Juliette Chevalier

What is your background?

After working for the government of Panama for a few years, I suffered the growing pains of bureaucratic administrations - quickly realizing the consequences of using 20th century tooling for 21st century problems.

As a result, I dove deep into automated processes that could make governmental work more efficient and effective. A few rabbit holes in, I fell in love with the power of blockchain and software to disrupt the political space. I then quit my job, moved to Berlin, and enrolled in Le Wagon Coding Bootcamp to learn how to code.

Years later, today I work as a Developer Advocate for Aragon, helping engineers around the world build DAOs. Additionally, I’m the co-founder and Engineering lead for Surge Women, an organization focused on onboarding and securing women’s place in Web3.

How did you become interested in Web3?

I was first amused by blockchain technology my senior year of highschool after attending a libertarian event where the speaker described Bitcoin as digital gold.

Fast forward a few years, I kept dreaming of a universal currency as I majored in Political Science and International Studies in university. I wrote several articles on the power of cryptocurrencies and I’ll never forget my professor taking away points because he felt my writing was “unrealistic.”

However, it wasn’t until I worked for the government of Panama that I truly grasped crypto’s super power in distributed information and security. I quickly became obsessed with using the technology to decrease political corruption.

I went from tokens to ICOs to DAOs in the span of a few months. I knew then I was hooked.

How did you get started?

I got started, like most people, as an investor. I remember trying to buy my first Bitcoin back in 2011, but struggle after struggle, I eventually gave up.

By 2017 it was clear I had made a huge mistake. By then, I decided I wanted to launch my own political tech blockchain startup to disrupt the corrupt politics of Latin America. I crafted the business model, built a team, structured internal processes, but when it came down to start building the actual product, I froze. 

I knew nothing about the technical side of digital products and after a few engineering interviews and lots of rabbit holes, I realized I needed to understand programming to become an industry leader. I had to learn to code.

My journey then took me to a coding bootcamp, which led to teaching opportunities around the world, freelance gigs, and a job as an engineer for a software development firm. 

Fast forward a few years and I am now in a very similar spot to where I started. Founding my own blockchain project and working to help people better coordinate and collaborate.

What is your role and what do you do?

I’m a co-founder at Surge Women and Engineering Lead, where we focus on onboarding and securing women’s place in Web3. I lead long-term strategy, design the project’s architecture, and help manage the work that the organization is building.

I’m also a Developer Advocate at Aragon, which means that I help engineers build DAOs. I do this by guiding teams through our product, crafting educational strategies, presenting at conferences, and designing a developer portal for our community.

What do you look for in new hires?

Curiosity, proactivity, and clear communication skills. The magic triad for any great contributor.

Any tips for aspiring Web3 founders?

Building in public is the best tip to get exponential value.

Those who know more than you will reach out to help, those who know less will market you as an expert in the community. We all benefit from seeing the space grow.