Nour Assili

What is your background?

I am Head of Growth at the Blockchain Acceleration Foundation, a non-profit focused on blockchain education and adoption that addresses the lack of accredited university classes, career opportunities, and funding for student organizations in blockchain-related areas. We achieve this goal by organizing workshops, hackathons, and career fairs, as well as through sourcing funding and sponsors for blockchain organizations and research. My core learning is aligning myself with people who care. I am especially interested in DeFi, Gen Z marketing, and emerging markets in Africa.

How did you become interested in web3?

My interest in web3 started when I was in my home country, Tunisia, where I faced a hard time accessing financial services or international markets. That is when I decided to learn about democratizing finance and banking the unbanked like myself. Decentralization in a world of authoritarianism? Count me in. 

What is your role and what do you do?

As the Growth lizard at BAF, I am working on unlocking the next stage of growth at our foundation. From starting accredited blockchain courses at universities, to establishing partnerships with new blockchain clubs, to organizing events and conferences.

How did you approach your web3 job search?‍

A friend connected me with Cameron Dennis who is the president of BAF. I hopped on a call with him and was fascinated by his story. After a few weeks working at BAF, I decided this is something I want to pursue even further because I strongly believe that it is imperative for higher education to become blockchain technology hubs.‍

What was the hiring process like?‍

It was less intimidating than I expected. When I joined BAF as a regular member, I had no experience under my belt, just a lot of passion and genuine curiosity. I started volunteering and contributing to projects I am interested in until I became an active member and was selected to become part of the E-Board.‍

Any tips for people looking to make a similar transition?‍

Web3 runs on the power of community. Don't hesitate to reach out and make meaningful connections in the space. Twitter is your best friend if you want to establish an online presence. Twitter DMs got me job offers I always dreamed of. Content creation is the best tactic to start learning and curating while putting yourself out there. For starters, I recommend writing on mirror.xyz which is a decentralized, user-owned, crypto-based network.