In November 2021, Grace Clapham-Gadbois, a community builder based in Singapore, created a Facebook group to find like-minded women who wanted to discuss cryptocurrency investments and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It grew quickly, attracting five other co-founders who created a community they called Untam3d, which now boasts more than 1,000 members.

The mission was “to decode the world of web3 for women+, enabling their growth, igniting their potential, and elevating their success.,” Clapham-Gadbois said at the time. (Women+ refers collectively to women and non-binary individuals.)

Web3 has made some big promises - democratizing of the Internet, regained ownership of our data and better opportunities for artists of all kinds to make a living. Then there’s the more transparent digital economy built on the blockchain with immersive experiences included. Groups like Untam3d are making sure those promises are open to all, not just bearded dudes in Silicon Valley.

I sat down with Untam3d co-founder Evelina Lye to understand more about the collective and its evolution since late 2021.

 “We realized that we were standing at the precipice of a new paradigm shift,” Lye explained. “We wanted to be part of the narrative.”

“This cannot be just a Silicon Valley boys playground anymore”

— Evelina Lye

In looking to name the collective, the co-founders sought inspiration from heroines throughout history who broke the norm. These historical figures were described in their time as authority defying, resolutely unconventional and in need of taming. 

“Inspired by them, we are here to redefine and reinvent, to really be part of the conversation around web3 and everything that's going on in it,” Lye said. “We felt an urgency to do something because by the end of 2021, it felt very much that women+ were already being left behind.” 

NFTs emerged last year as a new tool to engage and empower creators and communities. However, the explosive success of Crypto Punks and Bored Ape Yacht Club raised alarm bells, rather than celebration, among some female community leaders involved in or observing the space. It seemed to be a case of history repeating itself, as women were again not being included or invited into the conversation or given access to project creation and the networking and wealth that flowed from it.

“This cannot be just a Silicon Valley boys playground anymore,” Lye said.

An Untam3d event in Singapore

Women have always understood that it takes a village. The move to onboard women+ into web3 and the metaverse has been gathering momentum across the globe as influential industry leaders, entrepreneurs and celebrities are collaborating to educate women on the nuances and opportunities presented by crypto and blockchain.  

The purpose behind this handful of groups has a common thread - to support women to navigate this new space, redress the gender imbalance that has pervaded the past 20 years of the Internet and to make a meaningful impact. 

Untam3d is already devising ways the collective can ensure that governance, sustainability, well-being and social impact are the focus of this new internet era, according to Lye. She believes that diversity and inclusivity are a key part of the answer.

“It is critical for us as women and non-binary individuals to have our voices heard in the future of the Internet. Web3 needs our diverse perspectives to come in and shake the space unlike the Internet of decades before,” Evelina said. 

Untam3d’s focus on Asia Pacific is intentional. In 2021, only 16 percent of NFT sales came from women artists, and less than 1 percent came from the Near East. Globally, men invest in cryptocurrency twice as much as women.

The collective has already started running live events in Singapore to bolster its community. It plans to expand their program into neighboring countries.

This will be a challenge in a region as diverse as Asia Pacific. But if the past six months have shown anything, it’s that the pace of collaboration among women in web3 and the metaverse is rapid fire. Women are openly sharing knowledge and experience they have gleaned from the past 12 months of involvement with the crypto space and passing it on. 

Lye is resolute about the vision and drive behind Untam3d.

“We need to be curious, wild. We need to be tough, and we need to be radically generous with each other to make sure that we have the knowledge and experience to be part of this conversation,” she said.