MLG at the Women On The Block Event in New York City
According to the New York Times, some studies estimate that women account for only four to six percent of blockchain investors. There is no better time than the present to create the space necessary for female entrepreneurs and blockchain experts in this burgeoning new industry. With this in mind, Alexandra Levin Kramer and Cindy Chin organized the first Women on the Block (WOTB) event on May 13th, 2018 — Mother’s Day, no less — to bring together all-female speakers, panelists and audience members.
Over three hundred attendees, including MLG representatives, gathered at the Williamsburg Hotel in New York to hear from female thought leaders in the blockchain community, and the contributions and innovations spearheaded by women globally. Below we’ve highlighted the top three speakers from the event.
Perianne Boring, the Founder and President of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, spoke on closing the gap between blockchain technology and cryptocurrency adoption. The Chamber of Digital Commerce is a trade association and not-for-profit organization that promotes the acceptance and use of digital assets and blockchain technology.
By acting as a bridge between industries and government, the Chamber is fostering a regulatory environment for crypto adoption while promoting jobs, innovation and investment. It now contains 175 member companies and recently announced the Token Alliance, an initiative focused on creating a dedicated and thorough resource for conversations surrounding ICOs.
Ten countries from around the world were represented at the event, and arriving from Greece was keynote speaker Eva Kaili, a European Parliament Member and the Chair of its Technology Options Assessment body.
Her speech focused on the opportunities and challenges facing Europe’s governing body as they look towards cryptocurrency and blockchain adoption. Kaili wants to see a world “with less transaction cost, less frictions in the exchange of value, more efficient markets and public sectors, better funding for innovative start-ups through ICOs, and adoption of virtual currencies in the international payments system.”
Kaili applauded the fact that women are taking on leadership roles in many facets of the industry, including legal research, diplomacy and open source projects. Cryptocurrencies, she said, are popularizing conversations women have been having for years about financial access and control.
“Women have a better understanding and different priorities with this technology. We believe, with these tools, you can have a strong influence on the future.”
Promoting diversity is a conversation sweeping across many industries, and the blockchain landscape is no exception. Alexandra Levin Kramer, the founding chair of the Blockchain Technology & Digital Currency group at CKR Law, and the Chief Diversity Officer for the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA), is passionate about encouraging inclusion,
“I am committed to ensuring that the nascent and innovative blockchain industry does not inherit the historic biased and discriminatory practices present in many other industries.”
Levin Kramer is currently working on a blockchain ‘bootcamp’ for female startups, and has launched her own blockchain startup, Womin.io, a “decentralized employment marketplace powered by the blockchain platform for employers and female freelancers.”
The Women on the Block event was an invigorating example of the push for gender equity in the blockchain industry, a cause that our team at MLG strongly supports. We’re excited to see where these female innovators lead the industry. For more event recaps and updates, stay up-to-date with our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
