Tag: women in technology

Around the blockchain with Karen Cohen

YBFBlockchain Australia Deputy Chair and ETT Founder Karen Cohen Ep.29

19 June 2021 No Comments

Karen Cohen is the Deputy Chair for Blockchain Australia and is also the founder of Emerging Tech Talent, an Australian HR company specialising in finding HR solutions for businesses in the Emerging Technology sector.

Karen and I chat about her introduction to the crypto space back in 2017, her work with Blockchain Australia. We also chat about all the exciting things she is doing with her company Emerging Tech Talent as well as her recent appointment as the Algorand Community Champion.

Women in Emerging Tech - Robots Future

Women in Emerging Tech: Are Robots going to take our jobs in the future?

1 April 2021 No Comments

WIET – Women in Emerging Tech talk to a panel of experts Moderated and MC Karen Cohen including speakers Amy-Rose Goodey, Dr Jane Thomason and Dr Scott Bolland on the subject of Are Robots going to take our jobs in the future?

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Why We Need Women On The Block

1 April 2021 No Comments

Karen Cohen, CEO Blockconsulting Group

Blockchain technology is revolutionising the IT industry with its trusted and permissioned approach to data verification and storage. However, the industry is still perceived not to be attractive for women.

Perhaps the answer comes from the industry’s origins, Bitcoin. Ten years ago, when Bitcoin was created, it was put forward as a solution to remove intermediaries such as banks and government from financial transactions.

Bitcoin is famed for ‘banking the unbanked’, by allowing people to download an app to their smart phones enabling instant crypto trading

By 2017 there were over 11.5 million active crypto wallets[i]. However,the technology behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, while brilliant, is still not user-friendly and until it becomes safer and simpler, we’re not going to see mainstream adoption.

Last year female cryptocurrency buyers accounted for only 8% of the total market. Although this was an increase 5% the year before, it is an indication that women will continue to shy away from things that are hard-to-use. We’re a minority at Crypto Meetups as the movement is still dominated by male techno geeks that love to talk about buying, selling and using cryptocurrency.

Rosa Thompson, co-founder of Women in Blockchain Melbourne talks about why the movement started “Walking into a Cryptocurrency Meetup can be daunting, for both men and women, it’s like speaking a whole new language, which is why we created Women in Blockchain (WIB) meetups. A place for women to learn about the technology and not feel afraid to ask questions.”

Blockchain start-ups create new opportunities for more traditional jobs such as finance, operations, and marketing. But in general, the start up community is still male dominated, with male founders currently representing 77% of Australian Start ups.

As Blockchain is one of the fastest growing emerging technologies it is imperative to even the playing field for women. We must focus on including women advisors at all levels from the Board, right throughout the organisation.

Over the last two years, we’ve seen the rise of some prominent female founders in Blockchain technology here in Australia such as Dr Jemma Green from Powerledger, Katrina Donaghy from Civic Ledger, Ruth Hatherley from Moneycatcha, Emma Weston from Agridigital and Leanne Kemp from Everledger. Sophie Gilder from CBA has also led the charge on some largescale global blockchain projects.

Women in Blockchain meetings give us an opportunity to speak with some of these leaders and to demystify technology for women who would otherwise not hear about these projects.

In her Forbes Magazine article, Dr Jemma Green stated “In crypto and blockchain less than nine percent of the current community are female and the number of female programmers in this space is even less.

Having more women in leadership positions in technology companies gives other women something more relatable to strive for. When women feel supported, and are willing to help one another, incredible things can happen.”

For women to get involved in a Blockchain Career, a quick search on SEEK.com shows that there are currently opportunities in technical development and programming, legal, project management and account management.

To upgrade your skills the Blockchain Collective have recently started the first Advanced Diploma in Applied Blockchain which can help you gain formal business qualifications. You can enrol at http://bccollective.io

If you want to volunteer your time, there are some great start ups looking for female talent and advisors. You can go along to a start up pitch night or Women in Blockchain event and offer your services, it is a warm and welcoming community.

Women in Blockchain operates in Australia in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane however we’re part of a global network of “Women on the Block”. Created in NYC by Alexandra Levin and Cissy Ma to promote empowerment of women to ensure diversity and inclusion in blockchain technology.

“Globally events like Women on the Block (WOB) continue to lead the way. Women are elevated, educated and encouraged to be involved in the emerging and disruptive blockchain industry.” Katrina Donaghy, Co- Founder and Co-CEO of Civic Ledger .

“It’s vitally important that women, and by communication default, their children, families and networks, are included in learning conversations around Blockchain technology, as its implications in and impact on our planet’s future, are phenomenal.’ Abheeti Kathryn Pass, Women in Blockchain Perth organiser and co-founder of Crypto Clothesline Podcast.https://www.cryptoclothesline.com

[i]https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/centres/alternative-finance/downloads/2017-global-cryptocurrency-benchmarking-study.pdf

[i]https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemmagreen/2018/10/10/we-need-more-female-programmers-in-blockchain/#6c977dba7215

[i] https://www.finder.com.au/startup-muster-report-2018

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Women in Cryptocurrency: How to overcome the barriers-to-entry

9 March 2021 No Comments
Marissa Hayden
9 March 2021
 
By Independent Reserve
 
The reason why there are fewer women investing in crypto is multifaceted, with many barriers to entry closely overlapping and thus making it difficult to point out any one issue that can be easily addressed.
 
We spoke to two women in the crypto space to get their thoughts on why the community seems to be dominated by men and how they are trying to overcome this.

What barriers to entry are there for female cryptocurrency investors?
 
It would be remiss to not state the obvious. When you search for crypto related videos, blogs or discussions on Twitter, you can instantly see that the discussion is dominated by men.
 
As Karen Cohen, Deputy Chair of Blockchain Australia, noted “We are what we see, if we don’t put women at the front of our advertising and promotions and include them in events and panels, women will continue to feel that they aren’t part of the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry.”
 
 
There’s a perception of crypto being a man’s world
 
“We know that interest in Bitcoin initially emerged from communities that have traditionally had a high concentration of men, such as programmers and cryptographers. However, digital assets are truly multidisciplinary,” said Chloe White, Nation Blockchain Roadmap Lead at the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.
 
“The subject matter spans finance and computer science along with law and the social sciences, and it increasingly attracts a broad range of individuals including humanitarians, futurists, educators and even artists.”
 
“Sharing the work of female leaders and innovators is a great way to show that the industry is full of talented women. For example – Elizabeth Stark, Caitlin Long and Lyn Alden are all incredible trailblazers helping to push the global industry forward, by tackling technology development, policy innovation and investment analysis, respectively.” Chloe White added.
 
Could the risks associated with crypto deter female investors?
 
The perceived association with risk is expressed by both men and women. However, according to Pew Research “More men than women use the internet for some less predictable and even more risky transactions, such as doing auctions or trading stocks.” Naturally, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency would be perceived even riskier because of the industry’s infancy and well-reported price fluctuations.
 
It is reflected in our own user base. While we, at the Independent Reserve, do not collect gender details of our customers – our customer support team that deals with new registrations have confirmed more men registering as customers than women.
 
 
But, things are changing
 
We will see more women joining the crypto ecosystem. There are three reasons why:
 
  1. We’re already seeing increasingly more women joining our exchange. Using Google Analytics data, the ratio between men and women is closing, moreover, women are converting at a higher rate than men.
  2. It’s still early days for the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, in our opinion. So, if we continue to progress through the lifecycle of technology adoption the closing of the gender gap will likely occur.
  3. The face of the crypto community, be it online or offline is changing. We’re seeing more women heading companies and community initiatives in the crypto space. This will inevitably encourage more women into the space.

What actions can the community take to encourage more female investors?

 
Advice from Chloe White:
Men often ask me why more women aren’t interested in Bitcoin and digital assets. I tend to ask them this question in response: who first told you about Bitcoin, and in your daily life, who do you find yourself discussing crypto with? Answers often reveal that men tend to raise this subject matter with other men, far more than they do with women, and I believe that this tendency makes a significant difference to the gender balance at community meetups, in online forums, and to the shape of the industry as a whole.
 
I have always had an interest in finance, but if it weren’t for a few men in my life who encouraged me to dig deeper into the strange world of “magic internet money,” I doubt that I would have ended up developing such a strong passion for what I do. So, if you would like to see more women enter the space, start at home. Talk to your partners, friends, family and work colleagues. Bring them along to the meetups and show them the technology. The onus is on all of us – not just women – to be conscious about who we choose to share our knowledge with.
 
Advice from Karen Cohen
We need to make new people welcome, invite them to meetups, encourage them to ask questions without making them feel “stupid”. Mentor more women and the older generation help them buy and sell their first crypto.
 
Women in Blockchain run regular inclusive meetups to build more women in the space and to make space for introductory questions and answers. We invite all males and females to attend our events and learn more.
 
The Crypto Community
 
It can be intimidating for some women to participate in male-dominated industries or communities, such as cryptocurrency. While there’s an increasing number of events aimed specifically at women and introducing them to cryptocurrency and blockchain space – most may not be aware of them or may find it difficult to attend.
 
If you are interested in attending a women’s cryptocurrency event, check out these meetup groups held in different cities across Australia: