Business, NFTs

Foxies NFT Series Launches to Bring Blockchain Education to Women Comments Off on Foxies NFT Series Launches to Bring Blockchain Education to Women 402

Founded by serial tech entrepreneur and blockchain consultant Adryenn Ashley, Foxies.art launched last month with a lofty goal: to educate one million women and girls on blockchain technology. 

It’s an important mission – women need to be involved in new technologies to bridge the gender wealth gap. According to NextAdvisor, compared to men, around half as many women are investing in crypto and even fewer — a meager 4-6% — are occupying jobs in the space. 

“The early days of an industry are often when the fortunes are made — and those big winners typically influence the direction the industry goes in the future, from whom to invest in to what to build next,” says NextAdvisor writer Alex Gailey. “So now is the time for women to make their mark on the crypto industry and its future, and their absence now could diminish their influence — and benefits — in the long run, experts say.” 

The project, which features original artworks by Amanda Beaton ,resembles a new-age Pokemon game. For .1 ETH each, people can purchase and collect Foxies with different levels of rarity. Down the road, Ashley plans to launch a Foxies “breeding” program for holders of two or more Foxies to mint new original NFTs. Each newly bred Foxie will kick off a scholarship for a deserving recipient. 

“Showing women that they can bring their passions to new technologies and create space and wealth for themselves in emerging areas has been the journey of my career,” says Ashley. “NFTs are a digestible entry-point into the blockchain and I’m excited to see the impact that we can have with this program.”

Foxies.art is fiscally sponsored by Ashley’s non-profit, the Digital Legacy Foundation.

To participate, visit Foxies.art.

(Disclosure: as the founder of The Block Talk, making the technology sector accessible for women and other marginalized groups is one of my goals. While I do not benefit financially from foxies.art, I have agreed to offer pro bono communications consulting and media partnership to help them realize their vision.)

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Tina Mulqueen is the founder of The Block Talk and the CEO of Kindred PR. She consults with blockchain projects on marketing and public relations strategy, helping clients to secure more than $10M in funding. She is a 2x Top 100 Women in Media honoree and was named one of the top young communications professionals by INC Magazine. She's an advocate for women in technology, and often speaks about the intersection of technology, media & marketing. She writes regularly for Entrepreneur, and has written for Forbes, Huffington Post, Today, Thrive Global, Elite Daily, New York Lifestyles Magazine, and more.

How a Thief Stole More Than $1M in NFTs on Instagram Comments Off on How a Thief Stole More Than $1M in NFTs on Instagram 455

A common use case for the blockchain is reducing fraud. Shouldn’t that mean it’s impervious to hackers? Not necessarily. Here’s how a hacker was able to amass more than $1 million in stolen Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs.

For any of us that have received a nefarious link in our emails or on social media that encourages us to input private information, we’re already familiar with the logistics of phishing. A hacker sends us a link, usually under the guise of a brand or person we recognize, and asks for personal details like usernames, passwords, or bank details that aid them in assuming our identity or assets. 

It’s precisely what happened in the case of the Bored Ape Yacht Club hack which was announced on Twitter Monday morning. 

A hacker was able to take charge of the official Bored Ape Yacht Club Instagram profile, and sent a communication to followers claiming to be offering an “airdrop,” which is a term used to describe a free token giveaway. (Note: it’s not clear at this time how the hacker was able to login to the official Instagram, in the first place.)

Users were asked to link their wallet to benefit from the airdrop, which made their mobile wallet susceptible to the hacker and resulted in the transfer of multiple NFTs, presumably including four Bored Apes and a number of other NFTs minted by the Bored Apes creators, Yuga Labs.

The hack illuminates a glaring problem in the NFT market. Namely, MetaMask, the popular wallet application, only supports NFT display on mobile which is less user-friendly than the platform’s browser extension leading to mistaken transaction approvals.

What’s the solution for NFT holders? “MetaMask with Ledger,” according to Adryenn Ashley. “NFT holders need a wallet that gives them the ease of MetaMask with the security of hardware.”

The hack is a reminder that even though the blockchain has the potential to overcome fraud, users still need to be mindful of third party applications that manage their data. 

Serial Entrepreneur Lisa Carmen Wang Launches the Bad Bitch Empire Comments Off on Serial Entrepreneur Lisa Carmen Wang Launches the Bad Bitch Empire 646

While cryptocurrency has a notorious reputation for investment volatility, its adoption has marked one of the most significant shifts in wealth of our generation.  Last year, CBS reported that as many as 100,000 people may have amassed millions in bitcoin with many profiting from early adoption of the high profile cryptocurrency. When you zoom into where the wealth is distributed, though, the data is alarming. 

Recently, Entrepreneur published a list of The 50 Richest People in Crypto. On the list are individuals that made fortunes as shrewd investors and early technology adopters, but there’s one person that stands out. From this list of men from various parts of the world, Blythe Masters is the only woman listed reflecting a broader problem: women are consistently underrepresented in new technology sectors and the blockchain is no exception.

A survey by Pew Research found that more than 40% of men have invested or traded cryptocurrency, compared with only 19% of women. Moreover, half of women in STEM occupations have experienced workplace discrimination, further marginalizing the group from participation in emerging technologies. Fortunately, there are women actively changing the status quo.

As the founder of SheWorx, which was acquired by Republic in 2019, Lisa Carmen Wang made a career amassing resources for female founders and working to change the number of women represented in tech leadership. Now, she’s set her sights on leveling the playing field for women through financial literacy. 

“It wasn’t until I began investing myself that I really began to understand how to grow wealth,” says Wang. “Financial and investment literacy is essential to giving women a seat at the table, particularly when a sector is emerging and rapidly growing. Crypto is having one of those moments, and women need to capitalize on the opportunity in order to create systemic and meaningful change.”

Wang’s Bad Bitch Empire will be a community with a suite of educational and investment products beginning with a podcast about women breaking barriers and building wealth in Web3. According to the website, the “Bad Bitch Empire is the private crypto investment club for ambitious women who want to make our money work for us.”

High profile members include Lindsey Berg, Shannon Snow, Elizabeth Tan, Chi Achebe, Yael Streit, Katia Zaitsev, and Shaun Sager, to name a few. 

The BAD BITCH EMPIRE was unveiled at this year’s  Bitcoin 2022, the largest conference focused on Bitcoin alongside the podcast’s inaugural episodes. For more information or to request to join visit www.thebadbitchempire.com.

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