Just like in any sector, the crypto industry has influencers that make things happen and also profit from it to boost their wealth. It turns out that many women are among these cryptocurrency innovators, and their roles have significantly helped in advancing the digital assets industry.
Related: Bitcoin Bosses: The Fab 5 Who Rule the Crypto Jungle!
So, who are these women, and what roles do they play in the crypto sector? Relax, and stick with me as we explore some notable names.
7 Most Influential Women in Crypto
The number of women who have made their mark in the crypto world is plenty. But for the sake of this article, I’ll be sticking to just seven names. So, let’s see them below:
Elizabeth Stark
Meet Elizabeth Stark, the crypto queen bee at Lightning Labs. As the co-founder and CEO, she’s on a mission to make Bitcoin transactions move with lightning speed and affordable.
Elizabeth Stark’s been on the crypto scene for over a decade, dedicating her career to boosting decentralized tech and giving power back to the people. She’s the superhero of the blockchain world.
But wait, there’s more! Elizabeth Stark isn’t just Lightning Labs’ fearless leader. She’s also the brains at Coin Center, fighting the good fight for digital currency policies. And if that’s not enough, she’s the wise advisor at Chia, making sure their blockchain protocol is groundbreaking and user-friendly.
Cathie Wood
Up next on our list of decentralized finance (DeFi) influencers is the powerhouse, Cathie Wood. She’s the CEO of Ark Invest, a firm known for managing a bunch of ETFs. And guess what? Bloomberg’s chief editor crowned Cathie Wood the stock-picker extraordinaire! You can call her a stock market sorceress.
Beyond her role in Ark Invest, Wood also inspires women in the asset management. She’s basically telling women that they can be what they want and more in this field and enjoy a fulfilling career.
Emilie Choi
Another notable name among digital asset trailblazers is Emilie Choi, a graduate of Wharton School MBA. Her role? Well, she’s one of the people who call the shots on Coinbase, one of the biggest exchange platforms. Not only that, Choi has participated in several successful fintech funding as an angel investor, someone who gives people money to help start a business, and in return, becomes a part owner of that business.
Before she ventured into Coinbase, though, Emilie Choi was the Vice President of Corporate Development at LinkedIn. During her time, she oversaw over 40 transactions, most of which were strategic investments and noteworthy acquisitions.
Michela Silvestri
The role of Michela Silvestri as one of the leading tokenomics experts cannot be overstated. Tell you what? She’s had a stellar career working with the industry-leading crypto exchanges. As a crypto enthusiast, you must have heard of Binance, right? It turns out that Michela has a top standing there, helping asset managers in traditional finance (TradFi) transition to decentralized finance (DeFi) without stress.
Michela’s been teaming up with loads of traditional investment firms, giving their old-school setups a modern makeover. Plus, she often hosts these cool institutional workshops across Europe, dropping knowledge bombs about the exciting world of blockchain evolution. Let’s call her the professor of finance’s future!
Staci Warden
Speaking of the top smart contract visionaries, Staci Warden is up there among the leading names. She’s the CEO of Algorand Foundation, keeping the gears turning and ensuring the Algorand blockchain network runs like a well-oiled machine. Before taking up her current role, Staci Warden worked at many top institutions. One is Milken Institute, where she was the mastermind behind initiatives in financial inclusion, capital markets, fintech, and cryptocurrencies.
Staci Warden is practically everywhere in the advisory world. From the Board of the Global Blockchain Business Council to providing her wisdom to heavyweights like the UNCDF and Evolution Environmental Asset Management. Did I mention her VIP seat at the Council on Foreign Relations? She’s one of the best advisors ever!
Arianna Simpson
Another prominent name on our list of women in crypto leadership is Arianna Simpson. She’s playing a significant role in making things happen in the crypto space with her solid blockchain knowledge and strategic investments. Ever heard of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a firm that deals with cryptocurrency and blockchain protocols? It turns out that Arianna Simpson is a venture capitalist in the company.
One other thing: before venturing into becoming one of the leading blockchain advocates, Ariana Simpson has worked with top corporations like Facebook and has helped develop multi-signature fintech company BitGo. So you see, she’s not just one of the most successful cryptocurrency investors; she’s more than that.
Galia Benartzi
Smart contract development was Galia Benartzi‘s first career path after graduating college in 2005. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, she co-founded Mytopia, a social gaming gem for smartphones, right after graduating from Dartmouth. However, she decided to join the band of crypto thought leaders after spending over two years analyzing the flaws in the current banking institutions. Smart choice, I guess.
Galia Benartzi isn’t just a spectator in the crypto arena; in 2017, she played a starring role in setting up Bancor, a non-profit foundation all about converting cryptographic tokens. Fast forward to today, and she’s the tech maestro behind the Bancor Protocol, making crypto trading a breeze. And that’s not all: she’s also the CEO and Founder at Particle Code, cooking up some serious innovation with cross-platform solutions and automating software porting for developers.
Final Thoughts
So, I’ve highlighted some of the leading female blockchain pioneers dominating the sector. The truth is that the role of these women in bringing the crypto industry to its current phase cannot be overemphasized.
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They’re playing instrumental roles in bringing changes to the industry, the same way the top men in this field are. Expect to continue encountering these names on your crypto journey because their influence isn’t fading soon.
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