Emma Cui Steps Into A New Frontier

Former banker steps into a new frontier where innovative ideas are building bridges to link it with the rest of the world.

- Ian De Cotta

Women are the minority in the male-dominated world of information technology start-ups – just 29 percent according to research by Carta, a leading software platform for managing equity and ownership. What makes Emma Cui even more exceptional is that she is CEO of Longhash, an incubator of start-ups whose ideas are unlocking the full potential of blockchain. She says the number of women in this sector is even smaller, consisting of only 14.5 percent overall and just 7 percent in executive positions.

There are two key challenges women face not only in tech, but across all industries, she points out. “Most of the established industry players are male, so we have to be more diligent in getting sponsorship for our projects. Secondly, we have to travel constantly to keep up with the industry's evolving technology and landscape and this makes it hard for a woman, especially if she is raising children.”

But Cui believes women can thrive in start-ups because of the culture of “embracing change” in this industry. When she made the plunge to get into the blockchain, she recognized it was the future and wanted to be a part of its development.