An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
We are at the forefront of a global revolution where companies across the globe are experimenting with technology and applications in the crypto and blockchain space. There’s a lot of volatility and uncertainty. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart.
As a part of our series about Wisdom From The Women Leading The Blockchain Revolution, had the pleasure of interviewing Rosario Pabst.
Rosario is the Chief Product Officer of Horizen Labs and Director of the Zen Blockchain Foundation. Rosario spent the first part of her career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force where she gained expertise leading large technical teams and building R&D satellite software systems. She transitioned to blockchain in 2017 as part of the founding team of the Horizen. Since then, she has gained expertise in building global teams and developing blockchain products. Rosario holds a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University and a Masters of Science from Loyola University.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share with us the story of how you decided to pursue this career path? What lessons can others learn from your story?
Many things have happened along my career path by chance. I started my career in the US Air Force, where I was an officer and served for 10 years. At university, I was an ROTC cadet. That’s one of three ways you can become an officer in the military. I had a calling to serve, endure hardship, and gain discipline. That choice led me to a career in the technology side of the Air Force, working in software.
An important lesson I’ve realized along the way is you cannot plan things too strictly. Life happens. As perspective and priorities shift, you have to be nimble to navigate through it. Having a framework with objectives along the way is definitely the way to go. I learned this from my husband.
Another lesson is that putting in work always pays off. I was always one of the hardest working from the moment I started my career. First in, last out type of attitude. It paid off and I was able to have opportunities along the way because of it.
Can you tell me about the most interesting projects you are working on now?
So many. Our team has deep, specialized expertise in zero knowledge proofs, a privacy technology. I am excited to bring applications merging the transparency of blockchain with privacy preserving technology. We believe this will have huge implications within the blockchain industry and beyond.
I’m also excited to be a participant of the Bored Ape Yacht Club / Ape ecosystem. We are potentially building out a staking protocol in Web3 for the hottest project in crypto and launching Tokenmint a codeless application to launch tokens and NFTson Zendoo, our innovative interoperability protocol.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Without getting too cheesy, both of my parents contributed greatly to who I am today. My father was an intellectual and my mother has an impeccable work ethic. My dad instilled the value of education and independent thinking. My mother instilled the value of independence and hard work. My older siblings ]took those values into execution. As an example, I watched my brother leave our house after high school with $500 and eventually become an executive. We both had hardships that made us want to strive. I think overcoming hardship, however it presents itself, allows individuals to grow and find success.
I am also very appreciative of the mentors I had in my Air Force career. Other smart intellectuals and leaders working on complex technology systems. I was very fortunate in my career in the military to have mentors who helped me grow along the way. I always say the military was an equalizer and enabled me to grow. I thrived in a go-getter aggressive culture that might have been a turnoff in a different industry. I’m still in touch with many of my former bosses who cultivated me as a leader early in my military career.
I wouldn’t be in blockchain without my husband, who introduced me to this crazy space. I’m really lucky I found a partner who is not intimidated by my personality or my success. He’s constantly growing and we both push ourselves to improve. Having a relationship with someone who allows you to grow, pushes you and inspires you is very important.
What are the 3 things that most excite you about blockchain and crypto? Why?
I love that we are building technology to equalize the playing field around the world and across industries.
Having grown up in Central America, I saw firsthand some heavy socio economic problems: lack of transparency, lack of participation and arbitrary enforcement. All of these issues can be solved with blockchains.
I am not naive to think it’s a pure technology problem. However, blockchains are the first step in providing transparency. Rules are known and enforced through software. Therefore, no one has to give you permission to participate. This access is extremely powerful.
Another thing that excites me about the industry now is the “leveling up” and the quality of people entering the space. I see this everyday at Horizen Labs, with the cadre of new hires. I love working with people smarter than me, who can push us to the next level as an industry.
What are the 3 things that worry you about blockchain and crypto? Why?
Crypto is not for the faint of heart. It can be wild. Throughout the years, I’ve seen a lot of ponzi schemes and scams. Many are seduced by the idea of becoming rich quickly and sometimes that leads to bad decisions. Money isn’t always the best incentive. You can see people pushing projects they own tokens of.
A general concern you will hear is regulatory uncertainty. However, the lawyers can answer this one. I’m not versed to answer that question in detail.
Another issue I see in crypto is the ‘bro culture,’ although I’ve seen that lessen over the years with more professionals entering the space. When I first entered the space in 2016-, there were a lot of toxic communities. I generally feel that things are improving in that respect and that there’s more openness and inclusivity.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share a story?
The technology we build provides people with access and ownership. As a company, Horizen Labs and the Horizen ecosystem employ people from all over the world. Web2 opened the doors with the internet and applications. Web3, thanks to blockchain, is expanding a borderless world. As I mentioned, living in Central America, I saw firsthand how people struggled to find work. I love that this industry is global and the opportunities for participation are boundless.
Personally, I think education is key and critical to success. I focus my charitable efforts on providing people opportunities to learn English and sponsor coding boot camps where I live today.
As you know there are not that many women in your industry. Can you share 5 things that you would advise to other women in the blockchain space to thrive?
If you’d like to join the blockchain industry, it is key to take advantage of the resources available and learn as much as you can. Many projects have Academies, like Horizon Academy, that provides an introduction to advanced educational content. Another piece of advice is to become a super user of blockchain technology and web3 apps. That’s the easiest way to become immersed in the space and its communities.
We are at the forefront of a global revolution where companies across the globe are experimenting with technology and applications in the crypto and blockchain space. There’s a lot of volatility and uncertainty. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart.
I came from extremely traditional industry. The volatility made me very uncomfortable at first and it still does. But I have found that I’ve become very confident with uncertainty and making micro-decisions along the way.
My last piece of advice for women might be controversial. A lot of motivational messages assert that we can do it all — build a career and family at the same time. Although this might be true for many, there are also situations where you have to choose one over the other. I personally chose to delay marriage and kids. This choice allowed me to fully focus on my career without burning myself out. On the other hand, while I was in the Air Force, I had an excellent role model — a three-star general that had raised a family, got her Ph.D. and served her country. She was certainly proof that you can have it all and that it is feasible, but it’s also ok to remember that you have to make the right choice for you.
Can you advise what is needed to engage more women into the blockchain industry?
The blockchain space can be crude, which can be a detractor to women entering the space. As the industry matures, the crudeness has and will continue to become less prevalent.
As an example, Horizen went from being a complete open source anarchist project to a structured welcoming organization that is guided by a core set of values: Integrity, Passion, Empowerment, Collaboration and Innovation
When I first joined Horizen, I was uncomfortable with the anonymity that the open source community provided some developers as it could lead to toxic behavior that was difficult to confront. At the time, I decided to take a break, but then changed my mind. Rather than run from the potential pitfalls, I decided to re-join and help build the company we have today…one that I’m proud to be part of each day.
What is your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that had relevance to your own life?
I have a mantra that says, “Little things have a big impact.” I truly believe small incremental changes have tremendous impact over time. I focus my life around on a set of values, starting with excellence from my Air Force days. The saying “excellence in all we do” is so applicable to every situation, especially if you are career focused. The other is that details matter sometimes. Knowing when it doesn’t matter is just as important as knowing when they do.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Well, I would say I’m living the movement now. Blockchain will become part of everyone’s life one day. I cannot wait for the day it’s so integrated and mainstream that people don’t even realize that they’re using it.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can reach out to me on twitter or linkedin @rosariopabst and also follow @horizenglobal on Twitter or join our discord community.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Wisdom From The Women Leading The Blockchain Revolution With Rosario Pabst Of Horizen was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
