Web3, the next generation internet, is an exciting new space that creates opportunities for entrepreneurs in various industries. While the field is still somewhat male-dominated, several influential female entrepreneurs have significant influence in the Web3 space.
Here are fifteen influential women entrepreneurs in Web3 to celebrate this International Women’s Day – along with their contributions and achievements.
Nicole Muniz
Nicole Muniz is an entrepreneur and CEO of Yuga Labs, the creator of the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club nonfungible token (NFT) collection. She has a background in advertising and marketing, worked as a producer at J. Walter Thompson and managed accounts at B-Reel, including Google.
Muniz is known for her creative marketing and brand strategy expertise, which has helped Yuga Labs grow and become a leading player in the NFT space. Her work in Web3 has been influential in shaping the future of blockchain-based digital art and collectibles.
Elizabeth Stark
Elizabeth Stark is the co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs, a company developing a protocol for fast and scalable Bitcoin transactions. She is also an advocate for blockchain technology and has been featured in several publications including The New York Times and Forbes. She has presented at venues such as TEDx and the MIT Media Lab.
Stark has also been involved in the development of several other blockchain-related projects. Prior to working in the blockchain industry, Stark taught computer science at Yale, Harvard and Stanford Universities.
Caitlin Long
Caitlin Long is a prominent entrepreneur, lawyer, and blockchain advocate who is known for her work in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. She is the founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, a Wyoming-based digital asset bank that aims to provide banking services to the cryptocurrency industry.
Prior to that, Long served as chairman and president of Symbiont, the smart contract platform specializing in smart securities. She also held various positions on Wall Street, including general manager at Morgan Stanley and head of corporate strategy at Credit Suisse.
Kathie Wood
Cathie Wood is an American entrepreneur and founder of ARK Invest, a global asset management firm specializing in disruptive technology companies, including those involved in blockchain and cryptocurrency. Wood is known for her bold investment strategies and forward-thinking approach to disruptive technologies.
Wood won CEO of the Year at the 2021 Markets Choice Awards and is a regular commentator on financial and technology issues.
Cathy Hackl
Cathy Hackl is the founder and chief metaverse officer at Journey, an innovation and design consultancy. Cathy Hackl, a popular futurist, speaker, and augmented reality (AR) advocate, is also a recognized expert in branding and marketing techniques for virtual and augmented reality. Hackl is a regular contributor to Forbes and has been named one of the top 10 tech voices on LinkedIn.
She has worked with several well-known companies such as AT&T, Magic Leap, and Vive. Hackl also co-authored it Marketing New Realities: An Introduction to Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Marketing, Branding and Communications.
hey I
He Yi is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. She was instrumental in Binance’s early growth and contributed to the exchange’s brand development and user growth. She also became the head of Binance Labs in 2022. Yi previously held the position of director of marketing at another cryptocurrency exchange, OKCoin.
She has received recognition for her work in the blockchain sector and in 2019 was included in the Forbes list of Asia’s 30 Under 30. He Yi founded Binance Charity, a non-profit group that uses blockchain technology to support charitable causes worldwide , in addition to her work at Binance.
Brittany Emperor
Brittany Kaiser is a former Cambridge Analytica employee turned whistleblower and a prominent figure on data privacy and political campaigning. She rose to fame while working for Cambridge Analytica, the political consulting firm at the center of the controversial data collection during the 2016 US presidential election. Kaiser became an advocate for data privacy and openness in political campaigns after leaving Cambridge Analytica.
She has spoken at various conferences and events around the world and has testified before the UK Parliament on the Cambridge Analytica controversy. Kaiser founded the Digital Asset Trade Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving data rights and promoting the ethical use of data in the digital age. She is also a co-founder of the Own Your Data Foundation – which advocates for citizens to reclaim their data – and the author of the book Focused: My inside story on Cambridge Analytica and how Trump won.
James Leverton
Jaime Leverton is a Canadian businessman who has held executive positions in several technology companies, including as CEO of Hut 8 Mining and chief operating officer of hyper-scale data center company eStruxture. Leverton founded Hut 8 in 2017. The company provides high performance computing, digital asset mining and miner repair services.
She has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and technology industries, with expertise in strategic planning, business development and operations management.
Lisa Loud
Lisa Loud is a highly experienced entrepreneur and fintech strategist with a proven track record of success at major blockchain and technology companies such as BitMEX, ShapeShift, Apple and PayPal. As co-founder and CEO of Fluidefi, Loud’s extensive experience in technology has fueled her passion for the future of money.
Her analytical perspective, strategic leadership and ability to anticipate industry trends have earned her a place on the Rising Women in Crypto Power List for 2022 – and many more accolades.
Eugenia Kuyda
Eugenia Kuyda is a Russian-born entrepreneur and computer scientist based in the United States. She is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Replika, an artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbot app designed to simulate human conversations. Since 2020, Replika usage has increased by 35%, reaching over 10 million users worldwide by 2022.
Before founding Replika, Kuyda co-founded Luka, a messaging app that used AI to recommend local restaurants and cafes. Her first software, Bribr, which allowed users to covertly track bribery attempts, was built shortly after she worked as a journalist for one of Russia’s leading daily newspapers.
Jinglan Wang
Jinglan Wang is the co-founder and CEO of PlasmaPay, a decentralized financial platform that allows users to buy, sell and store cryptocurrencies. As PlasmaPay’s CEO, Wang focuses on driving the company’s growth and expanding its reach in the global payments market. She has been active in the cryptocurrency sector since 2013, with numerous organizations such as the Blockchain Association of Ukraine recognizing her services to the sector.
Jutta Steiner
Jutta Steiner is a computer scientist and entrepreneur best known for her work in the blockchain industry. She is the co-founder and CEO of Parity Technologies, a blockchain infrastructure company focused on developing software solutions for the Ethereum blockchain. Steiner held several positions at the cybersecurity firm McAfee before starting her career in the blockchain industry. She was also a researcher at the University of Edinburgh.
She has also participated in several open-source software initiatives and is a staunch advocate of decentralized technologies and their potential to revolutionize many industries. Steiner has delivered keynote speeches at various conferences and meetings around the world and is considered a leader in the blockchain industry.
Linda Xi
Linda Xie is the co-founder and CEO of Scalar Capital, a cryptocurrency investment company. She is also a co-founder of CryptoSight, a platform that allows cryptocurrency investors to track and analyze their portfolios. Xie is a well-known name in the cryptocurrency sector and appears in several publications, including Forbes and Fortune.
Swan sits
Swan Sit is a marketing and branding expert who has worked with several companies in the technology and startup space. Swan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. Swan was head of digital marketing at Nike, Revlon and Estée Lauder, where she oversaw teams dedicated to digital transformation.
Sit has also been called “the queen of the clubhouse” by Forbes. She earned this title because she successfully used the audio-based social media app, Clubhouse, to build her personal brand and connect with other professionals in the tech and startup space.
Jamie Schmidt
Jaime Schmidt is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Schmidt’s Naturals, a personal care brand known for its natural and innovative products. Schmidt is also co-founder of Color Capital, an investment fund specializing in Web3 and consumer goods. In 2022, she founded BFF, a decentralized organization that facilitates a growing community of women and non-binary individuals seeking fair access to knowledge, opportunity, and financial rewards in the evolving Web3 landscape.
Within a short span of a month, the community has amassed as many as 14,000 members. Schmidt is a regular contributor to Fast Company and Entrepreneur, and has also been recognized as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs (Goldman Sachs, 2017, 2018) and the PNW Entrepreneur of the Year (Ernst & Young, 2017) — among others.