Moneda Moves (126): From Chicago...A NFT Space Made Pa' La Familia
Hello familia, the last week was in no way easy. It made our heart ache — for the 21 victims of the Uvalde shooting, their families and the growing number of innocent people that continue to become impacted by mass shootings in the United States. If you’re looking for ways to help just like we were, our partners at The Mujerista put together a list of ways to aid families affected with monetary donations, but also to share mental health resources available, volunteer opportunities and activations to end gun violence.
Going into a holiday weekend, being in the presence of community looking to make a positive impact was perhaps the best scenario we could have asked for. We had the pleasure of moderating a panel and helping at Chicago’s first Latinx artist NFT gallery, hosted by Web3Familia.
A bit of background: We first came across Web3Familia just earlier this year in Chicago during an educational event intended to onboard Latinx communities into the Web3 space. As this new digital space moves at lightning speed, the organizers hope to make early moves as soon as possible to onboard one million Latinos onto Web3 by helping them understand the building blocks and opportunities available. Among them? How to participate in the world of Web3.
An increasingly popular way that artists and creatives have created a space in Web3 is by minting and buying non-fungible tokens. Through NFTs, they share their art with the world, create and grow communities. In our Chicago panel with Web3Familia, we discussed with three local Chicago artists how they developed their artistic style, their experience learning to navigate Web3 and minting NFTs as well as more about their dream collaborations. Among the artists included were:
Will Ojeda, @WillCreatesArt, Artist and Web3Familia Organizer
Cesar Zamudio, @ISeeItAll, Artist
Jessica Gomez, Artist
As a brand focused on highlighting the intersection of Latinidad, culture and money, this seemed like a natural community to follow given the vast opportunities that Web3 presents and investment that companies in the space have received over the last year. Latinos and other underrepresented communities in the tech, financial spaces and creatives want to be a part of the Web3 space, and it makes sense — the proposition that Web3 brings to the table includes ownership, decentralization and democratization.
Of course, between Web2 (where we’re at now) and Web3, there lie a lot of security, cost and legal questions, all which are being navigated in real-time.
Overall, we are looking forward to track the Latinx community in the Web3 space because of the early onboarding and potential opportunities. Hay mucho más por venir, much more to come, mi gente. Stay close, and we’ll brief you on the latest.
Con poder,
Lyanne
Headlines to put on your radar. This week, it’s stories to keep tabs on to learn more about Web3.
What Is Web3? (Harvard Business Review): Dive into the different components of Web3, from blockchain to cryptocurrency and NFTs (a $41 billion market).
Everything You Need to Know About NFTs (GQ): Haven’t created a wallet, bought or minted an NFT, but interested in being a part of it all? Learn more in this easy-to-follow guide.
Funding Starts To Cascade Into Web3 Startups (Crunchbase): Looking at the macro landscape always helps contextualize the narrative when it comes to Web3. Learn more about investments that are happening in the space and where funding is going.
Rising voices in business, fintech, entrepreneurship and beyond.
Chicago entrepreneur aims to unlock Latina economic power with her new fintech app, SHENIX: Our latest Moneda Moves episode is out! And this one takes us back home to Chicago. Olga Camargo, founder of fintech company SHENIX is optimistic we have much more economic power to unlock in our Latina community, with some education, advocating for equal pay and investing. SHENIX is a Latina-founded app that works with its clients to educate, provide negotiation skills, and develop actionable plans to build wealth.
It’s also based in my hometown, Chicago, where Latinos are the city’s second-largest ethnic group. I’m eager to see the impact this app makes in my hometown, and ahead of then we are talking with Olga about founding her fintech company and the importance of culturally-relevant financial service.
You can listen to the full episode here.
Thank you for joining us! Until next week, catch us here on Moneda Moves.