Exclusive SheVerified: Vanina Ivanova, Head of Marketing at Neon EVM‬, on Driving Women’s Involvement in Crypto

Vanina Ivanova is a marketing veteran. With almost a decade of experience in crypto, Ivanova now serves as the Head of Marketing at NEON EVM, a network extension that allows Ethereum developers to easily run compatible dApps on Solana.

During her time in the industry, Ivanova saw how women’s participation in the sector has changed over time and in which areas challenges remain. In this interview, she talks about how the crypto industry needs more women in leadership positions, such as engineering and developer relations.

Vanina Ivanova’s Journey in Crypto

Q. How did you enter the crypto sector, and how did you get to where you are today?‬

I‬‭ got‬‭ into‬‭ crypto‬‭ early,‬‭ and‬‭ by‬‭ chance‬‭ –‬‭ back‬‭ in‬‭ 2016,‬‭ my‬‭ team‬‭ and‬‭ I‬‭ were‬‭ working‬‭ on‬‭ a‬‭ video‬‭ streaming‬‭ platform‬‭ that‬‭ we‬‭ wanted‬‭ to‬‭ monetize‬‭ through‬‭ ads,‬‭ and‬‭ traditional‬‭ advertising‬‭ networks‬‭ were‬‭ terrible.‬‭

We‬‭ identified‬‭ their‬‭ biggest‬‭ issue –the‬‭ lack‬‭ of‬‭ transparency‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ advertising‬‭ supply‬‭ chain–‬‭ and‬‭ decided to build our own ad engine‬‭ on‬‭ the‬‭ blockchain‬‭ to‬‭ solve‬‭ this.‬‭ We‬‭ hit‬‭ the‬‭ ground‬‭ running and learned on the go, but we managed to do it.‬

Q. Did you have a female role model you looked up to as you continued to immerse yourself‬‭ in the crypto industry?‬

‭There are many fierce, incredible women in Web3, and it’s sad that so many of them are not in the spotlight but instead grind behind the scenes. I admire them all, known and unknown.‬

Women in Crypto: How Has the Industry Changed?

Q. How‬‭ has‬‭ women’s‬‭ involvement‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ crypto‬‭ sector‬‭ changed‬‭ over‬‭ time‬‭ since‬‭ you‬‭ began‬‭ your‬‭ career,‬‭ specifically‬‭ regarding‬‭ engagement‬‭ with‬‭ crypto‬‭ services‬‭ and‬‭ participation‬‭ in‬ leadership roles?‬‭

In‬‭ the‬‭ beginning,‬‭ there‬‭ would‬‭ be‬‭ the‬‭ occasional‬‭ female‬‭ leader‬‭ here or there, but generally,‬‭ the‬‭ industry‬‭ was‬‭ very‬‭ male-dominated‬‭. I still‬‭ remember‬‭ a‬‭ hackathon‬‭ I‬‭ attended‬‭ in‬‭ San‬‭ Francisco‬‭ in‬ 2017,‬‭ where‬‭ I‬‭ was‬‭ one‬‭ of‬‭ about‬‭ 5‬‭ women‬‭ amongst‬‭ hundreds‬‭ of‬‭ men.‬‭

In‬‭ the‬‭ early‬‭ years,‬‭ the‬‭ majority‬‭ of‬‭ women‬‭ were‬‭ either‬‭ in‬‭ marketing‬‭ or‬‭ operations‬‭ – and‬‭ while‬‭ to‬‭ an‬‭ extent‬‭ that’s‬‭ still‬‭ true‭ today, there are a lot more females in engineering or devrel roles.‬

Q. ‭What‬‭ barriers‬‭ do‬‭ women‬‭ face‬‭ in‬‭ accessing‬‭ the‬‭ crypto‬‭ industry?‬‭ How‬‭ do‬‭ you‬‭ think‬‭ this‬‭ could be mitigated?‬

One‬‭ of‬‭ the‬‭ biggest‬‭ issues‬‭ I‬‭ see‬‭ is‬‭ insufficient‬‭ representation:‬‭ we‬‭ need‬‭ to‬‭ see‬‭ more‬‭ female‬‭ leaders‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ limelight.‬‭ There‬‭ is‬‭ also‬‭ a‬‭ lot‬‭ of‬‭ misogyny‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ space,‬‭ and‬‭ it‬‭ is‬‭ often‬‭ quite‬‭ open‬‭ and‬‭ pointed.‬ 

This‬‭ is‬‭ why‬‭ organizations‬‭ like‬‭ SheFi‬‭ are‬‭ so‬‭ important,‬‭ providing‬‭ education,‬‭ mentorship‬‭ , and‬ support‬‭ to‬‭ women‬‭ who‬‭ want‬‭ to‬‭ jumpstart‬‭ their‬‭ Web3‬‭ careers‬‭ or‬‭ just‬‭ learn‬‭ about‬‭ crypto‬‭ for‬‭ the‬  sake of their financial independence.‬

Q. In what ways does the role of marketing matter in attracting women to the crypto space?‬

Crypto‬‭ is‬‭ complex‬‭ and‬‭ often‬‭ confusing.‬‭ It’s‬‭ the‬‭ crypto‬‭ marketers’‬‭ job‬‭ to‬‭ simplify‬‭ it‬‭ and‬‭ broadcast‬ the‬‭ message‬‭ that‬‭ Web3‬‭ is‬‭ not‬‭ rocket‬‭ science.‬‭ Women‬‭ have‬‭ a‬‭ natural‬‭ tendency‬‭ to‬‭ second-guess‬ themselves,‬‭ and‬‭ this‬‭ is‬‭ why‬‭ it’s‬‭ important‬‭ to‬‭ see‬‭ more‬‭ examples‬‭ that‬‭ make‬‭ them‬‭ think,‬‭ “Wait,‬‭ I‬ can do that too!”

The Evolution of Crypto Marketing

Q. ‭How‬‭ do‬‭ you‬‭ empower‬‭ women’s‬‭ participation‬‭ in‬‭ crypto‬‭ through‬‭ your‬‭ marketing‬ strategies?‬

I’ve‬‭ always‬‭ tried‬‭ to‬‭ make‬‭ crypto‬‭ understandable,‬‭ and‬‭ to‬‭ showcase‬‭ the‬‭ financial‬‭ freedom‬ opportunities‬‭ it‬‭ has‬‭ to‬‭ offer.‬‭ I‬‭ dare‬‭ say‬‭ that‬‭ I‬‭ have‬‭ managed‬‭ to‬‭ create‬‭ a‬‭ group‬‭ of‬‭ amazing‬‭ women‬ in‬‭ crypto‬‭ around‬‭ me,‬‭ and‬‭ we‬‭ act‬‭ as‬‭ each‬‭ others’‬‭ cheerleaders, as well as advocates trying to‬ bring in more women from Web 2.0.‬

Q. ‭You‬‭ just‬‭ started‬‭ your‬‭ role‬‭ as‬‭ Head‬‭ of‬‭ Marketing‬‭ at‬‭ Neon‬‭ EVM.‬‭ What‬‭ are‬‭ you‬‭ looking‬ forward to achieving in this new role?‬

Neon‬‭ EVM‬‭ is‬‭ a‬‭ network‬‭ extension‬‭ that‬‭ allows‬‭ EVM‬‭ developers‬‭ to‬‭ easily‬‭ tap‬‭ into‬‭ Solana’s‬ liquidity‬‭ and‬‭ user‬‭ base.‬‭ Right‬‭ now,‬‭ Solana‬‭ is‬‭ the‬‭ chain‬‭ that‬‭ attracts‬‭ the‬‭ most‬‭ non-crypto‬‭ people‬‭ to‬‭ the‬‭ crypto space.‬‭

Ultimately,‬‭ I‬‭ was‬‭ to‬‭ see‬‭ the‬‭ day‬‭ when‬‭ getting‬‭ onboarded‬‭ to‬‭ a‬‭ dApp‬‭ is‬‭ as‬‭ easy‬‭ as signing up for TikTok.‬

The Challenges Remain

Q. The‬‭ crypto‬‭ sector‬‭ is‬‭ very‬‭ interconnected,‬‭ and‬‭ it‬‭ often‬‭ involves‬‭ traveling‬‭ to‬‭ different‬ countries.‬‭ How‬‭ do‬‭ the‬‭ challenges‬‭ women‬‭ face‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ crypto‬‭ sector,‬‭ and‬‭ more‬‭ broadly‬‭ in‬ finance and technology, vary across different countries you’ve visited?‬

This‬‭ is‬‭ a‬‭ huge‬‭ topic‬‭ , and‬‭ I‬‭ don’t‬‭ think‬‭ I‬‭ can‬‭ answer‬‭ in‬‭ a‬‭ single‬‭ paragraph. Women‬‭ around‬‭ the‬‭ world‬‭ often‬‭ face‬‭ economic,‬‭ political‬‭, and‬‭ even‬‭ cultural‬‭ challenges.‬‭

I‬‭ like‬‭ to‬‭ focus‬‭ on‬‭ the‬‭ issues‬ that‬‭ are‬‭ more‬‭ universal‬‭ and‬‭ , therefore‬‭ , easier‬‭ to‬‭ find‬‭ wider‬‭ support‬‭ –‬‭ like‬‭ misogyny‬‭ and‬‭ discrimination,‬‭ restricted‬‭ access‬‭ to‬‭ education,‬‭ pay‬‭ gaps‬‭ , or‬‭ inadequate‬‭ maternity‬‭ laws‬‭, just‬‭ to‬‭ name‬‭ a‬‭ few.‬‭

If‬‭ we‬‭ started‬‭ solving‬‭ these,‬‭ it‬‭ would be‬‭ much‬‭ easier‬‭ to‬‭ empower‬‭ women‬‭ with‬‭ the‬‭ tools‬‭ they‬‭ need‬‭ to solve local challenges.‬

Q. What advice would you give to women aspiring to leadership positions in the crypto‬ space?‬

Find your voice, and don’t be afraid to be heard.‬ Always ask the “stupid” questions. You’ll be surprised how often the men don’t have the answers‬‭ either.‬‭

Find or build a strong support group of other women in crypto around you.‬‭ Fail fearlessly, then get back on your feet and keep going.‬