Ashley Vickers, Director of Growth of R Labs, joins ChedHER to discuss the mission behind this women-led blockchain company, and how the company is creating a purpose-based ecosystem in Web3.

chedHER

How Women-Led 'R Labs' is Creating a Purpose-Based Ecosystem in Web3

Welcome back to chat her brought to you by Jpmorgan Chase. Now there is a ton of buzz around Web three and women are paving the way to have impact in this space are labs is a women led Blockchain tech company that's looking to solve real world problems. And joining us now, Ashley Vickers director of growth at our labs. Ashley thanks so much for joining us that you're also on the founding team with the company. So tell us a little bit more about your mission. Thank you Asia. So nice to be here. Well, we are women and minority led Founding team. We've built previously in our careers and scale billion dollar businesses launched global cult brands names to the tune of Bumble Draftkings Rovio Green Impact Partners and have a track record of creating meaningful environmental and social change along the way. And so now we've all come together to create our labs which in our idea is building at the intersection of tech human connection and impact in Web three, which hopefully isn't too uh strange of a word for most folks to understand. I'm sure they've heard of it uh you know, a little bit over the last 12 months, but it's about mobilizing digital assets as a force for good in the world in areas of sustainability, mental wellness and racial and gender inclusion. Yeah, you gave a few of these examples here. But I think the thing that sets you apart from all of the different tech companies, especially when we discuss Web three is the fact that you are purpose based. So break down exactly what that means with maybe some examples of these impacts on the real world. Sure. So what we all recognize that the physical world, again, calling physical world real world versus the digital world is facing exponential problems and we as investors and with our background, believe in the power of communities and capitalism to take collective action that's required to solve them. We recognize the need for fundamental change in incentive structures and believe the power of Web three and tokens and this fractionalization nature will help create this change for the benefit of current and future generations. I know a lot of people don't necessarily understand Web three tokens and N. F. T. S and what they're all about. But fundamentally Blockchain technology in general has unlocked the potential to tokenize fractionalized and distribute assets in a new way that is now globally accessible, irrespective of age, demographics status in life. And this is ultimately changing how customers engage with brands, commerce investments. And in Web three you have this merge of personal identity with social networks coupled with entertainment, converse and investment. It's almost as perfect uh synergistic storm of everything you can kind of ask for for one individual. And there's a great quote I believe by the founder of Coinbase. Um hopefully it just from a few years ago that you know, tokens uh, the internet turned everyone into a publisher and crypto is turning everyone into an investor. And so now tokens and N. F. T. S have been a part of mainstream conversation for about 12 or 18 months now and with our background, we want to demonstrate that tokens can be more than what people have ever understood them to be there. Not just a Jpeg, they're not just a monkey picture. They can mean more stand for more than what they've done historically. And if you can, you know, we we imagine a world or what if you could use your tokens to support the environment and make money doing it. What if it was architects or Patagonia collab token that also funded a clean energy project and gave you a limited edition jacket and made you money tokens have that ability. You can package this altogether and purpose and profit is what we're all about. That's what we're building. Yeah. Actually, when you discuss this, it is so exciting and I know it's a visionary future that so many are looking to. But since you're mentioning tokens and N. F. T. S. You released an N. F. T. Collection that sold out in just over an hour. Tell us more about this specific collection. Yeah. It's called our planet. It is our first retail consumer facing product that we've built at our labs. And pretty amazingly, we we built a community over this summer, uh, raising our profile. Amplifying our message. Just again that these tokens can be more and do more and we saw pulled out in an hour, which is almost unheard of and then where the top 10 trending project on N. F. T. Marketplace is all week. And while we have a number of initiatives planned around this project, this is just the beginning for us, our goal is to become the impact oriented asset class for digital assets in the future. And what's I think most humbling to see is how many people in this space, we're just creating a purpose oriented community, something that they could corral behind and align their money with their values and align with the community with their values and that's what we represent to them. Yeah, actually just about a minute left with you but our labs recently raised over $5 million dollars in pre seed funding to date. I'm wondering as a woman, what your experience has been like with fundraising and really quickly, if you have any advice. Yeah, I'm sure it's similar to a lot of women's stories in male dominated industries, so not only in tech but I come from finance and energy industries, we've raised and deployed a billion dollars in their last investment fund, women are looked at for their experience, um, and track record not their potential um you know, which is traditionally what I think you see, so from some men and so for us we really had to lean heavily into our track record of execution what we have been able to produce in the past and I know it's a generalistic statement, but our general statement, but women are underestimated and so unfortunately we we we really lean into what we've been able to do and to prove and really just try to convince folks, you know, the right folks, um, that you can execute on the vision and on the strategy and you find them. Um, it's, I think knocking on more doors than most might have to do, but you find them and when you have the right investors, those are the ones that stick with you. Really good insight there. Thank you again for joining us. That's Ashley Vickers, director of growth at our labs.