A few years ago, Victoria Weinfeld began to get curious about NFTs, the non-fungible tokens that were starting to take the world by storm.
She had moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, from New York after the start of the pandemic and taken a step back from her day job to focus on consulting and an NFT project she entered into an incubator program. Weinfeld was intrigued by how Web3 was creating opportunities for artists and musicians.
Shortly thereafter, she moved to Austin, and in 2022 attended her first South by Southwest — blockchain, crypto and Web3 technology were everywhere.
"My conviction around it strengthened," Weinfeld said.
But she wanted to get more connected locally and was "desperate for more women in the space." That led her to start a Meetup group. Weinfeld bought a few bottles of wine and hosted a get-together at South Congress Hotel. More than 20 people showed up.
"I was blown away," she said. "I could not have expected such a strong turnout."
It was there she met co-founder Megan Murray, and the two have built ATX Women in Web3 into a thriving group with more than 300 members. Now they're finding sponsors to help bring together women and those who identify as non-binary for more developed panel conversations.
While she's since gone back to full-time with BrandEd, a digital education company, Weinfeld and her fellows see a lot of opportunity in Web3. ATX Women in Web3 sees it as the next generation of the internet, one focused on ownership and transparency.
Such technology, particularly cryptocurrencies, have taken a hit over the past year as the market has changed and a few bad actors have attracted headlines.
"We see Web3 as something that is here to stay, despite what has happened in the market more broadly speaking," Weinfeld said.
While it may be a tough time for investors, "it is perhaps an optimal time to be a builder," she said.
Where you did grow up and how that has influenced your path and perspectives on life? I grew up in Tampa, Florida, and that was really my kind of childhood through adolescent years. I went to a big public school in Tampa, and later, I went to a small private institution in the Northeast. When I compare those two educational experiences and think about what has driven my life and what I want for my kids' life, I consistently go back to my roots in Tampa and appreciate having gone to public school with a much larger and diverse community. I see a lot of that diversity and community reflected here in Austin, where I've only been for two years. I see a lot and see some similarities between the communities of Tampa and Austin.
Did you have any inklings of wanting to own a business when you were a kid, or did that come later? I definitely did. Before I started having normal summer jobs working in cafes, I used to paint mailboxes in my neighborhood. That, plus babysitting, was how I used to make my spending money. So I think the mailbox business I ran was the first entrepreneurial thing I did, and it certainly set me on that path. I work for a company now, went to business school and worked for a big [consumer packaged goods] company right after business school. But on the side, I've always dabbled in startup life or side projects, and I think some of the elements of my childhood reflect that.
You were captain of the women's track and field team at Dartmouth. How did that experience impact you? Track was such a huge part of my life, a huge part of my upbringing in Tampa where I excelled in high school. When it came time to graduate from high school, I thought about where I might want to go to college. I spent a lot of time looking at programs that were a good academic fit but also that would allow me to continue my athletic pursuits. I think what's interesting about track and field is it's an individual sport, but you come together as a team to try to win. So you do still need someone or a group of people to kind of step into that leadership role to motivate everyone toward that goal. I was a captain in high school and then in college, and that taught me a tremendous amount about leadership and how to relate to people that have different goals and communication styles. That experience is something I bring to my work at BrandEd and community building.
Can you tell us about your experience moving to Austin and launching ATX Women in Web3? My husband was the one who sold us on the idea of the city. I had been here once before but I didn't know a single person when we moved here, and he only knew a few acquaintances. To get to know the city, I needed to get to know the community, but I didn't know where to start. I also had a new baby at the time, and I didn't know where to find other women outside of mom groups. So, I started a Meetup group that now has over 300 people. Being a captain of a sports team and leading a Meetup group in a new city are very similar experiences in terms of getting to know the community, bringing people together and motivating them toward a common goal.
What was your first startup experience and how did it go? My first startup experience was working on something called CulturePass. I've always been passionate about the intersection of art and technology. CulturePass was an AI-powered personal curator that I started sketching out while in business school at NYU. I entered it into a pitch competition and joined their entrepreneurial institute with their summer accelerator program. The idea was that CulturePass was a subscription model that would feed arts and cultural event recommendations based on users' interests or cultural learning goals. It had an educational component to it. Although it was an amazing experience, it ultimately wasn't sustainable due to timing, resources and team issues. I learned a lot from this experience and have good memories.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in town? And if so, do you got a favorite dish there? That's really hard. One thing that's been delightful about coming to Austin has been the food scene. I guess it kind of depends on my mood. I love dim sum at Lin Asian Bar, and I was so delighted to come to Austin and realize there was just such a great ranges of food here and dim sum being one of them. I think they have some of the best in town. We are right next to Terry Black's BBQ. You can't beat that. It's so great to walk over there and get some brisket. I love Clark's for oysters. And Loro — I just think Asian meets Texas barbecue is unstoppable.
Victoria Weinfeld
Title: Co-founder, ATX Women in Web3; director of global marketing, BrandEd
Age: 37
Family: Husband, Alán; 2-year-old son, Anderson, and another baby on the way
Education: MBA, NYU Stern School of Business; bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
