When Alena Afanaseva founded BeInCrypto in 2018, she set out to create a newsroom that was both global and truly decentralised in spirit. Today, the company employs more than 150 people across over 50 countries, publishing in 26 languages and reaching more than seven million monthly readers. It is the only fully remote crypto news outlet operating at scale, and its board is 78 per cent female, in stark contrast to the industry, where women hold just 6 per cent of CEO positions and 22.4 per cent of leadership roles.
Week 3 – Alena Afanaseva, Co-Founder, BeInCrypto
For Afanaseva, this diversity is not a statistic to be engineered, but the natural outcome of an organisational culture built on trust, inclusion, and high-calibre hiring. “Everything begins and ends with people,” she says. Her decision to hire experienced HR professionals early on ensured that BeInCrypto’s growth was anchored in strong cultural foundations.
While Web3 is often touted as meritocratic, Afanaseva has seen that traditional power structures can still re-emerge. She believes decentralisation can be a force for change, but only with deliberate action.
“Tokenised governance, transparent funding, gender-diverse DAOs, and early-stage onboarding for women are essential measures to prevent history from repeating itself,” she says.
Her own leadership style is shaped by a focus on results and clear communication. Afanaseva admits she does not always notice gender bias, largely because she makes data the centrepiece of every discussion. “That approach tends to leave little room for others to question my professionalism or authority,” she notes. Still, she recalls an event where attendees assumed her husband, who works in fintech, must be the founder of BeInCrypto. The moment was a reminder of how persistent some assumptions remain, even in a sector that prides itself on disruption.
Trust is a recurring theme in her leadership philosophy. In what is often described as a “trustless” ecosystem, she has found that human connection is still indispensable. Transparency, empathy, and consistency are her tools, not because she is a woman, but because they build durable relationships in any context. At the same time, she recognises that many women bring an open, collaborative communication style well suited to the decentralised, cross-cultural environment of Web3.
BeInCrypto’s structure reflects that belief. Seventy per cent of its departments are led by women, without quotas or mandates. Afanaseva argues that women often excel at listening across cultures, mediating differences, and ensuring all voices are heard, qualities that drive both morale and innovation.
Her advice to women entering technical fields is pragmatic: don’t let jargon or lack of a traditional tech background be a barrier. “Curiosity, consistency, and confidence go a long way,” she says. She advocates for seeking mentors, working with people who challenge you, and taking up space even when in the minority.
Afanaseva’s own career path is evidence of this philosophy. She moved from translation to financial analysis, into media and product management, before launching BeInCrypto, not through a linear plan, but by following a desire to understand how things work. Each role added to her skill set, enabling her to build a complex media platform from scratch.
She has also bridged two very different worlds: grassroots blockchain communities and formal regulatory arenas. Her conclusion is that the same values, transparency and trust, underpin credibility in both. Women, she says, often bring an integrative style that values long-term thinking and collaboration, which can help align rapid innovation with the slower pace of regulation.
Looking ahead, Afanaseva sees the convergence of AI and blockchain as a pivotal moment. She warns that much of the governance conversation remains dominated by a narrow demographic, and urges more women to step into those debates.
“We are not just building new technologies, but shaping the moral architecture of the future,” she says. Inclusivity, she argues, must be embedded by design, starting with who writes the rules.
Her leadership principles were shaped early in her career. At 24, she left a company she had helped grow, disillusioned by its strategic direction. Soon after, a respected former CEO encouraged her to take charge of the very operation she had left. His advice, to fly to the head office, present her vision, and show she was ready to lead, became a turning point. “Sometimes,” she says, “you just need somebody to have a little trust in you.”
Outside of work, Afanaseva credits her children with teaching her to see the world through different generational perspectives, keeping her grounded and open to change.
She believes the next generation of female leaders will benefit from more mentorship programmes, accessible resources, women-led conferences, and networking opportunities. Building strong community relationships early, she says, helps break down barriers that might otherwise seem insurmountable.
When asked for her three core pieces of advice for young women aiming for leadership in Web3, she distils her experience into three principles:
Be curious. Don’t chase titles; chase experiences. Follow the “why” in every role, even if it leads you into unfamiliar territory. Each new challenge builds breadth and confidence.
Be courageous. Trust your instincts, and accept that failure is part of progress. Courage is not the absence of fear, but action despite it.
Be resilient. Not every project will succeed, but each one will teach you something essential. A failed attempt to digitise a legacy financial magazine early in her career gave Afanaseva insights that proved invaluable later.
From a standing start in 2018 to a leading role in the global blockchain media landscape today, Afanaseva’s trajectory shows what can happen when curiosity meets courage, and resilience turns setbacks into stepping stones. In an industry still grappling with representation, she offers both a model and a mandate: leadership in Web3 will only be as inclusive as the systems we build and the people we choose to put at the table.
