Booking.com’s Entrepreneur of the Year Talks Blockchain and Women in Tech

Reserving.com selected Seema Johnson, the co-founder and COO of blockchain-based funds and ID platform Nuggets, as Entrepreneur of the 12 months within the firm’s Expertise Playmaker Awards on April 9.

The Playmaker Awards have been launched by the worldwide journey firm in 2017 to acknowledge the achievements of girls within the expertise sector.

Cointelegraph spoke to Johnson to debate her work at Nuggets, what the award means to her, and the illustration of women in blockchain.

Seema Johnson named entrepreneur of the 12 months

Johnson expressed satisfaction in having acquired Reserving.com’s award, stating that it signifies recognition for the exhausting work, grit, and willpower she has put into her endeavors over time.

The award’s panel of judges, which included representatives from Fb, Microsoft, Skyscanner, and Reserving.com, described Nuggets as a formidable and “modern software of blockchain and biometrics to remodel on-line safety.”

“I’m significantly proud as these awards have fun the distinctive contributions that ladies all world wide are making to the expertise business,” Seema acknowledged.

Nuggets launches new product in regulatory sandbox

As Nuggets’ COO, Seema directs and manages the operational operating and commercialization of the enterprise, and likewise leads the agency’s fundraising initiatives. Johnson states she is at the moment growing the go-to-market technique for Nuggets’ new “Safe Doc Storage” product. 

“This product creates a repository of private and cost knowledge, storing it securely through the blockchain — and is owned and managed by the end-user,” she states, including that the info can be utilized to entry monetary companies.” 

Nuggets’ Safe Doc Storage is at the moment being examined inside a regulatory sandbox beneath the UK Monetary Conduct Authority.

Regardless of momentum, work nonetheless wanted to even gender divide in tech

Johnson has constructed a administration crew that includes a feminine COO, CRO, and CMO — showcasing the abilities of girls inside the distributed ledger expertise business.

On the query of feminine illustration inside the blockchain and expertise sectors, Seema acknowledged that “there’s particular momentum, nevertheless it’s going to take a while to see a extra balanced taking part in discipline in tech,” including: 

“We’d like extra feminine leaders and function fashions, not solely in blockchain, but in addition within the wider tech business. We have to increase their profile, to encourage women and younger girls to pursue STEM topics as a springboard into these industries. We’d like as many ladies on this business as attainable.“

“I’d like to see extra VC cash made accessible to girls main nice tasks, so extra female-driven startups can succeed,” she provides.

Vital feminine under-representation at managerial stage

Seema states that “the problem of underrepresentation doesn’t lie solely on the govt stage, it begins decrease down the company ladder.” 

“The issue isn’t about getting extra girls in executive-level jobs, it’s about inserting extra girls in managerial roles — which is essential if we’re to broaden the obtainable pool of girls at every authority stage,” states Johnson.

“Dubbed the ‘broken-rung impact’ – a disproportionately low variety of girls occupying managerial roles signifies that there are merely fewer girls to advertise when govt roles turn out to be obtainable. Progress made towards fairness at managerial ranges will inevitably result in an enchancment within the variety of girls in C-suite positions throughout numerous industries.”