Representation is powerful. Before I founded Unstoppable Women of Web3, I’d often heard from talented women in tech that they didn’t see a lot of people who looked like them in Web3. Meanwhile, well-meaning conference organizers and executives often tell me they’d love to recruit more women to speak at their events or work on their projects, but that the pool of women working in this space is just too small.

The truth is, women are building incredible things in Web3 and the Metaverse every day. Unstoppable Women of Web3 is on a mission to make Web3 an equally representative space through education, networking, and representation. That’s why earlier this year, we introduced the top Inspirational Women of Web3 and the Metaverse — a resource to recognize the amazing women that are making strides to build the future of the Internet — and committed to releasing this list twice per year. One of my favorite quotes is “if you can see it, you can be it, and these lists of amazing women allow girls and women to see themselves reflected in this incredible industry.

Today, I’m excited to share the second-ever Inspirational Women of Web3 and the Metaverse list — this time including 115 women. In addition, for the first time, in partnership with Miss O Cool Girls, we’re also sharing a list of the top 25 Inspirational Girls of Web3 and the Metaverse.

The kids of today will be the first Web3-native generation. But disparities in tech start young — only a third (31%) of girls in grades 7–12, compared with 49% of boys, say it is important for them to learn computer science, according to research from Gallup. With the Top 25 Inspirational Girls of Web3, we want to celebrate girls who are already building in the Web3 space, and show them that they belong here.

From founders to artists, designers to developers, our Inspirational Women and Girls of Web3 and the Metaverse span the entire field. We sourced nominations from our Unstoppable Women of Web3 community around the world, and it was amazing to see how many women and girls have inspired others — we received over 1,000 nominations.

Hearing what our community had to say about these inspirational people really moved us. In their own words, here are a few of the incredible women and girls being recognized today.

“I’m delighted to be recognized by the Women of Web3 initiative, whose core goals align so closely to what we’re striving to achieve at BFF,” said Brit Morin, co-founder of BFF. “We are on a mission to help more women and non-binary people feel empowered in Web3, and being recognized among so many well-deserved women and girls is validation that what we’ve set out to do is possible.”

“I often refer to myself as one of the Binance ‘OGs’, so it’s important to me that more women and girls have a seat at the table to foster more representation and diversity within crypto,” said He Yi, Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer at Binance. “There’s no cookie-cutter way to navigate this ever-changing landscape — it comes down to the ability to educate and learn from people on the same path as you.”

“As a member of the Unstoppable Domains family, I believe in the vision for Unstoppable Women of Web3 to educate and champion more female builders in Web3,” said Jessica Williams, Head of Brand and Marketing Partnerships at Coinbase. “I’m so thrilled to be recognized and hope that I can inspire more developers and builders to take the plunge into Web3 and the metaverse.”

After tallying all of the votes, the results are in. Drumroll please…

Our Top 115 Inspirational Women of Web3 and the Metaverse are: Full List.

• Adelyn Zhou, Chainlink
• Aleyna Dogan, NFTimes
• Alina Bajars, BitDegree
• Amanda Martinez, ClimateChain/Artemis Climate Partners
• Amna Usman Chaudhry, Oxford Blockchain Foundation, AllStarsWomen DAO, Unicef
• Aneesha Reihana, Honeycomb Web3
• Angelina Russell, Alchemy
• Anina Net, 360Fashion Network
• Anna Stone, eToro
• Annalisa Caballeron, Crypto Mujeres DAO
• Aurore Duhamel, Singapore Airlines
• Avery Akkineni, VaynerX
• Beenish Saeed, Boss Beauties
• Brenda Gentry, Gentry Media
• Brit Morin, BFF
• Caitlin Leksana, Carma Community
• Carly Francis, Atari
• Catherine Corre, Brave
• Cathy Hackl, Journey
• Charlotte Laborde, MoonPay
• Cleve Mesidor, Blockchain Association
• Dajana Eder, wom3n.DAO
• Danielle Davis, Fame Lady Squad
• Denelle Dixon, Stellar Development Foundation
• Diana Perfilieva, Diverge Meta
• Dominika Stobiecka, WorkDAO
• Dr. Ayesha Khanna. Addo
• Dr. Giovanna Graziosi Casimiro, Decentraland
• Dr. Jamilah Merrick, Ethose Inc.
• Dr. Jemma Green, Powerledger
• Elana Dickman, Red Beard Ventures
• Emi Lorincz, Ledger / Crypto Valley Association
• Emily Jorgens, Ramp
• Eowyn Chen, Trust Wallet
• Eva Longoria
• Evin Cheikosman, World Economic Forum
• Fiona Adams, Colexion
• Gianina Skarlett, Crypto Tech Women
• Grace Zhou, Scopely
• Ida Mannoh, Chipper Cash
• Ida Mok, Women in Blockchain Asia
• Imge Su Cetin, Defy Trends
• Jaime Schmidt, BFF
• Jen McGinnis, Crypto.com
• Jess Furman, Blu3 DAO
• Jess Salama, GoodDollar.org
• Jessica Williams, Coinbase
• Jessie Mongeon, Filebase
• Jo Hainsworth, Google Cloud
• Joanna Ng, Galxe
• Julie Bissinger, Pagoda
• Juliette Blake, Miss O Cool Girls
• Katherine Boiciuc, Apocalyptic Apes
• Katleen Evers, Blockchain Game Alliance
• Kelly Cambry, Blue Studios
• Kelly DiGregorio, Polygon
• Keri Kilty, Web3 Summits Women Web3 Miami
• Lady Pheønix, YESUNIVERSE
• Laura Namu, H.E.R. DAO LATAM
• Lindsay Aamodt, Uplandme
• Lisa DeLuca, Unstoppable Domains
• Lucy Hoffman, Carry1st
• Lynne Marlor, Boston Blockchain Association
• Maggie Love, SheFi
• Maira Ab Santos, Unit Network
• Marianne LeCoyte-Grinney, Held Mind
• Martha Sazon, Gcash
• Masha Boone, Rarible
• Megan Kasper, Magnetic
• Megan Murray, ATX DAO
• Michelle Abbs, Web3 Equity
• MJ Ryle, 1:1 Artist
• Monica Talan, CryptoConexión
• Moojan Asghari, Thousand Faces
• Myrtle Anne Ramos, Block Tides
• Namrata (Nami) Baral, Niural, Inc.
• Nancy Beaton, Uphold, Inc.
• Natalia Modenova, DRESSX
• Nelly Cornejo, iExec
• Nette Crisostomo, Block Tides
• Nicole Colwell, PraSaga
• Nilka Subero, Ripio
• Nina Knox, Tokenplace
• Nisa Amoils, Forbes contributor, Web3 Investor
• Olayinka Odeniran, Black Women Blockchain Council (BWBC)
• Olivia Marder, Magic
• Oyinkansola Adebayo, Niyo
• Paige Donner, Frontier DAO
• Paola Moran, Bit2Me
• Paris Hilton, 11:11 Media
• Proud Limpongpan, Zipmex
• Rachel King, Sphynx Brand
• Radica Gordhandas, web3hubs
• Rebecca Orlov, Epic Play Date
• Sairee Chahal, SHEROES
• Sandra Ponce de Leon, More Women in Crypto
• Sandy Carter, Unstoppable Domains
• Sarah Omolew, Maven Marketing & Events, LLC
• Shelley Zalis, The Female Quotient
• Shira Lazar, What’s Trending
• Shn Juay, Storms — iCandy
• Shradha Sharma, YourStory Media
• Stephanie Tramicheck, Lancelot
• Susie Batt, Opera
• Swan Sit, Swan Sit, LLC
• Tammy Yang, Numbers Protocol
• Taylor Manohan, ConsenSys
• Thy-Diep (Yip) Ta, Unit Network
• Tobi Ajala, TeeTech
• Tracey Bowen, H.E.R. DAO
• Tristan Friedman, OpenSea
• Vanessa Schäfer, Female Pleasure Society
• Vriti Saraf, Ed3 DAO
• Yi He, Binance
• Yiwen Li, Alumni Ventures

Our Top 25 Inspirational Girls of Web3 and the Metaverse are: (full list)

• Alessandra Tuneva
• Anastasia NFTart
• Anna Kuss
• Ariah Mier y Terán
• Eirie Mier y Terán
• Ariana Sabatino
• Bethani
• Brooklyn
• Eden G
• Eve
• Gensis
• Maya Creates
• Maya Lee
• Michiko
• Mila Holtzeker Gamili
• Nyla Hayes
• Plynn
• Rainbow Mosho
• Rayka Desiderio
• Rika
• Rosewolf
• Samantha Ouyang
• Sanyu Kalyesubula
• Teresa Melvin
• Valeria
• Yasmeen Suleiman

I’m often asked about utility of an NFT domain. Unstoppable Domains give you an identity for Web3 — but what does that mean in practice? Recently, on a long trip to Asia, I started mulling over all the ways that I could use my Unstoppable Domain.

1. Human Readable Payment Address. With an Unstoppable Domain, you can replace your cryptocurrency addresses with a human readable name. For example, I can use Sandy.NFT to pay for a Lazy Lion NFT, or transfer cryptocurrency by typing in a friend’s domain — much easier to remember than a long, alphanumeric crypto wallet address. You can send bitcoin, Ethereum, and any other crypto without worrying about it going to the wrong address.

2. Encrypted and Private Email. Unstoppable Domains email provides you with a way to send emails while maintaining the privacy of your personal email address. Every Unstoppable Domain comes with a free “@ud.me” address that you connect to your personal email (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) or with Skiff — an end-to-end encrypted inbox. Any email you send will show it came from your UD email, not your personal address. Unstoppable does this by using an email proxy service to exchange messages for your domain’s UD email address.

3. Decentralized Website. You can build your decentralized website using a template or custom design and join the nearly 30,000 websites created by our #UDfam! Through the Unstoppable Domains integration with Brave, creators can build decentralized content with a domain that they fully own and control. Brave uses the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol and peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system. By attaching the website to your NFT domain via the IPFS hash, your website is Unstoppable!

4. Digital Identity. In Web2, your digital identity is fragmented across various networks and platforms. For example, your Facebook account lets you store your information on Facebook, but your content, connections, engagements, and social graph don’t follow you to Twitter, TikTok or anywhere else. Not only does Facebook own “your’’ account and have full control over it but they can modify it, suspend it, and even delete it at a whim. The Web3 Digital Identity from Unstoppable is different. You own it — including all the data and information about you.

5. Readable Leader Board for Gaming. For many gamers, being on the Leaderboard is a true badge of honor. But if no one knows you by your crypto address, how could you claim the crown? That’s why we introduced a feature called reverse resolution, allowing games and Metaverses to display your domain as your gamer tag. For example, we’re working with Snook — the well-loved modernized Snake game — to power their leaderboard, replacing long complicated wallet addresses with more personal gamer tags.

6. Social Media Signaling. Leverage your .NFT or .Crypto or any of the other 8 TLDs for signaling to everyone on social media that you are in the know for web3!

7. Defi Login. With your Unstoppable Domain, you can log in and share profile information like your email or social media status with DeFi apps, giving you control over your personal information. This also allows the application to access information based on your permission, to be used without storing it in their database.

8. Gaming and Metaverse Login. People keep asking when “The Metaverse” will be here, but in many ways it already is. Between massive multiplayer gaming worlds and Metaverses for everything from fashion to education, there are already thriving communities online. Using your Unstoppable domain as a single identity across these online realms will help unify our online presence like never before!

9. Humanity Check. Humanity Check is a verified, yet 100% private, identity layer that you can attach to your own Unstoppable Domain. With Humanity Check, you can prove you’re a unique person to an application, to enrich your experience and collect rewards, all without revealing ANY personal information to that app. This is an optional feature of your domain.

10. Collectible. Imagine being able to buy websites before they were so popular. That’s why some people are buying NFT domains today, but there are also lots of people who just buy them for fun as collectibles. It might be hard to understand if you haven’t tried it for yourself, but getting emotionally connected to your digital items is a real thing!

11. Reputation. With your Unstoppable Domain, you can now showcase a few of your favorite achievements such as what NFTs projects you are involved in, or how many domains you have collected. This gives you the chance to enhance your Web3 identity and share your story with the world.

12. Digital Business Card. Choose a digital identity card to help you share your information in real life. With a few taps, you can download a custom card featuring your NFT Domain, profile picture, and a link to your domain profile (ex: ud.me/sandy.nft) that’s optimized for your lock screen or your watch face. You can easily update your profile picture from the Unstoppable Domains website.

13. Brand. Many people use the brand as a signal for their participation in Web3. Sporting your Unstoppable Domain on Twitter and other social media properties shows that you are in the community that is innovative, progressive and a builder (BUIDL in web3 lingo).

14. Badges. Get rewarded for the contributions and achievements you’ve made along your crypto and Web3 journey with Badges. Unstoppable Domain partners can make custom badges to reward their community, identifying who has helped support them along the way. Were you part of a historical moment in crypto history? Now you can have proof on-chain!

15. Education Credentials. With our partner Bitdegree, we enable users to carry their educational achievements across Web3. Candidates who complete a course will get a badge that signifies their achievement in their Unstoppable Domain profile.

16. Tipping. Working with our partner Coinkit, you can use your Unstoppable Domain to tip and keep all your balances in one place.

And that’s not all, but I wanted to get us started! There is far more to come.

So, what should you do? Own your identity in the digital world. Go and acquire your NFT domain today! Or if you are a partner, reach out to join us in adding value to the Web3, Metaverse and Blockchain Gaming industries and communities.

Unstoppable Domains, the leading digital identity platform, came to Asia for the first time in 2022. Our goal is to provide more local support for our Asia partners in the region. Kicking off our plan, we hired our head of Asia, Nilkanth Iyer. Nilkanth is a leader in the software intelligence space and joined Unstoppable with two decades of experience, having built partnerships in the Asia Pacific market during his last stint as SVP & General Manager for APAC and Middle East at CAST Software.

With nearly 80 percent of the world’s millennials and Gen Z living in Asia, the region is one of the hottest markets in the world for Web3. While most of the deep infrastructure development in the Web3 space is still centered around the US, a lot of Web3 startups in the consumer space are expanding across Asia, building dApps, P2E gaming, metaverses and wallets for the world.

This week, we were privileged to support Asia Crypto Week. Our team had major meetings and keynotes with Singapore Blockchain Gaming Conference, Token 2049, and Digital Asset Summit.

This week has been jam-packed with exciting announcements around how we are adding more utility for our partners and customers. Our updates include a deep relationship with key Asia partners, expanding into top industries, and a focus on diversity and education. Let’s get into it!

Making crypto easier with OKC (OKX Chain)

OKC (OKX Chain) is the chain backed by OKX, the world’s second largest crypto exchange by trading volume and the largest in Asia with over 20 million users. At Token 2049, we announced that we are partnering with OKC to make sending and receiving crypto easier via human-readable domain names.OKC (OKX Chain), the EVM and IBC compatible chain backed by OKX — the world’s second largest crypto exchange by trading volume — announced an integration with us at Token2049. Now, OKX wallet users can send and receive token assets from more than 20 public chains using a human-readable wallet address, like ong.x — making crypto transactions simpler and more intuitive.

Bringing digital identity to artists with Polygon eDAO

Entertainment is one of the fastest-growing industries in the metaverse. Unstoppable Domains partnered with Polygon, a global company with its roots in Asia with a strong presence in the entertainment space, making Unstoppable the premier domain provider for Polygon’s eDAO (Entertainment DAO).

The eDAO is an entertainment-focused DAO, incubated by Polygon, that aims to decentralize, grow and innovate the Polygon community in the fast-growing web3 entertainment space. The NFT domains provided by Unstoppable allow each individual user a decentralized digital identity, helping them contribute to the DAO and carry their reputation and badges across different projects.

Leveraging Web3 technology for networking and educational events

Diversity is an important topic in Asia. With over 51% of the population being women, bringing more women into the tech field is an essential task. This week we partnered with WoW Pixies, an NFT group headquartered in Singapore. They provided an NFT to be used as our NFT ticket partnering with Relic Tickets, bringing the Web3 experience into a Web2 world. The ticket was for the first ever Unstoppable WoW3 event in Singapore. With over 1,000 registrants, our event hosted keynote speaker Ida Ceo and founder of Blockchain Women of Asia, as well as Polygon, Blockfi, and WoW Pixies on a panel of women discussing Web3 use cases.

Expanding access to Web3 education

Finally, we announced our Unstoppable WoW3 education streams in Asia. Since March, we’ve been exploring how learning is done in this space and are announcing streams of education. Upon completion of each level, people can take a quiz to earn a POAP with Unstoppable badge and a free web3 NFT domain. There will be several streams, including Web3, Blockchain, Metaverse, and others. Each will have audio and video sessions, and blog articles. The materials are curated in a conversational way so that it’s easy for people to absorb the information.

We also paid special attention to discussing various Web3 use cases. This way, people will not only hear the stories about different products, but will also get a deep understanding of companies that exist in the market. Learnoverse by Bitdegree, an open learning Metaverse, has partnered with the initiative and donated educational materials to the community. The topics are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of complexity.

In addition, we are partnering with Miss O’Cool Girls for a stream of education on Web3 for young girls. Miss O Cool Girls is a web3 extension of the successful web2 brand Miss O and Friends, an original media and lifestyle brand to empower + build self-esteem for tween girls. Miss O and Friends have been featured on CNN, Teen Vogue, Girl’s Life. We believe the next generation will grow up knowing about Web3, which will make our entire ecosystem stronger. After completing the classes successfully, people will earn a badge that will become part of their Unstoppable Digital Identity. This education will be free to all WoW3 members.

Building unstoppable partnerships in Asia

Last but not least, we would like to celebrate some of our key partners in the Asian ecosystem across Web3 businesses like BingX (a leading Asian exchange), BurgerCities (a gaming metaverse which built a Unstoppable bot to help their gamers choose their NFT Domains), Flurry Finance which leveraged the power of Login with Unstoppable to help their users seamlessly login to their Defi App without having to share any personal data, Math Wallet, a leading multi-chain wallet that leveraged the power of being able to resolve complex crypto addresses to human readable domain names and AMIS’s Qubic Wallet, from the Maicoin Group — a brand recognized by more than 70% of the traders in Taiwan, now is the first Wallet in Asia to bring the powerful dual capabilities of Resolution & Reverse Resolution making digital asset exchange more user friendly and seamless with a single tap.

It’s hard to believe that all of this happened in just the last week, but the reality is we have been working on our entrance to the Asian market for months. We could not be more humbled by the reception we have received, and are thrilled for the road ahead.

We so appreciate all the companies who’ve joined the Unstoppable WoW3 movement!!!

For those of you who don’t know, Unstoppable Women of Web3 (WoW3) is a diversity and education group focusing on training the next generation of talent, with a mission to equalize the playing field early in the Web3 era. All collaborators have pledged to feature work created by historically marginalized groups in at least half of all materials used for Web3 education.

Web3 is about constant learning.

Since I just came back from several conferences, here are some of my recent educational learnings.

1/ Metaverse.

The Metaverse is not a single technology but a convergence of several separate technologies, all of which are quickly maturing for mainstream use. Together, those technologies can create the experience of an immersive, three-dimensional environment in which users interact with their surroundings and other users as if they are in a shared space. I loved diving deep on the tech of IoT, AR, VR and AI. We will be adding in a educational track on the meteverse. And we invite you to join us in our WoW3 Metaverse experience!

2/ Asia is a hot market for Web3.

With 1.1B of the 1.4B millennials and GenZ’s in the world based out of Asia, Asia is one of the hottest markets in the world for adoption of technologies and financial models like P2E, Defi. Experts think it will become the leader in the Web3 technology space.

While much of the deep infrastructure/utility development in the Web3 space is still centered around the US — a lot of Web3 startups in the consumer facing space are mushrooming across Asia, making it one of the test beds for dApps, P2E gaming, metaverses and wallets for the world.

We will be at Token 2049 and be doing our first LIVE WoW3 event in Singapore!! Join us there by registering with this link!

3/ Blockchain gaming is growing.

The worldwide gaming industry, projected to be worth $256.97B by 2025, has been a battleground for web3 and blockchain innovation. With the widespread success of fledgling blockchain games like Gods Unchained (which did $25M in trading volume last year) and Axie Infinity (which had 708k active players last month), there’s no doubt that application of blockchain technologies within gaming, like tokens for in game economies and NFTs for inventory ownership, will play a big role in the next wave of gaming innovation.

4/ Web3 companies are now being asked for their diversity data.

Lawmakers are seeking diversity and inclusion practices of crypto, digital asset companies, asking companies like FTX, OpenSea, Coinbase and more for their statistics. While this has been happening for many years in the Web2 space, now it is gaining in importance in web3 land as well.

“The Committee on Financial Services in the United States House of Representatives has made diversity and inclusion a core pillar of its efforts to ensure that the U.S. financial services system works for everyone,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the 20 organizations. “There is a concerning lack of publicly available data to effectively evaluate the diversity among America’s largest digital assets companies, and the investment companies with significant investments in these companies. We believe transparency is a critical, first step to achieving racial and gender equity. That is why your participation in this snapshot is imperative in our efforts to understand how and whether the industry is working toward a more equitable environment for everyone.”

Along with Waters, the letter was signed by Reps. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), chair of the Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion; Al Green (D-TX), chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations; Bill Foster (D-IL), chair of the Task Force on Artificial Intelligence; and Stephen Lynch (D-MA), chair of the Task Force on Financial Technology.

Read more here: https://financialregnews.com/lawmakers-seek-diversity-and-inclusion-practices-of-crypto-digital-asset-companies/

5/ Digital will drive growth

People spend >50% of their time in front of a screen and less than 1% of assets today are digital. However, all studies show that this will change significantly over the next 5 years. More and more of the things that people own will be digital. One of the first things that we believe will go digital is your name and reputation online.

Conferences are one of the best ways to keep tabs on cutting edge technology and new developments, and I couldn’t be more excited for what Web3 has in store. We’re seeing more and more utility being built around these digital assets, and I think in a few years we’ll be wondering what life was like before Web3. What are you most excited about in this space? Let me know on Twitter at @Sandy_Carter!

It’s hard to believe how many fun meetings you can pack into a week! Spending time in Paris with my Unstoppable team and getting to go to the Metaverse Summit, EthCC, and our own Unstoppable WoW3 event has been an incredible treat.

The trip hasn’t been all fun and games though, so I wanted to share with you my main ten takeaways from my Web3 filled week in Paris.

It’s all about ownership

One of the most popular topics of conversation was ownership in Web3. From data to identity, Web3 is allowing us to take back ownership of our digital lives. We’re just starting to see the implications of this with projects experimenting by rewarding their customers to share their data, instead of buying it directly from Google or Facebook.

Owning your own data and Digital Identity will be seen as a human right.

You’re not too late

With all of the big headlines around Web3, it can feel like you’re already late to the party. However, we’re actually still in the very beginning stages of Web3 and the Metaverse. Use cases are being figured out, and only the earliest of adopters have jumped on board. We are still in the dial up phase of Web3!

Imagine what this space looks like when it’s not 1 million people in a Metaverse, but 100 million or 1 billion. You catch the wave by paddling ahead of it, not by waiting for it to pass you by!

Gaming is coming to Web3

Another one of the main buzzwords was gaming. More than just NFTs, Web3 opens up some interesting possibilities for gaming. Interoperability, or the ability to transfer between one game and another, could help turn isolated games into a thriving Metaverse.

We’re seeing a renewed focus on the gamer — providing them the best and most immersive experience, and Web3 is giving developers more tools to play with.

The Metaverse is heating up

Putting the meta in Metaverse! We met with so many Metaverse companies in Paris. With a variety of focuses from education to gaming, there will be an option for everyone. As someone who has been personally interested in the space for years, it was great to hear about the traction these Metaverses were having.

We’re talking about millions of people exploring these Metaverses, and we’re still just getting started! Imagine if they had integrated login and could use their domain to sign in!

Public sector interest

It’s not only the private sector paying attention to blockchain and Digital Identity. Everyone from cities to countries is taking notice and looking at how their citizens could benefit from these new technologies.

Voting on the blockchain with your Digital Identity? Might not be as far out as people think…

Multi-chain is the future

Another common theme of the trip was all about multi-chain. The days of being all in on a single blockchain are over. A multi-chain future is good for the entire space, and we’re seeing the foundation laid for it now.

The merge is coming

Everyone’s favorite word right now is: merge, merge, merge. For those of you who are wondering what I’m talking about, the merge refers to an Ethereum upgrade planned for later in the year to move from a proof-of-work (PoW) system to proof-of-stake (PoS). In a nutshell, this will reduce the amount of computing power it takes to verify each block.

Zero Knowledge Rollups

These aren’t a new brand of Fruit Rollups! Zero Knowledge Rollups (ZK-rollups) are a way to help make Ethereum transactions much cheaper. Essentially, instead of submitting each transaction to the eth blockchain individually, ZK-rollups allow for 100s of transactions to be combined and verified off-chain before being submitted to the mainnet in one transaction.

This could be a major way to scale up the Ethereum network while reducing costs!

Metaverse Marketing

Marketing in the Metaverse isn’t as easy as copying over what works in real life. Since the space is still so new and there aren’t all the same analytics tools that Web2 is used to, Metaverse marketing is more of an art than a science right now.

The most successful marketers are taking the time to immerse themselves in Web3, spending time interacting with the community to learn what they will respond to, and then implementing their go-to-market strategies.

What bear market?

If you hadn’t told me there was a bear market, I wouldn’t have noticed in Paris! The amount of energy and excitement in the space was palpable, and people are still building away. It was amazing to see so many smart, talented, and dedicated individuals working on the future of Web3.

Au Revoir Paris!

Between all the amazing connections, events, experiences, and food, it will be hard to pull myself away from Paris. I can’t wait to be back, and if you want to keep the conversation about Web3 going, feel free to let me know on Twitter at @Sandy_Carter!

Like the days of Aladdin, I was whisked off on a magic carpet ride to Abu Dhabi — and I wasn’t rugged! I was part of a fifteen-woman delegation for Web3, graciously invited and hosted by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Maven Marketing, and Abu Dhabi Global Market.

From this esteemed group of fifteen women, I learned 10 amazing things about Web3 and the Metaverse.

There are a lot of amazing women in this space

While we are still building up our strength in numbers, the women who are working in Web3 are already incredibly strong on an individual level. This is a new wave of technology, merging community, creators, and commerce, and it is attracting women who want to be trailblazers. This is ultimately how we get even more women into Web3 — by showing that there is a path to success here for all different types of people.

Nothing can escape taxes… not even Web3

Taxes are still a key consideration for businesses and individuals working in the Web3 space. Unlike more established industries, the way different countries and jurisdictions treat Web3 business activity can vary greatly. Depending on where you are, crypto may be treated like a security, currency, or piece of property. In the USA, it’s viewed as a security and treated similar to stocks.

Since this is still such a new space, there is opportunity for forward-thinking governments to adopt their regulations to Web3 in a way that encourages growth while protecting consumers.

Without metrics you can’t measure

Part of running a successful business is being able to track and analyze your metrics. In Web3, we can’t rely on many of the existing tools and frameworks from Web2. On top of figuring out how to properly track Web3 metrics, we’re still figuring out which metrics are the important ones to track. Is it unique holders? How long have they been holding? Collection volume?

They say during a gold rush, the best move is to sell shovels. Whoever can figure out the best way to identify, track and analyze the most important metrics for Web3 will have a nice shovel business on their hands!

There’s no safety net

In the world of Web2, we’ve gotten used to things like customer service, refunds, exchanges, and freezing our credit cards. Companies are so eager for our business that they’re willing to fix any issues.

In Web3, the guardrails are off. There aren’t any consumer protections in place, and even if there were, how do you bring an anonymous or DAO-run project to court? While rug-pulls and scams are common, they represent a fraction of the activity in the space. Still, it’s important to understand that there are no do-overs on the blockchain.

Going from Web2 to Web3

Many Web2 businesses have been around long enough to remember the Web1 days, or they even displaced those dinosaurs themselves. They don’t want to see themselves taken out by the Web3 comet so are instead looking at ways to adapt to the changing times.

In addition, we discussed how many Web2 companies are taking the old cloud approach. Taking exactly what they had in Web2, over to Web3’s blockchain without any redesign or architecture changes.

The three main ways Web2 companies are adapting are through partnerships, acquisitions, or building new divisions.

Community or tech: chicken or the egg

A successful Web3 project stands on two main pillars: a strong community, and great technology. When you’re just starting out though, it can be hard to have the budget or bandwidth to go after both at the same time. Should you build up your community first and then figure out how to best deliver the technology, or should you build the tech and attract a community around that?

Whichever way you start, the most important foundation for building a Web3 project is having a solid network in the space. Lots of people here are more than willing to offer their advice and expertise if you ask for it!

To DAO or not to DAO?

Can a business run by consensus be as efficient as one with a CEO in charge? If your Web3 company isn’t run by a DAO, is it really a Web3 company?

These were just a few of the questions we debated during our trip. There are certainly tradeoffs on both sides, and it’s too early to say which model will win out.

The one thing we were sure about is that there would be various types of successful new models born in Web3.

Ethics in the Metaverse

We’re already seeing things like police forces in the Metaverse and questions about what constitutes a virtual crime. It’s clear that the law will take some time to catch up to the technology, so it is on us as creators to think about the ethics of the world we want to build online. For example, in AI we had to think through which algorithms would win out in a crash for autonomous vehicles. In Web3 and the Metaverse, who is thinking through things like crime in the metaverse?

The immutable, decentralized nature of the blockchain makes questions around privacy and security even more difficult, but these are important things to figure out in laying the foundation for Web3.

Importance of Digital Identity

Our lives are becoming more and more digital. It is wild to think about how recently things like computers, the internet, and smartphones were invented.

As we spend more time focused on our digital lives, how we identify ourselves online becomes even more important. Having full autonomy over our Digital Identities will eventually be seen as a fundamental human right.

We’ll look back on the days of sharing every shred of data about our Digital Identities with companies for free and wonder what we were doing!

Education is Critical

The first step in the Web3 revolution is education. It is still such a small space with so little history that many people have trouble even getting started. There aren’t a lot of in-depth educational resources out there because we haven’t been around long enough.

The people already here though are more than happy to welcome newbies to the space, and that’s how we can get the momentum going.

One of the best parts about this trip was all of the brainstorming sessions and discussions we had. That doesn’t mean we always left with everyone in perfect agreement. There are lots of challenges for Web3, and the answers aren’t always clear, but I’m excited to keep working on them!

A — All taxation matters

B — Both community and technology matter.

U — Uplifting education

D — DAO models of governance and which will be most profitable

H — How you define your metrics drives you

A — Amazing Women and Diversity Matters

B — Building Web3

I — Importance of Digital Identity

Proving that our mission of bringing more women into Web3 is global and unstoppable, I am writing this month’s blog from Abu Dhabi, UAE! I have been here for the last week as part of a 15-woman delegation, graciously hosted by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Maven and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)t. I thank them all for the experience of a lifetime.

Abu Dhabi flows with sand dunes, soft winds, and amazingly talented people. The mission of this trip is to help figure out how to get more Middle Eastern women involved in Web3, and the ADIO, ADGM and Maven invited an amazing group of diverse women to take part in this conference. We have been treated to an array of cultural experiences, informative talks, and insightful brainstorming sessions. Enough teasing… let’s dive into the fun!

Welcome to Abu Dhabi

From the very start, I could tell this would be a special trip. After getting to know the other women and our hosts a bit, we kicked off a deep dive into the Web3 ecosystem in the Middle East and Abu Dhabi specifically. The DG of Economic Affairs, His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, was kind enough to lend his time and educate us on how Abu Dhabi is working to enable Web3 growth and to be a leader in the space.

Women are a key part of the economic landscape in the UAE, occupying 66% of jobs in the public sector– one of the highest proportions worldwide. Access Abu Dhabi is one of many efforts to support female leadership and entrepreneurship. More than 200 nationalities call Abu Dhabi home, making it a dynamic melting pot.

Next up we had a session with the ADIO where we were able to get incredible insight around their outlook, investment strategy, and vision for Web3. One of the things I didn’t know was how aggressive the tax benefits were for companies and individuals looking to build Web3 from Abu Dhabi. The local government, Maven, ADGM and ADIO are serious about making this the capital of Web3 in the Middle East, and I think they have the strategy to make it happen.

After a day full of information, we had a fun evening to unwind. We rode not only dune buggies (called dune bashing) but also camels! We even had the chance to experience the ancient art of falconry, up close and personal. To wrap up an awesome day, we had a traditional Arabic meal out in the desert, complete with dancing entertainment.

Exploring Abu Dhabi

I woke up knowing that day one would be very hard to top but also excited to see what our hosts had in store for us. For a change of scenery, we went over to the stunning Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) where we had a tour and some more presentations.

The first presentation was from the ADGM, and it was interesting to learn about their founding, mission, and operation abilities as an international finance center. It actually operates under its own jurisdiction by UAE Federal Decree, allowing it to entirely focus on its mission “to promote economic and financial sector growth.”

We then had several presentations from local blockchain and Web3 companies like Starbridge Cap, Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners, and Mid Chain who I call the Coinbase of the Middle East. Exciting things happen when you have a lot of smart people working in the same space, in the same area, plus the added benefit of government incentives with minimal red tape. While this was my first trip to the ADGM, based on the partnerships we made and the developments I see happening there, I doubt it will be my last!

After we were done with work, we were treated to a tour of the Grand Mosque, which was just stunning. I was so happy to share that experience with our amazing women of Web3. Then we went on a trip to the Louvre. No we didn’t go to Paris (although with the hospitality we experienced, it wouldn’t have been too far out of the question). The name rights were actually purchased for a period of 50 years, and it shares a strong connection with the one in Paris.

Seminars and Stars

The next day was packed with more great information. We had seminars on artificial intelligence from the local AI University, taxes from an IRS expert, gaming and more. Abu Dhabi is serious about enabling Web3 and crypto to flourish, and it’s really encouraging to see the network of key parts and players they have developed. We even learned that the Bank of Abu Dhabi is looking at new ways to work with crypto.

That covers the seminar portion. So what about the stars… would Tyra Banks and His Excellency Mohammed Ali count? I think so! We had a fireside chat with them about Tyra’s new ice cream line which she was launching in Abu Dhabi. On top of it just being ice cream, Tyra has created a whole new, future-focused brand around it. She is incorporating a metaverse angle into her ice-cream empire, and will also be dropping some NFTs with it. I can’t wait to see what she is building.

Tomorrow we are heading to Dubai where we will meet with executives from international crypto companies like Polygon and Kraken, and I’m sure there will be some other surprises in store for us.

Lessons Learned

I knew this trip would be amazing, but it has exceeded my expectations. From the gracious hospitality to the incredible women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, there isn’t a thing I would change about it.

On top of making some new friends for life, I’ve been struck by how diverse the women working in Web3 are. Our group of 15 is made up of all sorts of different backgrounds and nationalities, and I’ve come away revitalized about the mission of getting more women in Web3. I’m also more sure than ever that the future of Web3 will be a diverse one.

To help bring that vision to life, we are excited to announce that Unstoppable Domains will be giving a free NFT domain to every woman in Abu Dhabi, over one million domains!

This sort of partnership takes buy-in from leadership on both sides, and we are sure it is just the start of a long relationship.

Have you ever travelled to the Middle East? Would love to read your replies below, or you can find me on Twitter at @sandy_carter!

In real estate, they say the three rules are: location, location, location. You might not think this translates to the digital world, but it does. We’re just talking about a different kind of real estate — the search bar.

Having an easy and clear name for people to type into whatever search bar has become the digital equivalent of prime real estate space. CarInsurance.com sold for a record $49.7 million, so there is clearly some valuable space out there.

While domains in web2 have been tied to standard domain names and social media handles, in web3 there is a new decentralized and portable option to build your digital identity from — the NFT domain.

What is digital identity?

Digital identity is how your business is known online. In the web2 world, that’s a mix of your website, social media presence, and information about your company online.

NFT domains are a new tool for digital identity and the best that has been developed yet. Unlike regular domain names or social media accounts, NFT domains are decentralized and can only be managed by the owner. This means that when a business invests in securing a NFT domain as their digital identity, no third party can unilaterally lock them out or shut it down.

What can you use it for?

Various types of information can be connected to a digital domain, whether it’s different crypto addresses, social media profiles, or other off-chain information. This is how your NFT domain is actually the foundation of your digital identity.

In addition to being able to host a web3 website directly on your NFT domain, you can also integrate it into different web3 dApps. This means you can send and receive crypto payments directly with your NFT domain.

How can you protect it?

The first step to protecting your digital identity is to claim your domain. In the web2 realm, this meant grabbing your website and all the associated social media handles. In web3, the first step is to grab your business’s name and the most popular NFT domain extensions.

Unstoppable Domains has already put a hold on most major names and is happy to work with the trademark owners to implement a comprehensive digital identity strategy. If you see your business’s domains available and want to talk to a team member about protecting them, please reach out.

Building a moat around your digital identity

Depending on your business, you might want to consider building more of a moat around your digital identity. This means instead of just securing one name and a few extensions, your business would acquire all of the related extensions and variations on the spelling. Let’s look at three moat options going with an example business called “Donuts.”

As your business gets larger, the moat you’ll want to create around your digital identity will also get larger. The costs of losing part of your audience to a copycat or even worse, a scammer, grows along with your business, so it becomes even more important to protect your digital identity.

At Unstoppable Domains we’re excited to be building a foundational layer of web3 and digital identity, and we’re always looking for more partners to work with! If your project or business could use some help setting up in web3, just let us know.