In this episode of "Women in Crypto" we had the pleasure of speaking with Anastasiia Ageeva, a seasoned marketer and growth hacker with a wealth of experience in the blockchain and crypto space. Anastasiia has worked with top blockchain projects and exchanges, helping them to navigate the complex world of crypto marketing and user acquisition. In this candid conversation, we explore her insights on the current state of the industry, her approach to growth marketing, and her predictions for the future of blockchain and crypto.

Hello  Anastasiia! Thank you for being here today, can I ask you to introduce yourself to our public? What is your background, and how did you become familiar with the crypto world?

Hello! Thanks for inviting me!  I work as a  PR for art and crypto projects. I started to be interested in the crypto industry a few years ago when many blockchain art projects started to appear. Global Business Wire projects the growth of the cryptocurrency industry to surge to $2.2 billion by 2026. These figures denote the rising interest in the sector and, more particularly, the ignition of emerging industries such as NFTs, blockchain art, Defi, and many more promising opportunities. 

Note that the crypto industry is impacting trade, commerce, supply chains, digital payments, how people pay for cinema, and the gambling economy. Today, the world has grown increasingly adaptable and flexible to the growth of innovations. 

Users have become aware of such innovations, and developers are working out the best UX and UI to have them on board. 

You were a part of the Newcoin Foundation, dedicated to fostering the growth of Newcoin, a scalable blockchain protocol for Social 3.0. Can you tell us about this project? What is web3? 

Web 3.0 (Web3) is the third generation of the evolution of web technologies,  it’s an idea for a new iteration of the World Wide Web based on blockchain technology.

Newcoin Protocol is the web3 coordination layer, A native system contract architecture where developers, creators, and communities use DAOs, NFTs, and Defi pools to interact on a unified single market with high liquidity and network effect. Besides the Newcoin protocol, there are the NEWLIFE application, NEWMOON accelerator, and NEW FORUM podcast. 

This platform can give many benefits to creators, fans, and investors. Using the newcoin protocol, it'll be possible to support your favorite creators and win from their success.

You are a PR specialist and have worked in crypto art projects; In this evolving and innovative scenario, what are the opportunities for artists?

To understand how the blockchain can help artists, it is essential to first look at the challenges facing artists in the real world. Copyright infringement and the impediment of earning a living from your art are significant hurdles to many established and upcoming artists. I would say that the blockchain is changing the art market. Technology is bringing more fresh opportunities both for artists and collectors. Of course, there are some disadvantages of NFT art, but here I would like to say about opportunities artists can get.

For example, it's easier for artists to protect their art using NFT technologies. Also, with this new model, creators can get royalties from each next sale (Instead of the traditional art market where artists only get the payment once). I believe that NFT could be a good tool for the art market.

Speaking now from a collector's point of view, how has the environment changed since the rise of NFTs? What would you suggest to people who want to start collecting? 

There are rumors that if NFTs' unique, non-interchangeable qualities are utilized for quality control certification, each bottle of collectible wine will be associated with a distinct NFT as a quality control certification. There are also debates about whether NFTs should be used in inheritance wills to prevent forgery. As a result, NFTs provide more than simply the rights to a digital asset.

A collector may acquire a tangible work of art, such as a canvas or a sculpture. Possessing a physical thing does not necessarily convey any rights in the artwork.

For a collector to have any intellectual property rights over the art (such as rights to reproduce, adapt, or publicly exhibit the work), the artist must grant those rights directly through a contract, such as by executing a licensing agreement. However, some argue that an NFT can be digital proof of ownership and copyright. When someone buys an NFT, they receive a file that contains a link to the online location of the art and a cryptographic key proving their ownership. 

The file also includes a link to the buyer's Ethereum wallet, which stores the NFT. The key is stored on the blockchain, a decentralized ledger that anyone can view. The key makes the NFT unique and allows the owner to prove their ownership. If the owner wants to sell the NFT, they can put it up for auction. If someone buys the NFT, the new owner will receive the key and the link to the art. The old owner will no longer have any rights to the art.

NFTs have allowed us to own digital assets and, more specifically, digital artworks. Before the Non-Fungible Tokens existed, digital art was tough to purchase, except when artists opted to display them on physical media. Still, the original concept of the piece had to adapt to its new format. In some way, I would say that it democratized art and made the entrance to the art market easier for newbies.

Also, it’s possible to buy not only the full art piece but its part,  what makes art collecting easier for the newbies.

Everybody is talking about Utility tokens as a new way to create communities in the decentralized system; can you tell us more about this function of the blockchain? What are Utility tokens and the opportunities they can bring to the creative economy? 

Everybody is talking about Utility tokens as a new way to create communities in the decentralized system. A utility token is a crypto token that serves some use case within a specific ecosystem. These tokens allow users to perform some action on a certain network.

For example, NEWCOIN can be used in the Newcoin blockchain to support the creators. but it will be a different model from Patreon and other similar platforms

Utility tokens are the most common type of token today, owing to a continuous stream of blockchain startups emerging every year. Startups obtain cash through Initial Coin Offerings, which necessitates the development of tokens in order for investors to buy into their projects using Ethereum or other cryptocurrency assets.

However, these tokens have a second objective in addition to raising money. Consider a utility token like Binance, which eToro has argued is a valid example of a utility token. The coin may be utilized to create innovative incentive systems that allow individuals to complete unique tasks within the ecosystem and be rewarded.

A great example of a token incentive encourages individuals to utilize renewable energy. They measure the data and submit it to the blockchain, where they receive tokens as compensation.

The most popular type of utility token is the ERC20 Ethereum standard, which enterprises use to create decentralized applications on the Ethereum blockchain and conduct ICOs.

As a woman entrepreneur in a male-dominated environment, which opportunities do you see in crypto that could make the creative economy more gender-equal?

I would say that the blockchain industry gives opportunities to everyone, doesn't matter what your gender is. You can even work in crypto, staying anonymous.

But another problem is that technologies(same as art) are still associated with male names, as it was a man's industry for many years.

We don't know many famous female artists in the past, but it doesn't mean they did not exist. There were so many obstacles for them to appear. But today, the world has changed. I understand that this problem exists, and I think that projects like yours (Women in crypto) are essential to educate women and show them more opportunities.

‍