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Outside of her role at Open Avenues, Veronica serves as a Financial Analyst at Eclipse, where she works on scaling strategies and building the ecosystem for her company. She has honed her expertise in areas such as financial analysis, enterprise valuation, market research, and blockchain technology. Maria also holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science, adding academic rigor to her practical knowledge.
In this coffee chat, she shares the details of the blockchain industry – a field she never thought she would work on.
A: I didn’t start my career thinking I’d end up in blockchain. After studying Economics and Political Science at Brown, I moved to NYC with an open mind. What drew me in was the entrepreneurial spirit of the space—how much room there was to grow something from 0 to 1. I wasn’t necessarily aiming for a startup, but I realized quickly I wanted to be somewhere I could wear many hats and make an impact.
Landing my current role at Eclipse (a Layer 2 blockchain infrastructure company) wasn’t easy. I saw the job on LinkedIn and knew I wanted it—so I reached out to everyone I could find connected to Eclipse and attended every event where Eclipse team members might be. After five rigorous rounds of interviews, I got the offer. I believe that in such a nascent field, you must try through unorthodox manners to get to your goals, don’t be scared to be persistent. That persistence made all the difference.
A: Although I was hired as a Financial Analyst, my role quickly expanded. I support strategy, sales, and even product. My day-to-day work involves working closely with developers to understand their needs, helping them thrive in our ecosystem. You can think of our work as providing the “operating system” layer—like Linux or Mac OS—for blockchain applications. It’s technical, fast-moving, and collaborative. When I started, I was the first non-technical hire so I was able to take as much ownership as I wanted. That means testing different strategies so thinking outside the box is really helpful but also opens a lot of opportunities at a leaner company like Eclipse.
A: For hard skills, financial modeling and blockchain data analysis tools are crucial. I learned financial modeling in school and taught myself to use blockchain tools through online research. On the compliance side, I picked up a lot from working directly with legal teams. That means learning about different financial regulations depending on locations that projects are based in.
Soft skills are just as important. Relationship building is everything—especially when working in business development or growth roles. Success often comes down to your ability to connect with ecosystem players: founders, developers, VCs, DAOs. It’s not just about selling a product; it’s about building trust. Sometimes it takes weeks to court a potential founder to build with Eclipse, primarily spending time educating them on the company and the support we will be able to provide them.
A: Don’t wait until you’re an “expert” to start. The best way to learn is to jump in: read whitepapers, go to events, follow key voices on crypto Twitter, and start contributing to open-source projects or DAOs. This space values initiative and curiosity. You’ll stand out if you show you’ve done your homework and are ready to contribute. The best way to go about this is to just test as many applications as you can, and find the ones you enjoy. Having firsthand experience and your own opinions on what blockchains and projects are better will give you the upper hand.
A: There’s no one right way to be successful. I used to think I had to follow a traditional path—like going to business school or climbing the corporate ladder. But taking a chance on an internship in crypto changed everything. I’d tell my younger self: “Don’t be afraid to bet on the unknown. If you commit to learning and stay persistent, the right path will open up”.
Final Thoughts:
Veronica’s advice is a great reminder to keep exploring what you like, what you’re good at and, most importantly, what you care about. This will influence the work you do and how you face challenges.
Also, she made an important point on working on your communication, relationship building and other key soft skills while expanding your hard skills throughout your college experience. However, she focused a lot on putting effort into the story you share about yourself, being curious and being hands on in such a nescient space. Start applying these insights today and take control of your career journey!
Stay tuned for more expert advice in future editions of our Coffee Chat Series.
Danila Blanco Travnicek is the Director of Program Strategy & Evaluation at The Build Fellowship where she leads the education programming and its initiatives. She is a social entrepreneur who has been working tirelessly for over 10 years in the nonprofit sector to ensure more people have access to quality education. Danila holds a B.A in Business Management and a master's degree in Teaching and Nonprofit Management. She is a Professor at the University of Buenos Aires, an international speaker and facilitator and has managed and led programs with social impact in Latin America, U.S., Europe and Asia. She also received scholarships to study abroad in Finland, China and the United States.
Mazvita Maboreke is a Human Resources Analyst at Open Avenues Foundation. In her role, she leads initiatives that foster team development, professional growth, and a positive organizational culture. She focuses on designing and implementing programs around training, onboarding, team-building, and employee recognition—helping to cultivate a workplace that is both supportive and high-performing.
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