Bitget Hosted Blockchain4Her Awards at SheFi Summit Opening Ceremony

Cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company Bitget hosted the inaugural Blockchain4Her Awards at the SheFi Summit in Singapore on September 17, 2024. More than 1,000 people from around the world attended the event and more than 100 nominations were made for the awards.

The Blockchain4Her Awards were launched as an initiative to celebrate and encourage women in the blockchain industry. Launched as part of Bitget’s broader Blockchain4Her program, this initiative addresses gender inequality in the blockchain space, where women-led startups receive only a small share of total funding. The awards consist of two main categories: “Rising Women in Blockchain Award” and “Innovative Web3 Female Entrepreneur Award”

Bitget CEO Gracy Chen made a very important speech at the SheFi summit. Expressing Bitget’s commitment to supporting women in the blockchain field, Chen said that with its $10 million Blockchain4Her initiative, Bitget is “taking steps towards empowerment by providing role models, mentoring, networking and targeted support, and that more women can take on leadership roles in the blockchain field.” “We are making sure,” he said.

Bitget announced the three winners of the ‘Emerging Women in Blockchain Award’ category: Alexandra Nicorici, Gesa Schneider and Rebecca Matsumura.

Alexandra Nicorici is the founder and host of the OOO podcast, a popular Web3 marketing podcast that connects marketing professionals with leading founders building innovative communities and products in the industry.

Alexandra Nicorici: “If someone had told me two years ago that I would receive the Web3 Emerging Woman Award, I would not have believed it. Not only was it a boys’ club, but I was struggling hard in an industry that was still very immature. Today, I am so proud of myself and all the amazing women in the industry, rising through the ranks at Web3 and contributing to this amazing industry.” he said. Alexandra’s influence has helped many Web3 and crypto startups grow and build valuable partnerships over the years.

Gesa Schneider is a renowned Devcon scientist at the Ethereum Foundation and an active advocate on The Female Factor, one of the largest global communities for female leaders. During the Blockchain4Her Awards, Gesa said, “It is a great honor to be recognized as a Rising Woman in Blockchain. It makes my work valuable to pioneer Web3 innovations for a sustainable future.” he said.

The third winner was Rebecca Matsumura, who works as a Paralegal at Fenwick & West. For almost a decade, Rebecca has been providing legal guidance to blockchain and financial technology firms, helping them manage compliance in the complex regulatory environment. She is leading the way for a new generation of legal women who want to step into the dynamic legal field of Web3 and crypto. Through this award, Bitget celebrates Matsumura’s transformative contribution to increasing inclusivity and openness in this niche industry.

The Innovative Web3 Female Entrepreneur award was given to Maika Isogawa, co-founder and CEO of Webacy, one of the fastest growing blockchain security suites.

Technology and security have historically been sectors that have been vastly underrepresented by women, and this gap is even more concerning in the Web3 sector. But leaders like Maika are actively inspiring change in this industry. Maika also appeared in the Forbes top 30 under 30 list.

The winners were selected by a four-person jury consisting of Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, Yevheniia Broshevan, co-founder of Hacken, leading venture capitalist Tess Hau, and Maggie Love Wu, founder of SheFi.

The awards are supported by Bitget’s $10 million commitment to promote diversity and inclusion in the industry. The support cycle for Blockchain4Her focuses on Elevating, Empowering, Educating and Adopting women in blockchain. Bitget aims to ensure that women at Web3 have the appropriate resources, opportunities and representation needed to succeed in their roles.

The Blockchain4Her campaign has provided scholarships for educational programs such as SheFi’s 8-week blockchain course, mentorship opportunities, and attendance at key industry events. The overall goal is to create a gender diverse ecosystem where women play a key role in technological advancements and leadership in blockchain. As part of the campaign, Bitget is also launching an alumni group where female entrepreneurs and leaders can exchange ideas and build networks to advance their careers.

After the success of the campaign on SheFi, Bitget is preparing to host various Blockchain4Her events in different regions.