I studied Korean as my undergraduate major and I didn’t touch math since I was 18 years old.
But now, I’m still leading a group of some of the smartest hackers in the world.
Hi, I’m Hope! I’m homeless, but not hopeless.
Hope travels around the world as the CEO of EximChain,
a blockchain technology start-up eliminating supply chain issues.
If I had been trading with you in the past six years or 10 years, you know that I've been
shipping goods on time and I've been shipping quality goods.
However, the record is only kept between you and me.
Hope’s public blockchain allows everyone to see proof of a transaction,
but makes the details available only to the buyer and seller.
This ensures privacy - but could help small and medium businesses find a lot more customers as well.
The huge potential of blockchain technology is the reason why it’s being called the next internet.
You may not know how it works, but just like the internet, it's going to bring about
serious consumer benefits, like more transparency and more options.
That’s why worldwide spending on blockchain solutions is growing fast.
It’s forecasted to reach $2.1 billion this year, more than double the $945 million spent last year.
Blockchain enthusiasts are so bullish on Hope’s start-up
that she raised $20 million in funding, and turned down millions more.
But it wasn’t an easy journey for this female CEO, particularly in the blockchain space.
Globally, the Unesco Institute for Statistics estimates
that less than 30% of the world’s scientific researchers are women.
In the blockchain space, that statistic falls further.
Women reportedly make up just between four and six percent of people working in blockchain.
I felt, okay, as a woman I don't really want to be treated specially.
I want to get the same opportunity as other guys. However, I was questioned a lot.
I was meeting a very senior guy back in China, who has a lot of influential power in the industry.
So I was pitching him the idea. In the middle of conversation, he suddenly asked my male staff,
"Are you really sure this is what you want to do? She’s a female CEO and she won’t be able to make it."
Hope is one of the speakers at S/HE Blockchainers Asia, a Singapore-based blockchain community,
which invites only female speakers but welcomes everyone to attend.
Its organizer, Yuree Hong, invited Hope personally.
By having female experts to speak about the blockchain topic,
it really inspires other females to get interested in joining the group.
The group has about 500 members, and has chapters in Singapore, Seoul and Ho Chi Minh City.
Unlike most blockchain events, which have really low female turnout,
her events have a 30 to 40% female participation rate.
Yuree wants to grow the community of women in blockchain
and challenge the perception that there are few qualified women in the space.
So initially when, I told people that I’m going to have only female speakers,
people told me it was going to be difficult. But however, I found it not difficult at all.
Blockchain supporters are excited about the technology, not just because it could transform the global economy,
but also because of its potential to transform society through greater transparency and inclusion.
It’s prompting blockchain conferences like this one
and other blockchain groups to partner with communities like S/HE Blockchainers Asia
to make sure that we see more female CEOs in the future of blockchain.
Hi, I’m Xin En. Thanks for watching.
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