Faizah Naserian, the founder of CryptoHubKe, one of the prominent blockchain communities in the East African region, is a medical biochemist by training. She graduated from the University of Nairobi in 2021 and was a top network marketer throughout her campus days.
After graduating school, Faizah decided not to pursue a career in network marketing because she sought something that will impact many people as well as herself, that was how the foray into the world of blockchain started.
From Forsage to CryptoHubKe
In 2020, Faizah Naserian came across Forsage, a network marketing scheme that paid people commissions through referrals. She pushed forsage in Kenya then and she remarks that she got handsome returns for her effort.
Related post: Founders of popular Crypto Ponzi scheme, Forsage charged for $300m fraud
Six months into Forsage, Faizah made money, lost money, but also realised that the system was not sustainable. The scheme crashed and a lot of people lost money because of her.
“At that time I realised I needed to go down the rabbit hole and understand exactly what blockchain is. That was my entry into blockchain. I decided, which is my nature, to always go public on whatever I am doing.”
That was the birth of CrypoHubKe, which she founded.
She remarks:
“I think my journey has been smooth compared to the story I get and other people that come into the space for years without getting a niche.” –
Faizah Naserian, founder of CryptoHubKe.
Faizah’s highlight in the past year was meeting Vitalik Buterin, Cofounder of the Ethereum blockchain. She describes it as an amazing experience and a dream come true.
“Being vocal about what I do has really helped me. We live in an attention economy. If you’re able to put your skill out there, people will not be able to identify you. That is what the current world wants and that is what has really pushed me forward.”
Commenting on being a stakeholder in an industry mostly dominated by men, Faizah said it was challenging showing up in events and being the only lady in the panel, or moderating a panel full up of men.
“I felt like we needed more ladies in the space and I felt like I was going to be an inspiration by being vocal and showing that I could do it.”
Faizah says men have been supportive of women who show up and she has been able to recruit other women into the space.
CryptoHubKe
Being a network marketer for a while, Faizah Naserian understood how to interact with people and build networks. With this, She started CryptoHubKe, a community that claims to be a path to Web3.
Related post: “Women must find their own paths in Web3” – Yvonne Kagondu, pioneer of Kenyan Blockchain Ladies DAO
With her community building skills, she helped people realise the career opportunities that abound in the blockchain space. According to Faizah Naserian, one of the qualities that make CryptoHubKe stand out among other communities is that they teach members soft skills, rather than telling them what blockchain is about alone.
“How to communicate in the language of web3 and blockchain, to build a resume. We are also focused on other areas of East Africa like Tanzania. How to interact with protocols and position yourself for jobs. We help them identify their niche so that it’s easier for them to navigate.”
The community has around 10,000 members, per Faizah.
Blockchain in Kenya
As a firsthand witness, Faizah Naserian says there has been a lot of crypto adoption in Kenya lately due to the buzz brought about by Worldcoin registration.
“People have gotten to understand crypto and blockchain more. Lots of companies are coming into Africa and they’re putting a lot of money to help people get into web3. There’s a lot of education going on from different communities and different companies. So I can say the adoption rate is higher than last year and previous years. People are getting to understand that there are opportunities.” –
Faizah Naserian.
On the other side, Faizah Naserian says the Kenyan government is finding ways to regulate the ecosystem.
“Recently there was a crypto tax bill that was passed. It was passed because there was no clear way to regulate. People in the crypto space are at a crossroad because they don’t know exactly if the government understands the blockchain or we still need to have a conversation with them.”
Faizah Naserain thinks there is a gap of communication between the communities and also the government.
“But what we know is that the government understands what blockchain is, just that they don’t know how to regulate the asset.”
To her, the way to go is to have a transparent, open conversation between key opinion leaders in the Kenyan blockchain space, and the government.
Hopefully, this comes into place soon.
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