This is women’s time to thrive. Each day, web3 and the Metaverse increasingly become a level playing field for women. There’s no need for a fancy university or title; join the movement if you’re curious and willing to jump into a disruptive space.”
Agustin Maria Rodriguez is one of the leading lights of the Metaverse. Working with emerging technologies for more than 20 years, Agustin speaks with authority, knowledge and compassion. He is the Founder and CEO of Way Too Digital, a blue-chip web3 development agency specializing in web3 custom software, blockchain dApps, smart contracts, games and Metaverse experiences for Fortune 500 companies, startups and IP holders.
Agustin helps build dynamic teams of top talent strategists, designers, developers, product managers, Metaverse creative products, blockchain experts, degens, dev ops and testers and recognizes the valuable contribution that women make to his team and this evolving space.
Having worked with exceptional talents such as Gary Vee’s Vayner3, Mila Kunis’ 6th Wall, Toonstar, IOG (Cardano), Pepsi, US Open, Under Armour, Jimmy McNelis’ Nameless, Diego Borgo, and multiple Metaverse startups, Agustin is a highly respected and experienced voice in this growing new world.
Prior to entering the web3 space, Agustin gained extensive experience with a myriad of innovations, including interactive live installations, experiential games, robotics, sensors, motion capture, immersive stereo 3d, computer vision, real-time 3d simulations, PropTech, AgTech, EdTech, healthcare, advertising, retail, FinTech, AI, AR, VR and MR.
“Helping brands overcome the challenges of jumping into web3 the right way is my passion. For this, we invested heavily in incubating our own white-label platform, 3NNOVA. We’re also working on a model for startups where they can leverage our codebase and build on top of that, saving them around $1 million and one year of work”, shares Agustin.
When asked why more women and women-led initiatives in the Metaverse and web3 need to be recognized and celebrated, Agustin asserts that ‘we need to move away from the perception that tech is male dominated and does not provide a platform for women to succeed.’ Instead, he adds, women should be inspired by the female leaders, many of whom are showcased in this book, who are thriving in this space and be motivated to jump in too. ‘That should be the biggest takeaway ever.’
He believes that gender equality in web3 will be achieved through education and outcome. “First, people become conscious about the bias of their choices and then notice that those decisions could limit or negatively affect their performance. No investor will ignore numbers: if they are outperformed by competitors supporting women-led initiatives, then they’ll recalibrate.”
According to Agustin, VC funding is becoming more selective. The switch is gradually taking place, with founders being picked for their abilities to build more sustainable projects. Agustin says he’s seeing an increase in the amount of women-led projects being funded, although it is coming off a very low base. “Women’s work is truly remarkable, and they’re beginning to win attention from VCs for this. That’s not a coincidence.”
Agustin believes the Metaverse presents a massive opportunity for technology to add untapped talent into the space. “Women are the key to making the pie bigger – and much better for us all.”
Website: waytoodigital.com | 3nnova.com
