Lisa Seacat DeLuca, Tech Executive and Web3 Identity Innovator, Unstoppable Domains

Empowering Digital Data Ownership

Lisa Seacat DeLuca (SCS 2005) has already been inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame, noted as the first and only woman to reach the 100th plateau achievement level in IBM’s history with more than 675 patents granted. And she’s just getting started.

So what is next? Web3, the future of the internet that uses blockchain to reach new heights.

At Unstoppable Domains, her platform empowers individuals to own their digital identity, and everything that goes with it, just as we do in the real world.

“With Web3, your data is decentralized on the blockchain,” Lisa says. “This means that it’s not owned and controlled by one company and instead lives everywhere. At Unstoppable, we’re enabling users to own their data. That ownership is verified through public blockchain transactions.”

A great example of Web3 data ownership is an avatar in a video game. Today, if someone buys a digital object, it’s usually only accessible in the game where it was purchased. Lisa’s children’s favorite example would be Fortnite where the banana skin they purchased is only available in that game. But with Web3, items and currency stay with the individual owner and can be used across the digital world with multiple games and websites, often called dApps or decentralized applications. Similar to cryptocurrency, the ownership of any digital resource is verified and associated with your digital identity.

Web3 allows users to control their data, how it’s used and, ultimately, helps them build their reputation. Currently, that power is held by companies who collect data, and Web3 would upend that dynamic. The challenge is widespread integration, but with more than 3 million Unstoppable Domains sold, it’s poised to skyrocket.

Lisa’s also in the process of launching a card game for kids — and plenty of adults as well — as a passion project to teach everyone about Web3 and demystify the buzzwords to increase adoption.

“Today, Web3 can feel a little bit like a secret language when people start talking about it,” Lisa says. “But Web3 is all about ownership, and that's our ultimate mission: Everyone should own all parts of their digital identity.”

Story by Elizabeth Speed