Miami women determined to overcome gender bias in technology

Laura Rodríguez, NFT collector and Web3 disseminator, calls for more regulations for this space.

Courtesy

Laura Rodriguez

Broadening the field

As the next internet generation offers promising innovations, Miami leaders push for equity and inclusion in the tech sector.

When Lulu de la Peña described the world of Web3, the words “inclusive,” “respect” and “everyone is welcome” came up.

“Women on Web3 are highly respected. They are heard more than in other spaces. And people always support you,” said the 20-year-old programmer from Miami, who will represent Generation Z, the digital natives, at the MiamiWeb3 Summit, being held at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami Nov. 28-30.

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She knows more women want to make inroads to experience the third generation of the internet, which offers multiple opportunities with cryptocurrencies, video games that give tokens as rewards, NFT platforms that allow you to buy and sell digital art, and digital spaces to learn about new technology and get a better job.

At her young age, the business and artificial intelligence student at Babson College, who also works as a Web3 project manager at Islands startup, has witnessed a shift towards more female participation in technology.

Gender and racial diversity and inclusion in Miami’s burgeoning tech sector remain a work in progress. City, county and local education leaders recognize the challenge and have launched a number of programs aimed at giving all corners of Miami-Dade a chance to capitalize on and participate in the growing tech hub here.

“When I took my first coding class at age 15, they were all men. And two years later, half were men and half were women,” she recalled.

Lulu de la Pena, 20, a Babson College student, will talk about her experience with Web3 as a woman and member of Generation Z at the MiamiWeb3 Summit Nov. 28-30. Courtesy Lulu de la Peña

Even so, on Web3 there is still more of a male presence, but she “has never felt the difference,” said De la Peña, who will speak about women’s participation in it on a Miami Web3 conference panel with technology investor Kyle Ellicott, chief of operations at Fundamental Labs and one of the conference organizers.

“Miami is the place where there is a greater presence of women in the technological space and on the internet,” said De la Peña, adding that in conferences such as eMerge Americas and many events dealing with bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, there is a strong female representation, which is only comparable to what she has seen in California.

If the second generation of the internet is dominated by large companies like Google and Facebook, Web3 is the territory of the digital economy and the possibilities to grow and learn about new technology vital for emerging countries, disadvantaged communities and minorities.

“Web3 is an industry in which the gender, the background, the place where you are, don’t matter. If you want to evolve, if you want to be a part of it, there’s a place for you,” said Ellicott, highlighting the possibilities that NFTs (non-fungible tokens) opened for artists, who can monetize their talent while keeping control of their careers.

Colombian entrepreneur Laura Rodríguez is founder of The Miami Ape, a company that creates digital communities. She will be part of a panel on NFTs at Miami Web3 Summit. Courtesy of Miami Ape

Laura Rodríguez, one of the Latin American leaders in the Web3 space and NFT collector, said that it is a medium in which you do not need to be a programmer or a system engineer or an expert in finance.

“You just have to be willing, curious and dedicate time to educate yourself because new businesses will emerge from there,” said Rodríguez, founder of The Miami Ape, a Miami company that creates online content and digital communities, which brings together more than 43,000 followers on Twitter Spaces.

The Colombian entrepreneur raised in Miami is one of the spokespeople for the Bored Ape Yacht Club, which has the collection of one of the most sought-after NFTs, the Bored Apes.

Wishing to reduce the danger of fraud, Rodríguez called for more regulations on Web3, which will be a key topic of the MiamiWeb3 conference, especially in the wake of the debacle of Sam Bankman-Fried and his FTX empire, which cast a long shadow on other cryptocurrency firms.

“There must be strict laws. If someone sold a product and didn’t deliver on the promises of benefits, there must be consequences,” said Rodríguez, who will participate on the conference panel Evolution on NFT, Going Beyond the Hype.

Although women’s position in the technology industry has improved, the situation is far from ideal.

“Web3 is a very new technology with a very old-school problem: not enough women,” read a banner on the website of Web3 Equity, a group created by Michelle Abbs, which in March launched a collection of NFTs inspired by Julia Tuttle, the founder of Miami.

“Women are underrepresented in tech. Less than 3% of venture capital funding goes to women. It’s a jarring stat, but it’s the result of years of institutional bias in that world, which has historically been male-dominated. Right now, the Web3 community is nascent. There’s still time to build a bit of a template for the way things are done. If we have more women in the market, and if men understand how to be allies, we can build this in an equitable way so we don’t have to combat bias later on,” Abbs said in an interview with South Florida Business Journal.

The businesswoman said that at this moment in which Web3 is in an incipient stage, a strategy must be created to increase the participation and benefits of women.

The entrepreneurs and professionals who make up The GirlsTables collective, who introduce themselves on Twitter with this statement, “We got tired of trying to get a seat at the table, so we decided to make our own,” don’t give up, either.

Don’t miss out to connect with like-minded Women in Web3

Women’s Brunch
November 29th at 11AM ET
Miami, Florida (location sent upon acceptance)

Space is limited so make sure to RSVPhttps://t.co/x3Bf2Oe78p

— TheGirlsTable (@TheGirlsTable) November 7, 2022

They plan to meet at a brunch to do a women’s networking on Web3 on Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. Those who want to participate have to register at a link that they shared on their Twitter profile @TheGirlsTable in order to be sent to the place where they will meet.

Silvina Moschini, one of the most powerful female voices in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, acknowledged that although “acceptance in general has advanced, women in the fields of technology and finance are still asked for more credentials than men.”

As the president and co-founder of Unicoin, a next-generation cryptocurrency backed by a global investment fund, Moschini is concerned by figures indicating that only 26% of cryptocurrency owners in the United States are women, according to a Gemini report.

Silvina Moschini is president and co-founder of Unicoin and executive producer of the reality TV show ‘Unicorn Hunters.’

In fact, a recent survey confirmed that less than 5% of crypto company founders are women and less than 10% of crypto fund partners are females. Furthermore, only 2 out of 10 leadership positions in the cryptocurrency industry are held by women.

Moschini, who is also executive producer of the reality show “Unicorn Hunters,” which is looking for entrepreneurial talent, is inspired by a Japanese word to counter any negative comments that question her ability.

“Kuyashii refers to the energy that is obtained from those who doubt us and then it is transformed into motivation for success. If they tell you that you don’t have what it takes to achieve your goal, or that you won’t receive the support you need, turn this into an inspiration to do your best and get what you want,” said Moschini, whose unicoin has already sold more than $200 million.

With almost three decades of experience helping Latino entrepreneurs, Liliam López, president of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, advised women not to remain silent.

“There is still a long way to go, especially in the world of technology. You don’t have to be offended or upset, but you have to talk about it, because if you don’t say it, people will think it’s fine,” López said.

MiamiWeb3 Summit takes place from Nov. 28-30 at the InterContinental Miami

Sarah Moreno cubre temas de negocios, entretenimiento y tendencias en el sur de la Florida. Se graduó de la Universidad de La Habana y de Florida International University.