Vaida Saltenyte

Head of Partnerships, YouHodler

How many years have Youhodler held in the business and if you can share information about your operations and vision?

YouHodler first started in 2017. By the time 2018 came around, we decided to become a crypto lending platform - helping our clients HODL crypto in the bear market while still using its value.

Then, our operations and vision for the future became clear seeing how users were interacting with the products and what they wanted. Fast forward to 2023, and our platform has grown far beyond a simple crypto-lending structure.

We want to create an intuitive, people-centric solution. Therefore it is important to emphasize that we build not only crypto for everyone but finance for everyone.

Fiat currency is not going away. It still has use cases and benefits. There is also cryptocurrency. That comes with its own set of unique benefits. Until now, there was never a solution to harness the benefits of both worlds in one place. That’s what we are creating.

What’s the biggest challenge the crypto sector is facing today, in your opinion?

In my opinion, the biggest challenge the crypto sector is facing today is regulatory uncertainty. Governments are struggling to keep up with the pace of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Hence, there is a lack of unified and consistent regulation. As we see, the technology adoption is global, but the regulation is local. As a result, businesses and investors are also confused about how to proceed - ultimately hindering innovation in the sector.

A close second to regulatory uncertainty is security. While blockchain tech is secure, many products built around it are not. We all know the high-profile hacks of cryptocurrency exchanges. While people are getting better at self-custody, the risk remains. We need to improve raising awareness and holding those accountable for security misfires.

What is in your opinion the future of crypto and NFTs? And how is YouHodler preparing for it?

Cryptocurrency and NFTs are exhibiting strong staying power. However, the future of this technology depends on a few factors like regulation, market trends and technological advancements. In my opinion, crypto and blockchain tech will continue to evolve, not just in finance, but in every industry. Regardless, YouHodler is preparing for this future in many ways. We do this with help from our clients by listening to them. This client-first approach helps us grow efficiently and sustainably while staying focused on what we first set out to do in 2017.

Furthermore, we are preparing ourselves through various licenses and partnerships. For example, our Swiss FinTech license is in progress which will help us build financial bridges between Web2 and Web3. Furthermore, we have already established local entities of subsidiaries in Italy and France. Or recently announced integration with Ledger and many other upcoming strategic partnerships show our position on long lasting collaborations. . Recent launch of our B2B offering also expands the possibilities not only for us but also for other companies, like crypto wallets, to significantly increase their revenue when working with YouHodler.

Which powerful woman do you admire the most?

I would not like to distinguish one or two particular women. I have many individuals that I admire a lot. Yet I discover new inspirations every day. I admire strong powerful women who led the countries and are not between us anymore and I admire the young brave women of new generations.

However, I truly believe in the extreme benefits of having a strong woman support circle. Not only friendship circle, but business network, where professional and personal experiences can be shared without a judgment or prejudice - just pure help. This comes not only at the same level of occupation or job title, but also mentoring and guiding team members to unleash their full potential. This is true power.

The action or decision you’re most proud of?

I got personally interested in the cryptocurrency industry in 2016 and in 2017 I joined my first job in a crypto project. Since then there have been many ups and downs, new projects, companies and industry events. But exactly because it is such an active and rapidly changing industry, I believe it was truly the best choice to dive full in and build expertise.

Now, 6 years later, I can share some nice and some horror stories from my past around different crypto industry events and how that impacted the professional and personal environment, but all of them build an irreplaceable experience that I can put to work every day and help my team to build such knowledge or advise partners on best ways to build value in this space.

What’s your view on motherhood and career?

To be honest, I do not understand why it should even be a question at all. I believe it is a matter of choice and each of us see it differently. Anything a woman chooses should be supported either way. To be a full time mom, to pursue a full time career only or to combine both - these all are full time jobs and should be respected as such.

I would like to have children one day and I would like to have my career too. I am sure this will come with its own challenges but having an understanding and supportive partner is the key. It is time to move the expectations from women having to raise the children alone. If two people brought a child into this world, both parents should raise their children equally. Therefore in such a case, the career question either would not apply at all, or would apply for both.

What advice would you give to young women who wish to enter the business world?

I would like to emphasize two things. First, educate yourself as crazy. There is not enough time to consume all the knowledge there is so while self education is extremely important, building personal network is even more so. Educate and network (partying on friday nights does not count as networking) as much as possible. Find professional events that are interesting to you, joining local meetups, online webinars, online programs - invest in yourself. This will allow me to learn from other people and their experiences as well.

And secondly - find a mentor or few mentors. We cannot know everything about life or business and career when we start, so having people with whom you can talk about your ambitions and desires is crucial for your success - remember to build that support circle, it will be priceless. I wish someone had told me this when I was young.

Vaida has over 12 years experience of working in finance and crypto companies, specializing in marketing and strategic partnership activities.

Passionate about cryptocurrencies, new technology, and entrepreneurship she easily identifies growth and collaboration opportunities in any situation.

Marilena