Jess Houlgrave
CEO at Reown
I’m Jess Houlgrave, CEO at Reown, which focuses on improving onchain UX through the WalletConnect Network. Our WalletKit SDK allows over 700 users’ wallets to connect with thousands of applications securely. Our AppKit SDK is used by thousands of apps, including DeFi, Social, Gaming, Marketplaces, AI agents and payment companies to seamlessly integrate with those wallets and to provide embedded wallets, onramps and swaps across hundreds of chains.
Starting my career in traditional finance, such as banking and private equity, I had a deep interest in monetary systems, which I became hooked on after I learned about Bitcoin. After leaving traditional finance in 2015, I wanted to focus on crypto because I was sure that this new technology would be useful for upgrading existing financial systems. I was glad to take part in building the first stablecoin settlement solutions, working at Checkout.com.
You have a versatile experience working at both traditional and decentralized finance! Which sector, in your opinion, offers more opportunities for women?
In my experience, companies from both sectors prioritize skills and talent over everything else. At the moment though, decentralized finance is growing fast and requires many designers, operations specialists, product managers and marketers, it now represents great opportunities for women looking to enter the sphere.
In this regard, are there any specific challenges women encounter in the fintech and crypto industry?
When I was starting my career, my network wasn’t super strong compared to peers who had family and friends working at TradFi. I made it a priority to learn from whoever I could and to build relationships but there were definitely fewer female role models.
For women in fintech and crypto today, the challenges are similar: you need to learn how to work as a part of the team to be ready to face uncertainty and solve problems effectively. Traditionally, the crypto sphere was inaccessible because it required a technical background, and there were fewer women in the space. Nowadays there are suitable roles even if you aren’t technical.
Generally, male dominance in certain spheres, including these ones, can prevent women from applying for roles or seeking promotions, so there is still work to do.
Your observations are fair. Could you give any advice to women looking to break into the fintech industry, especially in leadership or technical roles?
My advice for women looking to break into the fintech industry is to showcase their interests and skill set. The great thing is that the crypto industry doesn’t require any official employment to participate. You can become a member of a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), invest a certain amount of capital in different tokens, attend conferences and meet-ups, as well as develop your own ideas or even build a simple app using AI. These sorts of things really make candidates stand out when they want to start working in this sphere but don’t have a technical background.
You mentioned that male dominance in fintech holds back women from applying for roles, so what initiatives would you like to see to further promote gender diversity and inclusivity?
It’s hard to see changes if you can’t see them. I definitely struggled because of the lack of female role models and mentors. Making sure that amazing women get the credit they deserve helps us to attract more women in the space, so I am sure that it contributes to better visibility. I think we all have a responsibility to make sure that we hire and retain the best people for the role and do not overlook talents because of their gender or background. I am genuinely convinced that it will help us to build better technology in the long run.
