The metaverse is still in development, and leading innovators are heavily involved in shaping the future of how we interact with technology. Similar to the early days of the World Wide Web, when it was still abstract and not yet widely used, some individuals foresaw the digital age long before it arrived. This is precisely what is happening now.

In 2022, Web 3, crypto, and the metaverse experienced significant growth. Many innovators were already immersed in the metaverse, working on various technological advancements. People are investing in Web 3.0 and expecting it to become our new reality.

This time, women are actively participating to ensure inclusivity and accessibility to job opportunities in the metaverse, and to ensure that the metaverse reflects all people, especially those from underrepresented groups who are only beginning to see themselves represented and celebrated in our culture.

This week, we'll reintroduce you to trailblazing women featured in a recent edition of Women of Color magazine. These women are making significant contributions to the metaverse and are equally passionate about creating opportunities for girls and women preparing for a career change.

These female visionaries come from diverse backgrounds, demonstrating that one does not have to start in technology to become a significant player.

Jossie Haines is a vice president at Tile. She is a tech industry veteran and an engineering leader at the forefront of emerging technology across Silicon Valley. As VP of software engineering at Tile, she leads the mobile, backend, web, and platform engineering teams to help users find millions of lost items daily. Haines also led the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and launched their mentoring program.

Haines is dedicated to representing women in tech, with a focus on retaining women in tech, empathy in engineering, and fair management practices to reduce bias and empower all team members. She has given over 40 talks in the last two years, including at the Grace Hopper and Empowered Women of the World conference. Haines is a mentor at the Mentoring Club, Power to Fly, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Plato.

Luise Frohberg is the founder of Taara Quest, a community for game-based female leadership growth in the metaverse. Her vision is to empower women through immersive roleplaying virtual reality simulations to develop their full leadership potential and manifest change in the world. Frohberg believes the metaverse is a tremendous opportunity for women to advance personally and professionally. It is also an emerging world that needs to be co-created by women from the standpoint of safety, inclusivity, and equal access for all.

As a serial entrepreneur, published author, and innovation expert, Frohberg has extensive experience in public and social innovation projects. She co-founded Mindful Innovation's digital innovation startup and designed, taught, and facilitated digital collaboration techniques.

Anne Vetto is a software engineer at Mythical Games, a technology studio, who has made significant strides in promoting diversity in STEM. Her journey from researching neurodegenerative diseases at the University of California San Diego to entering the tech industry was driven by a desire to utilize the creativity of coding and tech's advancements with limited resources. Vetto's influential role as an instructor at Disney's CODE: Rosie internal coding Bootcamp for women and her demonstration of a 3D-printing app at Maker Faire to encourage young girls to create their robot figurines highlight her dedication to diversity.