International Women’s Day 2024 Spotlight: SomehCrypto
You are popularly known as Someh Crypto. How did you get the name?
My godmother gave me Someh then my friends added the Crypto, so together - SomehCrypto.
Interesting! What do you do? Give us a brief introduction.
I am a full Web3 maxi. I started out doing Forex, then I got into Crypto as a day trader, and then I entered the Web3 space. Now I am currently leveraging on Web3 technology to build an educational marketplace called Felbeth.
You have a lot of working experience in the Crypto/Web3 space. How did you start?
I used to be a social media sensation so a lot of people knew me for just my typical lifestyle content. However, when I got into Crypto, I was able to merge my audience, and top Crypto brands started reaching out to me.
Most people call X (formerly known as Twitter) the social media hub of Crypto, but I didn’t even have an account yet. I was just the girl on Instagram talking about Crypto opportunities in Africa for Africans.
I came into the Web3 space from trading Crypto, then I started working in Binance and after Binance, I have contributed to building other projects in the ecosystem. I am a two-time founder - founder of Felbeth and a cofounder of nftng. I have done a lot. I just love the Web3 space.
What is something you wish you knew when you were starting out?
Hmm, this is a deep question. I will just say I wish I had learnt to use technology first rather than the trading aspect.
Most people focus on Crypto/Blockchain just for the money making or payments aspect while ignoring the technology aspect. I know because I used to be like that. Coming into the Web3 building space and realising there was technology there that could power amazing software and improve accessibility was a game changer for me.
You have had a stellar career path. Can you share a success story or milestone that means a lot to you?
I will always say my time working in Binance. Binance reaching out to work with me in 2022 gave me a lot of validation and set me on this amazing career path.
You are currently the founder of Felbeth. What is the idea behind Felbeth? And who is Felbeth for?
Felbeth started in 2021 as a community where I shared tips and encouraged peer-to-peer learning. Then we discovered we could do more, and people wanted a full platform so we decided to launch an edtech platform with courses to help people get into Web3. I have worked alongside many Web3 companies and I know there is great potential for careers in Web3 beyond trading.
We are currently scaling to our 2.0 platform, where we will focus on raising talent in Web3 and by Q4 or Q1 2025, we will be launching a talent marketplace. It will be like an upwork for Web3, where we connect job seekers to people who are looking to hire.
Felbeth Academy
Upwork for Web3 is a solid selling point, especially as Web3 is steadily building out Web3 versions of what you have in Web2.
From healthcare to real estate platforms, and now Felbeth for the educational aspect. There is so much being built on Web3, so in your opinion, what do you think the next step of Web3 should be?
I always say even in the bid to build on this amazing Web3 tech; most builders tend to complicate things. You have to build what people need and can use in their daily lives.
For us to achieve mainstream adoption, Web3 has to be seen as normal tech. Web3 tech has to get to the point where it is simple enough for the regular everyday person to use. Things that people can actually use in their day-to-day lives is what will bring full Web3 adoption.
Rosemary Kasiobi Nwadike
It’s 2024; what is one practical thing the Web3 and Crypto ecosystem needs to start doing to encourage more women to enter and thrive in that space?
The two themes for this year - inspire inclusion and invest in women to accelerate progress. When we talk about inspiring inclusion, it is something as simple as adding more women to tech/Web3 conference panels or inviting more women to hackathons.
I know how hard it was to come in and thrive in the Crypto and Web3 space. The barriers to break are very high and most women get burnt out trying to break them. It is why I deeply believe in sisterhood because when you see your fellow woman doing something, it sends a message to your brain that you can do it, too.
We need more inclusive activities and investment in female founders. If you count how many female founders we have in Web3, we are not up to 20.
Under 10% of women get funding in the world generally. Under 5% are black women. Narrow it down to African women in Africa, its 0.5%, then African women founders in Web3? It's probably 0.005%
There are women doing work in Web3, but they barely get spotlighted. For 2024 and beyond, I want to see more investment in women and women-led projects.
I agree with the point you made about sisterhood and it just occurred to me that a way to bring in more women is to do a referral system. For instance, a requirement for joining a Web3 boot camp or organisation is that you have to refer another woman to join.
Yeah, I have had a lot of girls and women tell me they joined the Crypto space because they saw my Instagram page. Also, there’s this erroneous belief that girls/women who “look feminine” don’t do Crypto or are not startup founders.
That's a key point. Too many people hold the belief that women have to "sacrifice their femininity" to be taken seriously in the tech space.
Sometimes, honestly, it affects how you are treated if you are a woman who dresses in the “typical feminine” way. There was a period I would only wear t T-shirt, trousers and sneakers everywhere.
One day, my friends asked me, “Someh what's going on are you okay? What is all this? ”. That was the point where it dawned on me that I didn't need to give up things like dressing up and doing my hair to be a serious Web3 person or founder.
There is a lot of nuance to it indeed. Who are some women in the Crypto/Web3 space doing great work that you think more people should pay attention to and support?
Deborah Ojengbede, the founder of AFEN Blockchain Network. Linda Obi, the founder of Afrihealth. Those two women are doing amazing work.
To round up, we’d love for you to give us 3 tips: one tip about trading Crypto, one personal finance tip and one career tip.
Crypto trading tip - Do your own research. Always. That is a non-negotiable part of trading.
Personal finance tip - Manage your risk as seriously as possible.
Career tip - Network. You can't do it on your own. You need networking and access.
I know I said 3 tips, but it's Women’s Month,, so would you be so kind as to give us one last tip for women alone?
For women, i would say use your voice. Being silent about your work doesn't cut it anymore. Use your voices to network and build your brand and career. If you don't talk, nobody will know what you are doing!
Thank you so much for talking to us, Someh, and Happy International Women’s Day!
Same to you, and thank you for having me.
Connect with Somehcrypto on Linkedin, X/Twitter and Instagram.
