![\"Friederike](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753280529_569_960x0.jpg\")
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Friederike Ernst is an Ivy League physicist, co-founder of Web3 company Gnosis, and a mother of four … More children under 10.<\/p>\n
Friederike Ernst <\/p>\n
At the age of 12, Friederike Ernst\u2019s father handed her a copy of theoretical physicist Simon Singh\u2019s The Code Book<\/a>, sparking a lifelong interest in cryptography. The gift was prescient; Friederike went on to study physics to post-doctoral level at Stanford and Colombia, before transitioning to the world of tech.<\/p>\n \u201cI have always loved building things. I could have been a very happy carpenter,\u201d says Friederike, co-founder of Web3 company Gnosis<\/a>. \u201cI enjoy being in a place where I can shape things, and the next iteration of the internet, known as \u2018Web3\u2019 or the decentralised web, is one of the areas where we can create a better society for all.\u201d<\/p>\n Through our conversation, one theme came through consistently – an engrained distrust of authority and the idea of empowering people with agency. That is the fundamental value that underscores her mission-driven work in the tech space – creating the infrastructure that gives power and autonomy back to people, rather than to huge corporations.<\/p>\n \u201cLabels really don\u2019t matter\u201d – the changing face of tech for women<\/p>\n The businesswoman in glasses standing near the display<\/p>\n getty<\/p>\n At 22, she was the only woman in her class, but she says it\u2019s rare to be the sole woman these days: \u201cWe\u2019ve made tremendous progress. We don\u2019t need to get to 50:50 representation in every field – it\u2019s true that generally speaking men and women have different interests – but a certain level of diversity is important\u201d. She adds that as the only woman, there is a burden to prove yourself not just on your own behalf, but as a representative of women everywhere.<\/p>\n Today, Friederike is a mother of four children aged between one and nine years old, and she challenges the idea that tech is a hostile space for women. \u201cIn the beginning, they can underestimate you, but I feel really appreciated for my contributions. Some say it\u2019s not a good place for mothers but I haven\u2019t found that to be the case. If you\u2019re smart, driven, and making a contribution, labels really don\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Power (and profit) to the people<\/p>\n Growing up in Germany, Friederike\u2019s values are shaped by counter-cultural cypherpunk ideologies grounded in resisting authority and unchecked capitalism: \u201cI\u2019m a firm believer in agency, just give people the right tools and they can achieve what they want to.\u201c That\u2019s what appeals to her about working in Web3, where decentralisation, privacy, and user ownership are prioritised. At Gnosis<\/a>, she works on developing the infrastructure needed to make that happen across a diverse range of applications and sectors.<\/p>\n She describes Web3 as a do-over of the early internet that allows for shared agency. \u201cThe internet was initially used for a lot of peer-to-peer interactions. Over the last 30 years, a lot of that power has been centralised to accrue value and power to the same 10 companies. Google probably has access to your search history, correspondence, and location – that\u2019s an incredible amount of information – and then they target you with related ads.\u201d<\/p>\n What if we could have similar services without compromising on privacy? Why should we accept that this is the quid pro quo for access to online tools and services?<\/p>\n Reimagining finance for everyone<\/p>\n Concept of decentralized internet. Wide banner. WEB 3 technology concept. WEB 3.0 3d rendering..<\/p>\n getty <\/p>\n Friederike explains that the principle of shared ownership, where communities, not corporations, hold the value they help create, can be applied to money and finance. At its foundation, Web3 is a neutral technology that could be steered in vastly different directions. \u201cWeb3 is a base technology; an infrastructure. It can be used to create a utopia, but it can also be used to build an extremely effective surveillance state,\u201d one advocate said. \u201cWe need to ensure that doesn\u2019t happen, and that privacy is normalised again.\u201d<\/p>\n This is where Gnosis, the company she co-founded, comes in. Gnosis is building the digital tools and systems needed to make financial services more accessible, fair, and decentralised. The idea is simple: instead of profits going to a handful of big banks, tech companies, and intermediaries, the benefits should flow back to the users who actually create the value.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re building the foundations for a more open, equitable internet \u2014 but there\u2019s still a long way to go,\u201d she says. \u201cIn an open financial system, everyone should have equal access to opportunities, no matter where they live. Right now, it\u2019s incredibly difficult for people in some countries to hold foreign currencies or invest in global markets. But that kind of access is essential if we want a fairer world.\u201d<\/p>\n Traditionally, banks have held a lot of power. But today, new technologies make it possible to replace that middleman. Thanks to blockchain, a secure, shared digital ledger, money can now move directly between people without needing a central authority to oversee it. Friederike said: \u201cBitcoin<\/a> was the first example of this. It started as a form of digital cash that people could send to each other without going through a bank. Over time, it evolved into what many now consider \u2018digital gold\u2019 because there\u2019s a limited supply \u2014 which helps protect its value over time.\u201d<\/p>\n