Chana Kanzen: Adventures web3 Wonderland
RektAlice takes on Tech Education, Rug Radio Partnerships, Women's Leadership and the web3 Rabbit Hole
Chana Kanzen (rektAlice) worked her way through school to be a teacher, and she hasn’t stopped since. From educational non-profit founder to tech business leader to women in web3 advocate, this trailblazing Londoner is making an IRL difference in the world.
Can you tell me a little bit about your background in education, how it brought you to the technology field, and how it shaped your participation in web3?
I started my career as a teacher and worked my way up. Unfortunately, due to my home circumstances I was unable to go to university after school as I had to work, so got a job as a teaching assistant and studied at nights, while I worked. I graduated with an Honors Bachelor Degree in education when I was pregnant with my first daughter. I’ve always been very driven and loved teaching and educating the next generation. I feel that there’s nothing more important.
I was headhunted to start a school which I did for five years and while there, it was the beginning of the tech boom, and SmartBoards were put in every classroom. I was fascinated by how kids were drawn to technology and like any committed teacher, I knew that if I wanted to be where my kids were at, I had to get my head around it, so I left teaching and I formed an educational technology charity that was dedicated to providing cutting-edge resources for elementary school aged kids. I jumped into this naively, placed with no experience, and built it up from my kitchen table into a successful global NGO that reached over 1 million kids in over 100 countries. I had experiences like hosting a fundraising dinner at Google HQ, launching our first iOS app at Apple HQ NYC and speaking at Oxford University. It was quite a ride!
Being immersed in tech development in web 2, I managed multiple dev teams and took multiple products to market. As the CEO, I was responsible for fundraising and raised many millions through HNW tech entrepreneurs/philanthropists around the world. The role gave me many of the skills that I have today. It was really tough, NGL but it all came together when Covid hit, and it was as if we had created the nonprofit just for that moment! During Covid when the world stopped, we all worked non-stop for two years, and by the end I was completely burnt out.
At the same time while all of this was going on, in 2018 I discovered Bitcoin and remember the moment I read Satoshi’s whitepaper, one Friday night on my couch. It was a lightbulb moment for me being in tech, and also seeing where the world was at - for me, there was no other answer! Cryptocurrency and decentralization was for me, the only option for the global economic crisis and equality. I delved into crypto and was one of the only women on crypto Twitter at that time. I was undoxxed, and experienced the highs and lows of an emerging alternative financial structure. I learned a great deal and then DeFi summer hit. I was excited about the potential of DeFi and as an entrepreneur at heart, I knew at that point that I had to work in web3 full-time. I made the extremely hard decision of leaving the NGO that I had founded to step into the world of web3. I left to become a partner in a DeFi Hedge fund, but at the same time discovered NFTs, and there was no turning back. The NFT sector just checked too many boxes for me and there was a clear crossover between Defi and NFTs that I could see emerging.
I became an early adopter and active in the early emerging NFT space, especially in London. It was a magical time, and I feel so lucky to have experienced it. I preferred to keep my profile behind the scenes but am honored and privileged to know some of the most effective builders in the space and have formed deep friendships and relationships as a result. In fact, my current job now was a result of friendships made in London in the early NFT days.
You’re a strong advocate for women in the web3 and technology spaces. Can you describe some of the organizations that you’ve worked with and founded to support women in the field?
It’s so funny that I’m called a women's advocate, as I don’t really think much about it day to day and you won’t really find me in many women’s spaces! I feel just as comfortable working in a male environment, which is especially good when working in tech! But I have two daughters and to be honest, find it very difficult to understand why there are so few women in the tech space when it’s such an ideal job for a woman to do. The biggest frustration for me is the higher up you go the less women there are. Women in C level positions are constantly walking into boardrooms full of men. Dev teams are full of men. Investor rooms are full of men.
In my opinion, this lack of diversity will not create the world we need and deserve. It will not create the products we need or deserve, and it will not create the companies we need or deserve.
When I was attending those early NFT events and meetups in London, I started making a beeline to the very few women in the room. I’m a natural networker and took their details, and what I discovered was that each woman I met was charismatic, innovative, brave and amazing. After a while of “collecting” amazing women I decided to form a WhatsApp group so that we could all meet each other. My only goal was to share these amazing women with each other. I had no idea that bringing together a group of headstrong, stubborn, brilliant women would result in the forming of the first legally incorporated DAO in the UK called London Women Leading Web3, which is now a legendary organization, and we have waiting lists of women who are applying to join. We have some incredible founding members and the success of the organization is testament to them.
This is something we all do in our spare time for no other reason than to give back and support women in senior positions who are often alone. LWLW3 now has 50+ women members and will continue to grow in a structured and curated way.
Its mission is to support women gamechangers, break the cycle for future female generations - and it is something I’m deeply proud of.
Congratulations on your new position as Head of Partnerships with Rug Radio! How did you get involved with Rug Radio, and how did your participation lead to the new position? Can you tell us more about what Head of Partnerships entails?
Thank you! My earliest memory of Rug Radio is while I was on my daily Covid run and listening during lockdown. I had never committed to something else with such regularity. I had a thirst for learning about NFTs as I knew the technology was going to be world changing and revolutionary. I started to search for spaces, as that was the only form of education back then. Most of them were extremely disappointing! Rug Radio’s GM Web3 show was the first show where I learnt something new each day and became my go-to listen each day. I became a lifelong fan from then on.
I was close with Mando and OSF from the London web3 scene, and when the partnerships position came up at Rug Radio, they thought of me for the role.
At the time I had been working as a consultant for Animoca’s subsidiary Tiny Tap - a fantastic educational Blockchain solution, as well as multiple other corporate web3 advisory roles. As soon as I was told about the job, I knew it was my dream role! To work with a company that has been part of my life on a daily basis for two years and helped shape my knowledge and love of the space, was an opportunity I could not say no to.
From the first day it has been a natural fit. I’ve worked in a start-up tech environment for many years with multiple teams, but I have to say the Rug Radio team surpasses them all. It’s very rare when you look behind the scenes at a project and it’s even more impressive, and I can honestly say that if you aren’t bullish on Rug Radio now, you’re missing a trick.
My day-to-day role as head of partnerships has many aspects to it. I design standard operating procedures and put pipelines in place so we can grow in a manageable way (Rug Radio is currently growing at the rate of 82% per month based on Jan - April 2023). I manage and cultivate relationships with every level of partner, and my goal is to ensure client satisfaction at the highest level whilst helping our partners meet their goals.
Most importantly, as Farokh says, regularly all of us in the RR team wake up each day wanting to make this space better, and that is what I have in front and foremost of my mind during every conversation we have with partners.
What benefits do you see from participation in IRL web3 and technology events? Can you tell us about one of your favorites?
IRL events are essential in this community because the majority of our time is behind a screen and it’s quite insular, lonely and unsustainable as human beings. Human social interaction is crucial and lifts the soul. Events have become crucially important because we have such a creative community.
It’s really easy to identify my favourite event. It was in a pub in Shoreditch, London in 2021 where I attended the first ever NFT UK meetup. I’m not sure words can express the feeling that was in the room that night. It was literally like we had finally found our people and it was very special. I floated home and treasure my first ever POAP from that event. We were all early and we were not sure where this was going to go, but we knew there was nowhere else we would rather be. That evening will be treasured in my memory for the rest of my life, and I feel it will be part of web3 history.
One of the unique aspects of Rug Radio is the diversity of its participants and creators. How do you feel your personal background and your work with your educational non-profit, Jewish Interactive, has strengthened your work in the web3 field?
To be honest, I have very mixed feelings about this, and I am very proud of the inclusivity diversity and respect that I have been given at Rug Radio. It is a model of a truly inclusive company and I would never work in any other circumstances. Having a diverse group of people in any company will ultimately lead to greater success because otherwise you’re just working in an echo chamber. It is so important and valuable to have opinions from people from all walks of life. I am thrilled to say that I have never experienced any racism or antisemitism in web3 at all. I feel that the people in this space are naturally accepting and inclusive- I love to see it! If web3 could be a microcosm for the world, it really would be a better place.
I feel that traditions and cultures are really valuable and make us part of who we are, and I love to learn about and experience other traditions and celebrate diversity.
Aside from Rug Radio, what is your favorite NFT project or piece of NFT artwork?
It’s really hard for me to share one as there are so many unique and wonderful projects out there, but if I have to choose, I would have to go for the following:
REKTguy, because it’s so much more than just an NFT project. It captured an experience that we were all going through and symbolizes a moment in time. I think for me all my favorite NFT projects symbolize a moment in time. I definitely aspire to owning OSF’s “Carnaby Street” 1/1 at some point and think it could be my favorite NFT.
Jen Stark because not only is she one of the nicest people you could ever meet, but her art comes from her very core of who she is - Sun and Rainbows! She embodies it - just from being around her, I was happier. Whenever I see her pieces I smile, and I have her stickers everywhere!
Punk 6529’s memes because firstly, the impact that he has had on our space is truly immeasurable. I have tremendous respect for his work and his vision - and his podcasts are my favorite things to listen to. I have some of his Memes including his first ever GM tweet, and don’t care really about the value because for me again it is symbolic of my journey and something I will never sell.
What hobby or pastime outside of work and web3 do you enjoy?
I love to be anywhere green and you will often find me in a forest or planting. Believe it or not I used to paint children’s murals once upon a time. I don’t often get time to paint, but it’s something that I aspire to do when I have more time and is one of my favorite pastimes.
I am also a proud mum of three amazing children who are all going into tech, and raising them has definitely been my proudest achievement.
How did Chana choose the name rektAlice? When she discovered crypto, she fell down the rabbit hole and honestly felt like Alice - confused and bumping into mad hatters. And, with her original mint of rektguy, she added “rekt.” But names are deceptive! Today, Chana’s navigating the path forward toward inclusivity and success for all in web3. Thank you, Chana, for sharing your story!