Guest post by Anna Makovnikova, CMO of Platio
Satoshi Nakamoto has published his famous article on the possibility of a peer-to-peer cash network for a decade now. Since then we have seen a huge innovation and creativity throughout the blockchain space. Much of this progress is due to the diversity of companies and individuals working to solve all sorts of different problems.
Because blockchain can realize its potential, we must preserve and extend this diversity.
I have been lucky in my career to have worked with people of all backgrounds and nationalities. Not only has it been personally satisfying, but I have seen how combining different ideas and approaches leads to better products and a deeper understanding of market opportunities.
Diversity within teams works for the benefit of everyone. Marie Wieck, General Manager of IBM Blockchain, states that, "When you get interdisciplinary involvement and skills and people from different backgrounds, this really creates an innovative sandbox."
The strength of diversity
Blockchain businesses are often particularly different in terms of nationality and location.
New technologies, such as online messaging services such as Telegram or Skype, or communication software for professional teams like Slack or Basecamp, have enabled teams to function without everyone being in the same room or in the same country.
Distributed teams can collaborate efficiently and achieve common goals with software and hardware solutions for remote collaboration, such as the Nureva Wall and Span workspace. And thanks to the cryptocurrency, they can all be paid efficiently and quickly, without having to wait for expensive and slow bank transfers.
Although established technology centers like San Francisco are doing an extraordinary job, innovation comes from all over the world. Blockchain is a truly international community and in my daily work I had the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with fascinating and talented people from all continents, as well as traveling to meet them to learn how they are using this new technology to solve local problems.
Platio, for example, is based in London, but we have an international team distributed throughout Europe. Society is proud to promote diversity in terms of gender, age and cultural background. As our founder Vlad Bunin says, "Among all of us, we speak over 10 languages (including various accents of English) .We encourage different thinking and approaches to problem solving, and we believe diversity makes teams, companies, and industries stronger.We are thrilled that 39; the blockchain industry is at the forefront of this trend ".
The blockchain sector has already developed fantastic creative solutions to problems ignored by existing technology. For example, the LGBT token is designed to exploit the economic power of the LGBT + community to promote projects that will help this community achieve equal rights and acceptance worldwide.
It is also a great job in developing countries worldwide to promote financial inclusion, bringing people who have been excluded from traditional banks into the financial system. Banking platforms like Platio allow talented people to participate in the global economy, no matter where they come from.
New and interesting opportunities
A recent survey by Circle suggests that twice as many men as women invest in cryptocurrency. Blockchain projects still lack a huge market.
Last month, our CFO Irina Berkon attended a BlockChain event at Women's Blockchain Week in San Francisco. The discussion stressed that investors put their money in people and companies that "look like them". If the blockchain companies want to reach the widest possible investor base, they must have different teams made up of people from all backgrounds.
The diversity of the team not only brings new ideas and new ways of dealing with problems, but also helps to identify new problems and new markets. When teams are dominated by men, it is not surprising that they generally speak with a male market. Sports stars and rappers are often appointed ambassadors of blockchain projects, chosen to attract the group of young men's key investors. There is nothing wrong with this but it limits the amount of these projects in resonance with the general population. A great example of a gender-based marketing case is the bitcoin-based portfolio startup Abra, whose pace during an episode of Planet of the Apps has impressed the renowned actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow so much that she entered part of the team as a consultant, bringing a whole new audience with her.
Although there is work to be done, it is the merit of the industry that these issues are discussed and that there is a real willingness to do things from the beginning.
As a new technology, we have the ability to set the tone for the future of this sector. We first have the responsibility, the opportunity and the privilege to create a sector that works for everyone. If we all take responsibility for increasing the diversity of our teams, we can solve new problems, in new ways, and advance technology together.
