Can you tell us about yourself? 

I am Charlotte, and I am 33 years old. I have a background in financial mathematics and data science. I used to work as a Quantitative Analyst in TradFi for different types of organizations (asset management company, hedge fund, broker). I moved into the blockchain space in 2017 and joined ConsenSys, where I was part of the team working on a project aiming at building a decentralized derivatives trading platform. It was basically DeFi before DeFi was a thing. I co-founded Atlendis Labs with 3 former colleagues from ConsenSys in 2021.

Can you tell us about your role at Atlendis Labs? What opportunities and challenges are you working on?

As Atlendis Labs' Chief Research Officer, I am responsible for defining the financial aspects of the Atlendis protocol. This includes, on the upstream side, contributing to the whitepaper that defines the financial specifications that will then be implemented into the smart contracts. On the downstream side, it also includes developing a simulation engine as well as a testing framework that ensures financial specifications are in line with the implementation. 

Unlike most people in blockchain, I am a big Python fan, so I mostly code in Python and use Brownie to interact with the Solidity contracts. I mainly interact with the engineering team, but also marketing and our general counsel. 

As Atlendis Labs' co-founder, I also work on other important aspects that impact the business such as the company strategy, the product roadmap, recruiting, etc.

How and when did blockchain and Ethereum appear on your radar?

In 2017, I was introduced to blockchain technology by my brother and then I joined ConsenSys. Coming from TradFi, I obviously got really excited about this new financial paradigm that enables DeFi solutions - not only the technology behind it, but I also became hooked on the community. 

Which projects are you excited about at Atlendis Labs?

All of them! We have managed to recruit amazing talent and what the team members are all working on is very exciting. This goes from dApp development, marketing and communications, brand creation, design, growth and community building, to working on a legal framework that fits our transition to a DAO. I feel very grateful to be part of such a dynamic team.

What do you wish more people knew about Ethereum and the ecosystem?

Well, unlike popular beliefs, it was not created to finance illegal activities. More seriously, Ethereum is still not as well known as Bitcoin and most people don’t understand that Ethereum is not only a means of exchange, but it is a programmable blockchain with all the potential use cases that can go with it. The ecosystem is also super-friendly and knowledge sharing is one of the core values of the blockchain ecosystem, which I find really cool.

What challenges do women run into getting started with DeFi?

For now, women are quite underrepresented in the blockchain ecosystem, but some projects are heavily working on this (for instance she256, SheFi, etc.) and I am very grateful to them.

Regarding the challenges that women can run into when getting started in DeFi, there is a lot of jargon and information overloading that can be scary at first.

There is also a lack of role models so it’s hard to tell yourself that you can be part of the group when there is no one like you in the group. 

It’s also hard to keep up the pace when you have a career and family. Sometimes I feel that blockchain and crypto are more within reach for the younger and child-free crowd. However, I also see being a woman with two young children in this space as a strength. As I have less time, I tend to prioritize and focus on the most important things and don’t get stuck going down the crypto Twitter rabbit hole for instance. 

Who are your heroes and inspirations? 

I studied mathematics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and I have always had the greatest admiration for my female math teachers, as they were all top-class researchers in their respective fields. 

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?

It never turns out how you expect it to be, so it's great to have plans and a roadmap, but it's even more important to be able to adapt and evolve if necessary.

What’s next for Atlendis Labs? 

At Atlendis Labs, we are focused on our upcoming product launch, and then working on the roadmap for the future.

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