At Quixxi, we’re all about community. We’re a dedicated team of professionals, but we’re also a family of supportive peers. And like any family, we all have our different attributes, our peculiar quarks, and our individual ambitions.

As we continue to work towards our common goal, we’re eager to share our dreams and personalities with you. Join us every Tuesday for an in-depth Q&A with individual team members, and get to know the people behind the Quixxi name.

Today we’re talking to Caroline Dempsey, Chief Marketing Officer at Quixxi. Beyond her passion for travelling and skiing, Caroline is an advocate for integrating more women into the blockchain/technological space. This week’s Q&A delves into her thoughts and opinions on the emerging crypto industry, and how the industry will benefit from more female minds behind it.

Q: The world of blockchain is exploding, as cryptocurrencies continue to garner interest from people around the world. And although this emerging industry has witnessed a spike in community evangelists, there’s no denying that membership to this growing club is predominantly male. There are several different reasons this reality, but in your opinion, what would you say are some underlying factors contributing to the gender imbalance in the world of crypto?

A: Firstly, blockchain technology is indeed a truly transformative change happening in the industry and we are going to see it’s benefits across a range of sectors. Often people will talk about the hype surrounding new technology, but ultimately it lives or dies based on application and use cases, and these are wide and varied when it comes to blockchain. Cryptocurrencies are a great use case for the exchange of value using blockchain’s distributed ledger technology.

Caroline enjoys hitting the slopes when she’s not at the Quixxi office.

When it comes to the gender imbalance of people involved in both blockchain and specifically cryptocurrencies there are lot of cultural, historical and structural reasons.

We know from various data sources across all industries, building diverse and inclusive workforces drives better bottom line outcomes for businesses and ultimately our communities. The reasons for gender imbalance are complex however, we do know that many of our beliefs are formed as young children, a time where we are exposed to various gender stereotypes. Over the last few years, it has been great to see there has been government focus and business support for driving female student participation in the STEM curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

We need more females to believe at a young age that they are capable of excelling at what have typically been seen as male dominated subjects. We then want to see this transitioning to women studying technological subjects at universities, and seeing these as viable and rewarding careers. It is really about changing cultural perceptions and focusing on education to drive the pipeline.

It stands to reason that with at least 50 percent of purchase decisions made by females, that a diversity in those building the next generation of digital solutions will better represent the needs of the market.

Q: Spinning off from that question, what do you think are the main barriers for women in crypto?

A: When it comes to Crypto, the early adopters were typically people working in the tech industry, which in itself is male dominated. Even with all the traction cryptocurrencies have gained, the data shows that over 90 percent of crypto purchasers are men. If we can drive more women into the tech industry, then we will sequentially see more women as early adopters in the technology space.

Q: What does the future of blockchain and crypto look like to you? How can we fundamentally change the gender dynamics in the crypto world, and why is it important to facilitate this change?

With the World Economic Forum predicating that Blockchain technology will drive around 10 percent of global GDP in the next nine years, it’s clear that blockchain is a truly transformative technology and our team is certainly excited about building blockchain solutions to harness this technology. In looking at cryptocurrencies, it is important to look at the fundamentals — what is the market need or opportunity, what is the value proposition, and what is the long term utility for the token.

When it comes to the gender imbalance, my personal view is that our best shot at addressing the issue is when women and men work together, this is a societal issue not a female issue. As I said previously, education is important in changing cultural norms, attitudes and behaviours. We also need to ensure workplaces are inclusive and that women have a voice in the industry. With that being said, female technology networking groups are an important way for women to build their network and to be inspired by successful female role models who can pave the way.

Caroline also enjoys travelling to new and exciting places.

Q:What advice do you have for women entering crypto?

If you are a female interested in cryptocurrencies, you can subscribe to blockchain and crypto newsletters, do lots of reading — and (legal disclaimer I am not an investment advisor!) maybe even dip your toe in and buy an initial small amount of cryptocurrencies to watch and learn what is happening in the market.

Q: Tell us about your relationship with the Quixxi project. Specifically, how do you see the Quixxi Marketplace addressing the gender imbalance in crypto?

At Quixxi, we already provide developers with leading security and analytics services and we are evolving our platform to include a collaborative platform for blockchain services. This evolution will enable developers to quickly access latest technologies, including blockchain, to ensure they remain competitive in the changing technological landscape.

As the Chief Marketing Officer, my role at Quixxi is to work with our team to ensure we understand what the development community needs, and in turn drive and promote the value of the services we provide. It was a great testament to the whole Quixxi team when we recently won the “Best Mobile Security Product or Service” at the annual Internet and Mobile Association of India awards, and were invited as one of ten global finalists to attend the recent ICOscars at Blockshow Asia in Singapore.

We have a number of talented females in our business across Australia, India, Italy, and the USA, including a strong representation in the Quixxi development team. This diversity can help us to ensure we have greater diversity in our thinking, and in turn can better understand and represent the needs of the whole market.

About Quixxi

Quixxi provides a security solution for app developers and is currently developing blockchain capabilities to add to it’s marketplace of services, via the Quixxi Token Distribution Event (TDE). Register to find out about pre-sale bonuses by joining the Quixxi newsletter. Stay in touch by following Quixxi on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Lastly, keep an eye out for updates on our TDE, and by joining our Telegram, Reddit, and BitcoinTalk community channels.

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