Amanda Wick
Founder and CEO of the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency
Please introduce yourself and your background
I’m Amanda Wick, and I currently serve as the Founder and CEO of the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency and as a Principal with Incite Consulting. At the Association, we advocate for equity, intentional inclusion, and safe work environments across digital finance. Through Incite, I provide expert and litigation advisory services and advise companies on regulatory risk and leadership strategies.
It seems that most of your career has involved the practice of law. What led you into the world of crypto and fintech?
Back in 2012, when I was prosecuting money laundering cases at the Department of Justice, a federal agent brought in a case involving crypto. I had no idea what it was, so I needed to figure it out quickly. Over the years, I became fascinated with technology. I realized it had the potential to drive real positive change and not just be used by criminals, which led me into the industry. But we needed more people in the industry to discuss the need for responsible innovation.
Throughout your career, you have worked in many male-dominated environments. Did you face any challenges in the industry as a woman?
Working in predominantly male environments was actually a lot of fun and taught me a lot. As a result, I think I encountered fewer challenges than other women when I entered the industry. Being a good federal prosecutor requires the skills of aggression and assertiveness, and knowing how and when to throttle them on and off. Those skills were invaluable when I entered the crypto industry. If anything, the challenge I’ve encountered in the industry is working with men who can’t handle criticism or questioning from women, so they either layer men above you, or you have to handle them with kid gloves so they aren’t triggered by being challenged by a woman.
From your perspective as a founder and advisor, what changes would you like to see in the crypto space to make it more inclusive for women?
We definitely need to rethink corporate culture and practices. Many crypto founders don’t think about the environments they’re building; if they aren’t safe and inclusive, it has a ripple effect. Crypto companies are notorious for having toxic work environments that negatively affect everyone, not just women. Our 2024 State of Inclusion Report found that not just women, but nearly 50% of men surveyed felt that their workplace wasn’t safe from things like physical, mental, or emotional harassment. That’s unsustainable for an industry that wants to recruit the best. And it’s a real problem when boards and leadership ignore it. Without oversight, you get discriminatory practices baked into the company's DNA, toxicity in the growth, and no one is held accountable.
You started the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency. What role do grassroots efforts play in shaping this space?
They play an enormous role, and for the Association, they’re everything. We’ve grown to over 800 members in more than 23 countries in less than three years, primarily through women telling other women and allies about who we are and what our community has to offer. Organic community building is at the heart of everything we do. Our “Unmanel Your Panel” initiative is also a great example of the power of grassroots initiatives and their impact. It pushes for visibility where it’s lacking and calls out exclusion when it happens, even unintentionally. It also gives our male allies a fantastic way to get involved and help effectuate real change. Grassroots efforts are an excellent start for triggering larger-scale inclusion initiatives, and we’ll continue to work on them globally.
Wrapping up, what should women focus on building if they want to succeed in crypto or fintech?
Aggressiveness, assertiveness, and the ability to self-promote (even when we hate doing it). Not because you necessarily need to use them all the time. Think of them like having a knife strapped to your thigh — you don’t have to pull it out and use it for people to see it and know what it means.
Most societies worldwide intentionally and subconsciously condition women to lack the self-possession to know their worth, the assertiveness to set boundaries and take action, and the chutzpah to sit down at the table when they’re more than qualified to be there. Yes, there are inequalities in the system, and unconscious bias does make things harder for women. But we also need to acknowledge the world as it is while we’re simultaneously trying to fix it. We need to train ourselves to be better, stronger players, even while trying to change the rules of a rigged game. We need to equip ourselves with the tools to survive, thrive, and succeed while we do it. I’m incredibly proud that the Association’s mission is to work on both sides of the problem.
