SheFi's Tangible Impact
As the digital currency landscape continues to evolve, pioneers such as Maggie Love are at the forefront, leading the way toward financial and career empowerment through innovative educational platforms. Love developed her passion for blockchain technology during her tenure at IBM in 2016 and has transformed SheFi from an idea into a powerful education and advocacy platform that champions inclusivity in frontier industries such as Decentralized Finance (DeFi), and Artificial Intelligence.
My First Exposure to DeFi
I first discovered SheFi during a 2022 DAONYC panel discussion on DAO fundraising led by Maggie Love. Intrigued by the projects that were discussed, I decided to explore further and became deeply connected with SheFi's mission. Participating in Cohort 7 gave me a closer understanding of their three key pillars: Education, Experimentation, and Community.
The SheFi program was a valuable experience for me. The well-designed curriculum provides a solid understanding of DeFi, and the materials are accessible for both beginners and experienced learners. The supportive community fosters connections and creates a motivating environment. It's not just education; SheFi is a transformative learning experience that I genuinely recommend to anyone exploring decentralized finance.
SheFi Summit
Since 2017, SheFi has become a foundation of women's leadership in pioneering industries like Web3 and Artificial Intelligence. This year, they organized their first SheFi Summit, which took place during Women's History Month at ETHDenver. Prior to that, SheFi had already received notable recognition from publications like Mastercard. These features highlight SheFi's increasing influence in the field of financial empowerment, particularly in supporting women and non-binary communities in DeFi through education and practical experience.
Catching up with Love in Paris
SheFi organized its second Summit in Paris during ETHcc — an annual 4-day European Ethereum event focused on technology and community. The event showcased a remarkable lineup of women leaders in Web3. Speakers like Meltem Demirors (CoinShares) discussed the future of Web3 and emphasized the importance of investing in physical and digital spaces while empowering motherhood in the crypto space.
Irene Wu (Layer Zero) provided insights into the Omnichain future, while Christina Beltramini (Lens Protocol) emphasized the value of owning social data and fostering a creator-driven economy using Web3 tools. Viviane Ford (Aleo) brought to light the critical aspect of privacy in Web3. The Summit was just another notch on Love's belt and there's no sign of her slowing down.
Continuing the Journey
This fall, SheFi launched Cohort 9, offering a wide range of DeFi courses — welcoming close to 600 new femme leaders, ready to take on the future. With sponsors like ENS DAO and PayPal, Love plans to continue creating educational content — these courses dive into essential topics such as DAO governance, stablecoins, squad staking, running nodes, zero-knowledge proofs, consumer crypto, and AI.
SheFi's Growing Impact
SheFi members have been hired by companies such as ConsenSys, Ethereum Foundation, and Coinbase; the Supernovas—alumni of SheFi cohorts—regularly excel at hackathons like ETHGlobal NYC, demonstrating the impact of their educational initiatives.
Victories like this highlight the program's effectiveness in empowering individuals with practical skills and knowledge, enabling them to achieve excellence, adapt and build resilience in the ever-changing world of blockchain technology.
Importantly, SheFi builds a community that embraces individuals with diverse levels of expertise, promoting mutual support, inclusive access to events, and creating networking opportunities with professionals in the field.
SheFi has been actively expanding its initiative, connecting with leaders from cities such as Istanbul, Lagos, and San Francisco. The recent Summit held on November 12th during Devconnect in Istanbul, sponsored by prominent entities including PayPal, Zerion, and Ensō, is a testament to SheFi's growing global presence.
Amazing time with an amazing group of women!
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Supporting Public Goods
ENS DAO has endorsed SheFi as a leading Public Goods project in Web3, recognizing its contribution to empowering women and non-binary communities through a comprehensive 13-week educational program. SheFi's commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive blockchain ecosystem makes it a deserving recipient of the DAO's Large Grants program.
Expanding its curriculum to include governance and ENS ecosystem topics, SheFi stands as a testament to the DAO's Public Goods mandate, showcasing educational excellence and a dedication to advancing Ethereum and Web3 communities.
When asked what advice she would have given her younger self..
Love wishes someone had pushed her to ask more questions when she started her career, citing her ego and fear of appearing less intelligent as obstacles that deterred her from seeking information, thus limiting her exploration of new protocols and wise investments. She outlined SheFi's upcoming plans for 2024, including enhancements to the cohort program, global expansion through more SheFi Summits, increased career support for members, and the integration of additional tools to boost community engagement.
About ENS DAO Grants
The Large Grants opportunity from the Public Goods Working Group awards up to 50k USDC to applicable Ethereum or Web3 Public Goods.
This grant aims to provide a pathway for foundational Public Goods in the Ethereum or Web3 ecosystems to request more significant funding from the Public Goods working group. Foundational Public Goods in the context of this grant have exceptional usefulness or an established record of making an impact for users or developers.
To learn more, visit the ENS DAO Forum and make sure to follow ENS DAO for notifications of when the next Large Grants opportunity will begin.
