#TechTalk: Women in blockchain are making waves

Women in tech are making waves

GITSG grabs a coffee with Yuree Hong, founder of SheBlockchainersAsia

Yuree is a deep tech and blockchain enthusiast, who has been featured on Forbes and CNBC. Born in South Korea, she is the founder of Ampliv, a deep tech communications consultancy and SHE Blockchainers, the inaugural women in blockchain initiative in Asia, both of which came to inception in 2017. Yuree humbly shares her great passion for blockchain and introduces it as the future of decentralised network and alternative financing methodologies. So what drove her passion for Blockchain?  And how does she keep her technology skills relevant?

How did you find your passion in technology?

The technology adoption cycle is getting shorter and shorter every moment. The regulations in each country of the world will be a focal issue in the next few years, and I believe this will accelerate the steep curve of growth for blockchain in the technology adoption cycle in the next few years.

Prior to becoming a tech CEO, she spent over ten years of working experience in technology startups, Korean Telecom and agencies where she was the brains of digital marketing. Yuree enjoys working with people with diverse tech backgrounds when she lived in Australia, the UK and Asia. More recently this year, she was nominated as Women in IT Award 2019 Finalist for Diversity Initiatives & Woman of the Year in Singapore.

What made you decide to pursue Blockchain?

I began to study blockchain technology in 2017, attending seminars and events to gain knowledge from experts in the blockchain industry. During a blockchain seminar, I looked around and realized that I was the only lady at the blockchain event of about a hundred people! I decided to start SHE Blockchainers Asia about two years ago, with the aim to gather and educate like-minded people, share blockchain with others, especially ladies who are new to this technology.

My strategy is to gather a panel of female technology speakers for monthly seminars, and invite more females at blockchain seminars. The aim is to create more awareness on blockchain and share benefits of using blockchain with women. Slowly, our events started to grow and we organised meetups and collaborated with blockchain, tech and finance conferences worldwide. Our collective community grew more than 2,000 (Facebook 900+, Meetup 500+, Newsletter 600+), primarily based in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, US, and Europe.

“I want to challenge the perception that there are few qualified women in the blockchain space.

About the role of women in blockchain space…

“Partnerships and unification among all women working in the blockchain industry is vastly important. ”

      

How do you keep your technology skills relevant?

I read a lot especially on my topics of interest like blockchain and cryptocurrency. Two years in blockchain is like 20 years in the real world. In an era where technology is ever changing, it is important that we stay relevant. Right now, I am most dedicated to Blockchain tech research and tokenisation consulting. My advice to aspiring tech ladies would be to read, learn and practice!

“The blockchain and cryptocurrency industry showed vigorous growth in the past 1-2 years. It is important that we stay relevant.”

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced?

At present, the industries involving blockchain technology attract more males than females; finance, deep tech etc. The blockchain and crypto space needs a more inclusive environment if we want to make the new technology achieve mass adoption and bring about revolutionary change. This could be delivered by not only numerous surveys and research studies but also practices in real businesses.

I set up SHE Blockchainers Asia, with the aim of bridging the gender diversity gap by contributing to the inclusive environment development. Many blockchain events draw fewer number of the women participation, however, we usually have at least 30 to 40 percent of the female attendees at our events so far. I also launched www.ampliv.io that is a multimedia knowledge sharing platform that offers an easy access to complicated information in the deep tech and finance industry. Together, we analyse how deep tech involving blockchain and cryptocurrency will change life in the future via creative mass communication.

 “The blockchain and cryptocurrency industry needs more female participation to support diversification in development of ideas and it will be integral to the growth of the industry.”

What would you recommend to other aspiring (women) blockchainers?
  • Find the right motivation. Put your goals on paper and work towards it. I set out to learn more about technology and that helped me to find my passion in blockchain. Surround yourself with people who are interested on the same technology and can motivate you.
  • Don’t be afraid to start. Everyone has to start somewhere. Your knowledge is yours to build, don’t shy away from networking opportunities. Meet new people, discuss latest technology and share new ideas.
  • Keep on learning. I constantly keep myself up to date with what is happening in the industry by reading, watching YouTube tutorials, speaking to like-minded people. I seize every opportunity to learn and that helped me to find my passion in blockchain. Knowledge sharing is a proven way to learn. It is so important to keep learning so don’t stop!

“Collective work is required when it comes to a higher level of technology development though, as it requires the sharing of ideas from the minds of many people of various backgrounds.”

Have questions or looking for advice? Reach out!

Do you have any questions for Yuree or the Girls in Tech team about blockchain, new technologies or otherwise? Feel free to post your question in the comment below or send them to [email protected]. You can register and find future Meetups organised by SHEBlockchainersAsia below.

https://sheblockchainers.asia/about/


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