an investment fund focused on cryptocurrencies and digital assets. She is also a venture partner at Crystal Towers Capital, which she co-founded in 2015.
Today, Simpson speaks about all things technology — particularly Bitcoin — and is also a regular contributor to publications such as CoinDesk and Business Insider. Previously, Simpson was a project manager at BitGo, which makes multi-signature cryptocurrency wallets for enterprises. She also spent a year at Facebook in Global Marketing Solutions and ran sales at online boutique marketplace Shoptiques.
Catheryne Nicholson
As co-founder and CEO of BlockCypher, Catheryne Nicholson has accrued decades of experience in software product management, product marketing, environmental & energy, and defense. Nicholson is an engineer, entrepreneur, mother, and former U.S. Naval Officer who has built large-scale commercial software platforms in education, energy and emissions management, CRM, and defense systems.
Some of the companies that she’s worked with include BlockCypher (which she co-founded), MommaZoo, C3, Siebel Systems, and Northrop-Grumman.
Linda Xie
And last but certainly not least, we have co-founder and Managing Director of crypto investment management company Scalar Capital, Linda Xie. Xie also serves as an advisor to the 0x project, an open protocol for decentralized exchange on the ethereum blockchain. She launched Scalar Capital — a crypto investment management company which specializes in diverse tokens — in September 2017.
Xie is also an advisor to the 0x project, an open protocol for decentralized exchange on the ethereum blockchain. Previously, Xie was based at digital currency platform CoinBase, where she was initially working with regulators and law enforcement on compliance for digital assets. As time progresses, she later became a project manager focused on internal tools. Prior to CoinBase, she was a portfolio risk analyst at insurance company AIG.
Conclusion
The tech industry is lacking a necessary female presence which will bolster the innovation and advancement of countless fields. Each and every single one of these women are contributing to this industry in one way or another, from developers to economists. On a much broader scale, these influencers are also serving as role models for millions of young women across the world who look up to figures that challenge the status quo. As these powerful people continue to impact the world of cryptocurrency, blockchain, and technology as a whole, keep an eye out for them when the next big breakthrough takes place. Who knows, it might even stem from something that they directly worked on or helped to create and influence.
Who are some of your favorite female leaders in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry? Let us know why in the comments!
