About this event
Amidst the massive hype and investment, Web3 has faced considerable pushback. Much of the criticism has been dismissive of the technology and community outright. On the other hand, many of Web3’s most ardent supporters seem to believe that decentralization is necessarily a path towards a better world, echoing some of the same idealism that has arguably resulted in many of the shortcomings of web2.
This panel will explore the middle ground — does the technology underpinning web3 present real opportunities for building a better world? What are some of the inherent drawbacks and opportunities and how can we design and plan for them? How can we truly be more intentional about building an internet that advances equity, democracy, and human rights? How can we address issues like accountability, consent, and access? Our panelists will speak to these questions from a range of capacities — from investing, building new technologies, and creating new organizations in web3.

SPEAKERS:
Jomayra Herrera
Jomayra was born in Orlando, Florida to two parents who always believed that education was one of the few things that no one could ever take from you. With that mindset, Jomayra devoted herself to her studies and eventually became the first person in her family to go to college. She started her career as an operator at an edtech startup, BloomBoard. Before Reach, Jomayra worked on the venture investing team at Emerson Collective (Laurene Powell Jobs’ family office) and Cowboy Ventures. Before Reach, companies she’s invested in include Career Karma, Handshake, Contra, and The Landing.

Austin Robey
Austin Robey is a founding member of Metalabel, Ampled, Unnamed Fund, and Dinner DAO. He also teaches Music and Platform Cooperativism at The New School in New York City.

Anjana Rajan
Anjana Rajan is a cryptographer working at the nexus of human rights and national security. She is currently the Chief Technology Officer of Polaris, the largest anti-human trafficking NGO in the United States. At Polaris, Anjana is architecting Polaris’s web3 & human rights strategy, is the creator of the “Mission Engineering” methodology, and built a robust strategy to defend the organization against disinformation threats by violent extremist groups.
Anjana has a prolific career as a public interest technologist. She is the former CTO of Callisto, a nonprofit that builds tech to combat sexual assault. She currently is a Visiting Practitioner at Cornell Tech and was a Tech Policy Fellow at the Aspen Institute. She has served as an independent consultant for the Homeland Security Advisory Council and has testified before Congress.
Anjana is a former Y Combinator founder, a Palantir alum, and a graduate from Cornell University’s engineering school. She is also a former elite triathlete who raced for Team USA.

Startups and Society Initiative
SSI a non-profit project whose mission is to support founders and investors in building and funding more equitable, socially responsible, and world-positive companies.