When fintech entrepreneur and blockchain expert Lavinia Osbourne was growing up in a one-parent family household comprising only of women, she was acutely aware of how important money was. But little did she know how significant the challenges of her impoverished childhood would be in determining the blueprint for her successful career in digital assets and blockchain.
London-based Lavinia is founder and CEO of Women in Blockchain Talks (WiBT), the UK’s most diverse blockchain educational and networking platform. Her work in this award-winning company has resulted in various well-deserved accolades. These include Wirex’s Rising Women in Crypto 2021, a 2020 TechWomen100 winner, 2022 CogX Gender Equality Leader Award Winner, and one of 15 thought leaders included in the 2021 LinkedIn Top Voice in Tech and Innovation.
As an agent for change in blockchain and spearheading NFT development, Lavinia works tirelessly to break barriers by raising underrepresented voices because ‘there’s space for everyone to learn, grow, and benefit.’ WiBT, she explains, focuses on dynamic women in the blockchain ecosystem, while also providing different ways of learning for women with or without technical skills to enter the emerging blockchain tech space.
Lavinia’s efforts in highlighting diversity – including her unwavering passion to uplift and empower women − have earned the respect of her peers, who admire her spirit and commitment. Moreover, her unassuming warmth, engaging style and ability to consistently communicate real clarity of thought has made her a sought-after speaker.
After experiencing the negative aftermath of the 2008 global financial crash, Lavinia decided to learn the basics of financial education, a subject rarely taught at school. Later, she started a financial wellbeing consultancy whilst ignoring hurtful comments from previous bosses that had indirectly told her she wanted too much and should know her place. Even though she confesses that building a business from scratch was not easy, her AHA moment came when she realized ‘how Bitcoin – decentralized money – was creating new wealth for many people outside the normal demographic of socio-economic growth.’
Having seen many changes in both the Metaverse and web3 over the last year, she comments that the value decline of Crypto is impacting all digital assets, including NFTs.
With NFTs ‘key to the movement of wealth, Lavinia also created Crypto Kweens NFT Marketplace, where one of her hopes is that the percentage of women artists making sales from NFTs will increase from only 5% in 2021.
Viewing the Metaverse as an evolution of the internet, Lavinia asserts that its ‘impact and opportunities will be similar to those we have already seen, just amplified and in a different, more engaged format.’ She adds it will affect how we communicate, work together, socialize, engage with our (financial) assets and, ourselves.’
However, most important for her in this new space is decentralization, and what it means in creating more equity, wealth creation and generational wealth for those wishing to use various Dapps to create, invest, and share.
In her life journey, Lavinia has evidently not allowed being from a low economic demographic, as an Afro-Caribbean, to inhibit her as she candidly confesses, she would ‘honestly not change anything.’ However, she advises others that ‘you truly need to know why you are in this space, what value you want to add to it, as well as take from it.’
And with her seeing ‘education as the biggest barrier to the digital revolution,’ another suggestion is needing to create incentives particularly for older and marginalized people to engage in all this new tech. Equally important is accessibility for people in society that aren’t so tech savvy or have the funds to engage.
One of her many ambitions is to help to create ‘a safer environment for people to purchase, sell, create and hold their NFTs, with actionable and affordable recourse if their digital asset is stolen.’
Asked what inspires her most about the future, she responds, ‘all the possibilities to create, add value and see the development of this space.’
“If there are enough good and diverse voices converging (decentralized) blockchain tech, Metaverse technology (AR, VR, AI, etc.,) and web3 (Crypto, Dapps, NFT, DAO), we can create a better and more equitable world.”
Lavinia’s desire to uplift individuals financially, professionally, and personally is evident when she says, “The legacy I hope to create is one of inspiration, and of bringing 50k women into blockchain by 2023!”
LAVINIA OSBOURNE’S METAVERSE & WEB3 TIPS AND RESOURCES
Website: womeninblockchaintalks.com
