Unstoppable Domains Gifted Blockchain Domain Names to 1M Women in Abu Dhabi
- The announcement was on the heels of a visit by women in web3 to Abu Dhabi
- Abu Dhabi is just one of many cities working with Unstoppable Domains, others to be announced throughout the year
Unstoppable Domains, a decentralized domain name provider, is running a giveaway in collaboration with Abu Dhabi firms to ensure each woman residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital receives a domain name.
The idea came out of a meeting between a delegation of entrepreneurs from the US-based Women of Web3 organization, Access Abu Dhabi — a program that helps women-led business expand into the United Arab Emirates — and the Emirates’ government’s Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).
The mission of the initiative, according to the senior vice president of Unstoppable Domains Sandy Carter, is to give power back to the people. A “domain in Web3 is actually a domain with superpowers,” she said.
Each Unstoppable Domain web name is an NFT that is minted and sold like any other non-fungible token. While users can usually choose whatever domain they want, if available, the giveaway will allow people to secure their given names. The most popular top level domains are .nft, .crypto and .888 — which is popular in China and among Abu Dhabi’s large Chinese population, said Carter.
Tying a domain name to a singular, portable digital identity, whether from Unstoppable Domains or one from competitors such as Ethereum Name Service (ENS), enables the holder to replace complicated crypto wallet addresses and have more control over their data.
Carter told Blockworks that Unstoppable Domains’ vision is to help cities that are interested in educating their citizens on Web3 to get started. Abu Dhabi was the chosen location to kick-start this initiative that aims to educate its citizens on Web3 and support businesswomen. Other cities will be announced throughout the year, according to the company.
Sarah Omolewu, managing partner of Maven Global Access and founder of Access Abu Dhabi, said in a statement, “In a market of expats from more than 200 countries, this initiative could potentially impact the lives of generations of women around the world.”
She added that more and more women are recognizing the value that blockchain technologies have in growing and funding their businesses. But the biggest barrier to entry is making educational opportunities accessible and widespread.
That’s why earlier this year, Carter founded the networking and training group “Unstoppable Women of Web3,” made up of a coalition of companies including Blockchain.com, Deloitte, Google Cloud, Polygon and Consensys. Unstoppable Domains pledged to distribute over $10 million worth of NFT domains to support women in their Web3 journey.
Public figures like supermodel Tyra Banks represented the American delegation at this conference from May 24-26 in Abu Dhabi. Kevin O’Leary, the ‘Shark Tank’ personality and businessman, is an ambassador of Access Abu Dhabi, but was not present at the meeting.
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Ornella HernandezBlockworks
Reporter
Ornella is a Miami-based multimedia journalist covering NFTs, the metaverse and DeFi. Prior to joining Blockworks, she reported for Cointelegraph and has also worked for TV outlets such as CNBC and Telemundo. She originally began investing in ethereum after hearing about it from her dad and hasn’t looked back since. She speaks English, Spanish, French and Italian.
