By Viktoriya Chaplytska & Candy Angel
Now, more than ever, it is important for women to stick together. We need to be rooting each other on and supporting one another in every way possible. It has been a long road in the tech and cannabis industries for women. Two of our women leaders talk about being a woman in both sectors in the context of a couple of recent events:
WonderWomen Tech Conference
Viktoriya Chaplytska: Last month, I was once again invited to open up the second day of the WonderWomanTech Annual Conference in Long Beach, CA. I got the opportunity to speak about Weedmaps and share my own experience as a woman in a technical role and in the tech and cannabis industries.
As a woman and a first-generation immigrant who still speaks with a strong accent, I have faced many challenges in my career. I always try to see a challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. All my experiences allowed me to grow personally and professionally and helped me to become more compassionate, understanding, and supportive of others. I learned to become a better listener, always try to understand someone else’s perspective, and appreciate different points of view.
These types of events are incredible platforms to share experiences, get inspired by fellow WonderWomen, and learn about the exciting work that many companies are doing in making diversity a priority within, and outside of, their organizations. In this vein, I was excited that I was able to promote awareness around our mission to power a transparent and inclusive global cannabis economy.
This mission is not a small thing for me. Seeing inclusivity become a core part of our company mission and ethos, and seeing the company mobilize to execute against this promise, is incredibly rewarding. This is particularly true for a company that sits at the intersection of two white, male-dominated industries (tech and cannabis) that do not have the best track records for inclusivity. I couldn’t be more appreciative of my work environment, where I’m surrounded by people that share the same values. I feel very proud and humbled to be part of something so meaningful and powerful. It fuels my drive to make an impact and to do better every day.
MJBizCon Women’s LunchMixer
Candy Angel: Being the first female employee at Weedmaps nearly 10 years ago and speaking with mostly men who owned dispensaries the first couple of years, it was difficult to be heard. Today, I am proud to say that the Weedmaps staff is nearly 50% female!
Since I started working in cannabis, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many successful women in this industry, and what started as a few and far between occurrences has certainly changed for the better. Many of us have been cheering each other on from the sidelines or just admiring one another on social media. A couple of weeks ago, Weedmaps gave us the opportunity to get many of us together in Vegas during MJBizCon. The event was a great success, with over 50 women coming to celebrate each other, exchange information, and grow together. From tech professionals to growers to consultants to advocates, the room was filled with an eclectic group of women with two things in common: a passion for cannabis, and a natural tendency to kick ass.
To have all of these incredible ladies in one suite at the Wynn was the highlight of the week for me. I’m not alone in this feeling. Some of the women who attended said that they were so excited to meet in person. The part I was most proud of that day was the diversity. The diversity in ethnicities, careers, and geographical locations, we had wonderful, beautiful women from all over the country laughing together, hugging, and most importantly, assuring one another that they have allies in the industry.
We’ve come a long way, but we are still far from our final destination. The history of cannabis is one that is rich in female involvement, and the future should be, too. We need to continue to get together, work together, lift one another, and win together.
