speaker-0: Just do it and you know like why should boys have all the fun? Just jump right into it and I think this space requires more women. So I want to really use DEBCON as an opportunity to make this technology like again accessible to these communities so they know the potential that this technology really has. So just jump right in and there's a lot of support here in the Web3 space. You know you're not going to swim alone. Just come in with this sense of curiosity and you will find what you're looking So I think one of the biggest challenges I faced initially was

speaker-1: you Welcome to ECH Institute podcast. In this special series, Women Powering Web3, we are speaking with women across the space who are contributing to support the Ethereum ecosystem. Today we are joined by Nidhi Harihar. Nidhi works with Voicetech Tao and supports Ethereum Public Goods Initiative. We are really looking forward to learning more about her journey and contributions in this space. Welcome, Nidhi.

speaker-0: Thank you, Pooja. Very nice to be here. I've always been a big fan. So it's very nice to be here on the Women's Day podcast.

speaker-1: I truly appreciate you taking out time to record this podcast with us. Thank you for joining. From what I understand, you are closely associated with public goods projects and are supporting the upcoming DEF CON in India in some capacity. I would love for us to learn more about you. Let's kick off this conversation with a short introduction. Could you let our audience know about yourself and how you found your way into the Ethereum ecosystem?

speaker-0: Hello everyone, I'm Nidhi. I'm from India. I found my way into the Web3 and Ethereum ecosystem thanks to my husband who used to never use headphones while being on calls. I was at the time working on decentralizing urban governance in India, which is implementing the 74th Amendment Act, which allows more... people to participate in urban development decisions in the neighborhood. So very hands-on work and things that have not happened since 30, 40 years in the country. And then I would come back home and my husband would be talking about DAOs and people submitting proposals on Snapshot, voting for it and other things. So I was very intrigued by this whole technology and this mixture of tech and how societies can come together. So I decided to quit my job in 2024 that year and explore how Ethereum can be used to help citizens like in the real world, help citizens be closer to the decisions that are taken for them.

speaker-1: We are very glad that you make that decision and you are finally here in the Ethereum ecosystem. Nidhi, I noticed that Voice Deck DAO is currently fundraising to support several noble causes. And one initiative that particularly caught my attention was to support for women allowed to work in government programs. I'm curious to learn more about that problem statement and what that particular program is trying to solve. Why do you believe it's important for the ecosystem and broader society to support such initiatives?

speaker-0: Yes. So this was as part of the voice deck project that my husband founded. that the basic prompt for that was how do we ensure decisions are taken closest to the people that they impact. And that was exactly the problem statement I was working on in urban development decisions in India. So voice deck was born as a platform where you can monetize the outcome and the impact from your work. And We work closely with nonprofit media outlets in India that train citizens to be journalists in villages across central, western, northern India. And the story that you saw of women allowed to work in a government program was a very inspiring story. I'm glad you caught that. It was reported by a woman reporter, citizen reporter, trained by this media outlet. She started noticing that in her village, know, women were not allowed to participate in the manrega, that is the It's a daily wage labor program by the government of India, which is open for all. So she was very surprised that how come women are not being allowed to be part of this program, though the law permits or allows everyone to be a part of it. So she took it up and she campaigned, she approached the police, she approached various social movements. She mobilized the women in her village itself. And the outcome of that was finally there was an edict, a law passed that you can't discriminate against women from working in this program. And that's what you see, that outcome you see of women were finally allowed to work in this program was something that you can buy units of that impact certificate and support more women like her. That's the philosophy of voice deck. And in fact, we did launch with all women led stories, only four of them are just. women led stories. I mean, you know, why should boys have all the fun was one of the biggest ad slogans in India. So yeah, why should boys have all the fun? know, women are here and women are human and humans, if you have like two hands and two legs, even if you don't, I mean, you're completely open to working and achieving your true potential, you know, nothing to stop you.

speaker-1: I'm so glad to learn that people like you are helping out women in India and raising their voices with such programs. So it is really inspiring. I hope it gets proper attention and help. Taking a segue into the Web3 world from your experience, do you think women in this space face different challenges than men? If yes, what are some of those differences that stand out to you?

speaker-0: Yeah, I think for me, when I entered this space, I was obviously tagging along with my husband. Even when I was working on my own projects, I would just go with him to Ethereum conferences. And what I did feel is like a hesitation from the men's side to share anything technical as such. I would initially assume that, these are just a bunch of nerds and they are completely in their zone. So I shouldn't interrupt them, but it did make me think that how can we make this technology more accessible? And that starts with women, you know, and that's part of the role that I'm currently doing now. How do you make this language of this technology accessible to people who can't understand it or who will do a lot if they know what this technology really means? So I think one of the biggest challenges I faced initially was finding someone in the room who would explain this technology or who would be willing to talk to me about this technology in a way I understand it and not in a way that, ⁓ you know, she is just his wife and like, obviously she's not going to. So there was that angle of me being someone's wife as well, think that subconsciously played in people's mind. Yeah, so that's definitely been a challenge. over time, I think I found the right communities. I think there was Sheefa also that I was part of and Maggie does a good job at giving good analogies of experience. know, like L1 and L2 is like L1 was being like a highway and things like that. It's very like how a woman would explain and women can shape these narratives very well. You, Pooja, are doing like amazing work and that at the protocol level, which is even more complex. ⁓ you are really like an epitome of this flag bearer of this making technology and especially this complex technology accessible and showing that women can not only understand it but they can lead this technology and shape it so that it's in good hands.

speaker-1: Yes, thank you so much for kind words, first of all. Yes, I believe that there are many women in this space are trying to make this space accessible for women, make it easy entry point. And Ethereum in particular is a very good example of that. Our leadership is like women on top. So that kind of explain that how open this ecosystem is. We might perhaps want to share this information with the rest of the community. Well, I feel fortunate to be speaking with many new women entering into this space through our program Women in Ethereum Protocol. And I'm sure through your work, especially while planning for Defqon India, you may have come across similar questions about women's interest, participation, and even kind of hesitation that sometimes comes across while they are trying to step into the Web3 world. Personally, I feel that there are several myths that unintentionally block women's participation. I'm wondering if you have experienced this as well. If yes, would you like to maybe bust one common myth about women in Web3 for our audience?

speaker-0: Yeah, I think what I felt most strongly is like women can't be in like ⁓ tech or hard tech rules. Like even if they are in Web3, they are good for marketing or BD or something like that, which is also very important, by the way, and very helpful and useful. But I think straight jacketing anyone into these watertight compartments is not healthy. the... biggest myth to bust is women only belong in certain silos. It's not true. Humanity is diverse. Women are diverse and diversity is the word, know, for women in Vettri.

speaker-1: That's true. Women should not be stereotyped here. They are not good for tech. They are only for business development. I believe women are represented by various colors. So I believe that they are good to do anything and everything. We have seen many women in the application side of the Web3 world. We would love to see more participation on the protocol side as well. Bring the diversity in. All right, let's talk about DEF CON. Like being an Indian, DEF CON coming to India feels like once in a lifetime opportunity. And that's the feeling for most of the participants of the ecosystem who are from India and especially living outside. So I was in Denver last week and we met so many people who are genuinely excited and willing to support the celebration in whatever capacity we can. Would you like to share a bit about the preparation currently underway and how community members both in India and globally can step in to support DevCon India.

speaker-0: Yeah, Defqon, like you said, is really a Haley's Comet event once in a lifetime. We don't know when it'll come again. And so it's really, like you said, a mood of celebration across the globe. And this is India's country of 1.4 billion people. So you already have the next billion right there. And I feel like Defqon coming to India is a very good opportunity for us to influence the narrative of this block. chain technology of cryptocurrencies and through Ethereum, which is really not just a crypto, it's a culture that we bring, you know, and the community brings. So I'm personally helping DevCon engage ⁓ communities that are not from the crypto world, that is governments, multilateral organizations, civil society organizations. So I want to really use DevCon as an opportunity to make this technology accessible to these communities so they know the potential that this technology really has. And DevCon is our way to do it. And also shift the perception of crypto being scammy and being associated with frauds things like that that the government has. Though I must add that I think the perception of the government in India is also changing around that very much. We are seeing many initiatives around blockchain for government, though they are on private blockchains, but there is an appetite and there is a curiosity and there is a feeling that we can't continue ignoring this technology anymore. So I think DevCon comes at a very opportune time for us to make full use of onboarding governments and other multilaterals and things like that. So very excited and welcoming. all like the diaspora like you Pooja and Meenakshi also in India but the diaspora also outside India is going to it's already helping us so much and just bring in the vibes the energy and just this openness to you know this is our thing and this is our platform so you know all hands on deck.

speaker-1: All hands on the deck. That's right. That's the right way to put it on. Yes, we are all there to support you. And I believe you are doing a great job here by bridging the gap of Web3 and Web2 world. We would love to have government and related participants on board because having proper policies in place will be a key point for adoption. The community should feel confident that government is supporting that. So I believe you are bringing a very good narrative with. I'm looking forward to it and I wish the entire team all the best for DEF CON India and hopefully this is one of the most successful DEF CON yet. All right, that brings me to my next question. With all the effort collectively putting in to increase the diversity in the space, what does success look like to you? When you think about meaningful inclusion and representation in Web3, What would make you feel that we are truly moving in the right direction?

speaker-0: Like I said, success would be making this technology not only accessible to those who can use it well, but also this technology really shaping our lives, like how we have the Android phones and other things shaping our lives right now. I feel like Web3, not just technology wise, but as a culture, the Ethereum ecosystem can have an impact on the way we live, know, like it's It's a much flatter society, it's a flatter community in the sense there's lesser, there is in fact, there's lesser sense of hierarchy in that sense. It's permissionless, it's censorship resistant. And these are like values which I think it'll be great if it shapes our future generation and our kids can live in a world which are shaped by these values and with obviously the technology backing these values. So it's like beautiful imagining that world.

speaker-1: am just having a flashback of all the conversation which we had back there in Denver. But yes, that's true. Web3 is not just technological shift, it's kind of cultural shift. And it would be nice to make a better place for our next generation. Well, before we wrap up this section, I would love to ask you one final question. Do you have any specific message for women who are just joining or considering to join the Web3 Ethereum space?

speaker-0: Yeah, like I said, you know, just do it. I'm using a lot of ad slogans here. There's just do it. And you know, like, should boys have all the fun? Just jump right into it. And I think this space requires more women. Women in tech, don't believe in like women in tech, but tech is accessible to all, know, tech is accessible to all and you are part of it and you are worth it. That's again, another ad slogan. ⁓ it's coming to my mind of L'Oreal Paris, so not sponsored. But yeah, I think the biggest message being we need more female energy and that by that, mean, care, sort of, which can make this technology accessible and understandable and usable to all. And now is, I think we need this today more than ever. So just jump right in and there's a lot of support here in the Web3 space. You know, you're not going to swim alone. There's a lot of support. are people like Pooja is doing such a good job being that beacon of support in the system as well. There are many, many more like that. So you're not going to be alone and just come in with this sense of curiosity and you will find what you're looking for.

speaker-1: very encouraging word. Yes, just do it. Let's have you in. All right, that kind of concludes all my questions on like a little longer site. And we have a few more questions of which we would love to go with a rapid fire round kind of so you can respond to all these questions with one word or phrase. The first thing that comes to your mind.

speaker-0: Yeah. Yeah, I just think.

speaker-1: Online or in-person events. One word decentralization feels like.

speaker-0: in person. like a shared ⁓ classroom project, big global shared classroom project.

speaker-1: or conference.

speaker-0: Hackathons I like, especially if the prompts are designed well and it helps to onboard more people also. you know, having governments, India is also doing a hackathon. So yeah, hackathons for that. And I like conferences, like, so I get to meet people like Pooja and Chill and hang out after a long time. And sometimes in the Web3 space, you have not seen a person at all. You're just online with them. You don't know how they look also. And then finally then you meet them at a conference and you're ⁓ My god, I'm so awesome to meet you in person. So conferences are good for that.

speaker-1: Right, it's always good to meet people in person. One word that defines women in Web3. A woman you admire the most within or outside this space.

speaker-0: diversity. Yeah, like Vidin, it's definitely you, Pooja. I'm not just saying it because I'm on your podcast, but you have been an inspiration for so many and it's amazing to see you and manage everything, know, work, life, kids, everything, and you're doing it very well and it's great to see that. And so it's very encouraging to see that. And outside of the web3 space, I've always been a fan of Princess Diana.

speaker-1: the future of Ethereum is, in one word.

speaker-0: It's collaboration, collaborative.

speaker-1: That was great. I'm sure that it's kind of inspiring for many people and it's good to learn a lot of things from you. Like you are also evolving in this space and yeah, I would love to share this energy with everybody else right here. Nidhi, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today and sharing your journey, your work and your perspective so openly.

speaker-0: Thank you so much, Pooja, for having me and the entire ECH team also, Meena, Akshay, Akshay, who are all doing it behind the scenes. Thank you. And very excited to hear the other women also that you have interviewed and hear their perspectives as well. It's a really good initiative, this. And happy Women's Day.

speaker-1: Thank you. I really hope that many women get inspired by this and next year when we are recording this, we have more new faces joining on on this series. Thank you, Nidhi, so much for your time. And yes, we would love to have you around. Hopefully meet you in Defqon India. Dear listeners, thank you for tuning in to this special series Women Powering Web3 by ECH Institute. If this conversation resonates with you, do share it with your communities. And if you are a woman Looking to step into these things, we hope the stories encourage you to take the first step. Until next time, thank you for listening.