Less Than One in Four Computer Scientists Are Women(1) -A Statistic This Women-Led NFT Company is Seeking to Change

On December 29, 2021, 6,000 unique NFT “Sprites” were released into the metaverse, but purchasers were doing more than collecting mythical characters reminiscent of 8-bit video games–they were investing in a mission of inclusivity.

With each Sprite sold, purchasers unlocked varying goals, including several distinctly chosen to promote diversity in the world of Web3 via donations to nonprofits Girls Who Code and Americans for the Arts.

“Spritely is dedicated to seeing how NFTs can foster meaningful change within the metaverse,” said Kimberly Crawford, a co-founder of Spritely. “One of the fascinating aspects of NFTs is that they fiscally honor an artist’s work regardless of how many times it’s bought and sold. We wanted to explore if NFTs could become a revenue source for actual causes dedicated to expanding equity and inclusion in this space.”

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Spritely blew through their fundraising goals in mere days, completely selling out of Sprites and donating a total of 21 ETH (Ether, a form of cryptocurrency) to the nonprofits, equal to over $55,000 USD at the time.

Each organization was chosen based on their core values and connection to technology. “As a software developer, I’ve often been the only woman in the room. I want to help change that,” said L. R. Hacker, another Spritely co-founder. “There is space for everyone here, and Spritely wants to support organizations spreading that message.”

The team also wanted to ensure the same values driving their partners were reflected internally as well. More than half of Spritely’s launch team members were women, and all 6,000 Sprites were designed by Crawford herself.

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“They are more than just cute characters– the Sprites are a visual representation of what the metaverse should be,” said Crawford. “Unfortunately, the Web3 world is full of discouraging examples of exclusion. The Sprites are a direct response to that, demonstrating NFTs can and should be fun and inclusive adventures for everyone.”

The Sprites were also intentionally designed. Each of the twelve Sprite types hail from one of six realms and feature unrepeated attributes. While the characters are mythically inspired, any humanoid character was intentionally replicated in varying skin tones taken from Crayola’s “Colors of the World” set.