From innovative entrepreneurs to those educating others about the power of digital assets, women have been shaping the blockchain industry since day one.
Today, on International Women’s Day, we shed the spotlight on some of the inspiring women behind projects that continuously drive crypto forward.
Lindsay X. Lin is a Harvard Law Graduate, now a Partner & Counsel at Dragonfly Capital. Lin’s role in the blockchain industry heavily centres around understanding the ever-changing regulatory landscape. Today, we delve deeper into Lindsay’s work and what made cryptocurrency so fascinating to her.
Would you use 1-2 paragraphs to describe your background and experience in the crypto space?
I started out my career in crypto as the first lawyer at Stellar Development Foundation, the organization that develops the Stellar protocol. There, I advised on product, partnerships, marketing, and operations, and helped the org chart out a legal & regulatory strategy. I then joined Dragonfly Capital as a partner and head of US legal. I lead our deal financings and support portfolio companies by providing them operational and regulatory strategy insights. At both Stellar Development Foundation and Dragonfly Capital, I’ve also been actively engaged in Blockchain Association, an advocacy organization that educates policymakers on cryptocurrency innovation.
What sparked your interest in cryptocurrency?
The math. I was a math major in college and have a deep love for applied math. Though I’ve known about bitcoin since college, I didn’t investigate it in depth until 2016 when my nerd friend group would not stop talking about Ethereum. One afternoon, I printed out the Bitcoin and Ethereum white papers and spent hours and hours analyzing the theory and the mechanisms. I was hooked by the mathematical elegance of Bitcoin and Ethereum’s cryptographic underpinnings.
Would you share some of your stories or experiences in the crypto space that would inspire women who're working hard in the industry today?
Given its rapid growth, cryptocurrency is a highly meritocratic space: if you produce great code, great design, great advice, high quality opportunities will flock to you. My experience in the space has been exceedingly positive: I’ve felt included and valued in crypto much more so than BigLaw or finance.
What are your career goals and how are you working to achieve them?
My current goal is to help Dragonfly’s portfolio companies succeed and to contribute to the creation of good US crypto policy. My longer term goal is to research and teach on the fascinating ethics, economics, legal, and societal philosophy questions presented by crypto and blockchain.
If you are to give some advice to young women who’re starting to build a career in the crypto space, what would you say?
The best way to learn crypto is not to pour over research articles or to get some “Certified Bitcoin Professional” designation – it’s to just do the thing. This space does not gate who can participate – anyone can dive right in and participate in governance, use DeFi protocols, share thoughts on Twitter, buy NFTs, start a DAO, and more. You can do it under your real name or a pseudonymous identity. You can get started today. If you’re a complete newbie, I’d recommend opening an account on Coinbase and watching their educational videos.
Any trends or insights around the crypto development you would like to share?
A flood of top tier talent is entering the industry and contributing to exciting DeFi protocols, NFT projects, DAOs, centralized exchanges and custody solutions, layer 1s, scaling solutions, and infrastructure projects. It’s hard to predict what the future holds -- a lot of critical factors are at play: global law & regulation, technical breakthroughs, the practicality of game theory hypotheses, institutional adoption, and more. But following the talent generally tends to be a winning strategy.
To stay up to date with Lindsay, follow her on Twitter.