Gracy Chen: Navigating the business world, unafraid of its ups and downs
TechFlow Selected TechFlow Selected
Gracy Chen: Navigating the business world, unafraid of its ups and downs
"When everyone is walking with their heads down, someone must still look up at the stars." – Gracy Chen
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insights"Welcome Gracy Chen to the Forbes Business Council."
With outstanding achievements in management, Bitget Managing Director Gracy Chen passed a rigorous review and selection process, officially becoming a member of the Forbes Business Council in the second half of 2023.
Dressed in a light blue satin blouse with a neat half-bun and a determined gaze, she said: "I am truly honored to join the Forbes Business Council and look forward to collaborating with its business leaders. This is an opportunity to advance the digital field and further fulfill our mission."
Every gesture exudes confidence and strength. Now, this accomplished female entrepreneur, who has navigated her career with resilience and grace, has emerged as a formidable force in Web3—poised, powerful, and ready.
01 The Cross-Domain Leader
First Encounter
Looking back, Gracy Chen has demonstrated multifaceted talent on the professional stage.
She previously held key roles at Phoenix Television, one of Asia’s leading media giants, before moving into XRSPACE, a unicorn in the virtual reality sector. Today, she leads Bitget, a globally prominent crypto digital asset trading platform. From TV host and producer to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and now Managing Director (MD), Gracy Chen has seamlessly transitioned across industries. She has continuously expanded her professional footprint, advancing steadily without pause.
Reflecting on her entry into the crypto industry, Gracy recalls: "A few close friends, including Binance co-founder He Yi and Silicon Valley legend investor Tim Draper, introduced me to the crypto industry long ago." In 2015, Gracy began investing in cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, and XRP. Captivated by the decentralized ethos of crypto, which she saw as a challenge to traditional finance, she embarked on her journey into the world of encryption.
In 2017, Gracy Chen increasingly focused on the primary and secondary markets of cryptocurrency, diving deeper into crypto projects. She made early investments in Bitkeep, Asia's leading decentralized wallet (later renamed Bitget Wallet after Bitget became its controlling shareholder). Reflecting on this experience, Gracy remarked: "It was witnessing Bitkeep and Bitget’s continuous brand development and user growth throughout this journey that ultimately led me to join Bitget—a passionate and innovative exchange."
For Gracy Chen, deciding whether to switch industries hinges on two main factors: first, whether her core competencies align with the role and whether the opportunity empowers her; second, assessing the industry’s prospects to determine if it warrants the investment of time and energy as a strategic career move.
"I believe rather than just investing money in this industry, I should invest my time as well—that, to me, is the biggest and most important investment." After careful evaluation of herself and the industry, Gracy Chen decisively immersed herself fully into the Web3 space, gradually ascending to lead one of the top crypto exchanges.
Challenges
Gracy Chen’s cross-industry journey faced immediate hurdles.
In April 2022, Gracy Chen officially joined Bitget, just as the global crypto market entered a prolonged downturn following severe volatility—the first major bear market since 2018. News of financial struggles and mass layoffs at prominent institutions and projects poured in.
Stepping into leadership amid an “industry upheaval” posed a significant challenge. Yet, Gracy saw not only difficulties but also opportunities. "This is a severe test for the entire industry and our company," Gracy admitted, "but also an excellent chance to attract top talent. During market downturns, strengthening our foundation and prioritizing growth enables us to better seize opportunities when the market recovers."
New challenges extended beyond market conditions. Transitioning from traditional industries to Web3 demanded entirely new professional competencies. "It’s an industry that requires constant learning and adaptation—we must stay sensitive to industry dynamics," she noted. Whether it’s blockchain technology, crypto trading and financial knowledge, or awareness of security and privacy, mastering the field demands rapid, continuous learning to maximize knowledge acquisition in a short time.
Diligence sharpens skill; thought leads to achievement.
This cross-domain leader continually motivates herself to maintain strong curiosity and an open mind, preparing for future challenges—and achieving rapid personal growth and successful transformation.
Her Power
Beyond her exceptional learning ability and leadership, Gracy Chen is widely recognized as an advocate for women in the Web3 industry. She actively encourages more women to join Bitget and supports their deep involvement. Through Bitget’s non-profit organization DIY Girls, she provides STEM education for women.
On social media, Gracy has strongly advocated, "Let’s hire more women." She believes the Web3 industry needs greater female participation because women bring unique strengths—female perspectives better understand female users’ needs, introducing innovative angles and fostering more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
Gracy points out that women are typically skilled in communication and coordination, possessing greater empathy. "When I joined Bitget, I discovered many capable female leaders here," says Gracy Chen. "Women aren’t afraid to share opinions—we constantly offer honest, useful advice and support to each other." She emphasizes that women’s wisdom and strength not only enhance a company’s cultural resilience but also boost its financial performance. Female participation improves business planning and product design, driving innovation and transformation.
Regarding the industry’s gender imbalance, Gracy attributes it largely to crypto being at the intersection of finance and tech—sectors historically skewed in gender representation. She cites a Fidelity study showing only 33% of women feel confident in investment decisions.
"Cryptocurrencies are seen as higher-risk assets due to increased volatility, and female investors tend to be more risk-averse and cautious, making them less likely to invest," Gracy observes empathetically.
To address this, Gracy suggests crypto companies have a responsibility to provide more internships and job opportunities for women and foster female-friendly, equitable work environments. She believesthe crypto and blockchain sectors should create more jobs to remove barriers to financial independence, benefiting people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Finally, she stresses the importance of education—building women’s understanding of crypto and offering more opportunities to leverage this technology.
"My advice to female entrepreneurs in crypto is to remember: you’re not the 'elephant in the room'—gender inequality is," Gracy declared firmly. "Although crypto remains a male-dominated market today, women shouldn’t fear entering. On the contrary, let it be motivation so we can achieve better representation and bring tremendous benefits to the entire industry."
Talent outweighs mere talent.
Through her journey and actions, Gracy Chen is reshaping perceptions of women in Web3 careers, unleashing more her power.
02 Growing Against the Wind
Turnaround
From an unknown startup in 2018 to now ranking among the world’s top five digital asset exchanges, Bitget has achieved remarkable逆势 growth within just five years.
"The early days were undoubtedly tough—our start was nothing short of hellish," reflects Gracy Chen on Bitget’s journey. "We encountered a bear market right after launch, experimented with spot and derivatives trading, explored multiple areas, but saw little success. With limited team size, we couldn’t manage both spot and futures effectively, so we made the strategic decision to abandon certain businesses and focus all resources on core operations." Thus, Bitget paused its spot trading, operating at a loss for nearly a year with funds nearly depleted.
In July 2019, Bitget hit its first turning point. After thorough market research, the team敏锐ly identified strong user interest in positive USDT contracts and promptly launched the world’s first USDT-margined perpetual contract, quickly surpassing $100 million in trading volume. In 2020, Bitget scored again with its pioneering one-click copy trading feature, significantly simplifying trading operations and delivering better profit outcomes for countless users.
Next, to accelerate global expansion, Bitget ramped up investment in brand marketing.
In 2021, Bitget became Juventus’ first-ever sleeve sponsor in club history. It also partnered with Turkish football club Galatasaray, and global football star Keisuke Honda signed on as its East Asia brand ambassador.
In 2022, Bitget announced exclusive sponsorship of the PGL CS:GO 2022 Championship and the PGL Dota2 Season 3 Championship. That same year, the World Cup captured global attention, prompting Bitget to partner with a top football superstar to elevate its visibility.
That superstar? None other than Lionel Messi—the GOAT—who led Argentina to victory over France in a dramatic 7-5 penalty shootout, securing the nation’s first World Cup title in nearly 36 years.
"We chose Messi for two key reasons: his reputation and his life story," Gracy Chen highly praised Messi. "His achievements and abilities have been proven through game after game, trophy after trophy. But we value his character even more—he has maintained the image of a good father, husband, and captain for years. More importantly, we see reflections of Bitget’s own journey in Messi’s rise."
Despite fierce competition, Messi was moved by Bitget’s sincerity and values, turning down a more lucrative offer to partner with Bitget. Leveraging Messi’s global influence, Bitget’s international expansion accelerated smoothly and rapidly.
As Messi once said: "More than becoming the best player in the world, I care about how to become a good person." This principle aligns perfectly with Gracy Chen and Bitget’s enduring commitment—to be practitioners of positivity, uphold初心, safeguard fair and orderly ecosystems, and genuinely create value for the industry and users.
Bitget transformed from a negligible "small exchange" into a dominant force—much like Messi, who rose from a "dwarf boy" to a "legendary king," defying fate through relentless effort and delayed gratification.
The Resilient
"Find opportunities in crisis, then turn them into engines of growth."
Gracy Chen emphasizes that for companies to break through and stand out, critical strategic decisions are essential—especially in volatile markets. Only by thinking deeply about how to accumulate momentum and hold the line during bear markets can we welcome a new dawn.
In Bitget’s fifth-anniversary open letter, Gracy shared this insight: "Bitget was born from a unique belief—‘Be among the 10% who remain when the tide recedes.’ Yes, this industry never lacks speculators, but those who stay through the ebb tide, when enthusiasm fades, refusing to retreat or give up—they are the true warriors of this space."
Born during a downturn, Bitget has grown rapidly through countless cycles. No one can stop the tide—but facing an uncertain market, Gracy Chen stands firm: "The transformation brought by crypto technology will reshape financial systems and investment methods, creating a fairer, more inclusive future."
No matter what, embrace the philosophy of being in the 10%.
Be among the 10% who remain when the tide recedes.
03 Everything Renewed
Innovation
On the recent global AI wave and its convergence with crypto, Gracy Chen shares thoughtful insights.
"AI is fundamentally a productive force, while blockchain’s essence is actually a production relationship—an immutable trust system. Their integration represents the union of productivity and production relations. Thus, the future of AI and crypto is vast. We should consider how AI can better enhance productivity and create more value, enabling blockchain to enable fairer, more efficient value distribution."
Pausing briefly to reflect, Gracy continues: "There are many applications for combining AI and crypto—for example, improving smart contract development efficiency and enhancing data analysis. In the future, if AI becomes a core component of productivity, it’s highly likely to be paid via cryptocurrencies."
As Gracy notes, AI—as the compass of the future—will guide crypto into a new era, bringing dual revolutions in productivity and value distribution. The rise of AI-powered tools injects fresh vitality into digital asset management and trading, promising smarter, more agile operations for investors, platforms, and the market alike.
As Bitget’s outstanding leader, Gracy Chen leverages her exceptional wisdom and foresight to drive continuous innovation in this fast-evolving technological landscape. In June, Bitget launched a series of AI trading bots, followed by the new Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) AI bot on July 27, using AI to help users intuitively select and build strategies.
Not just ideation, but execution.
Perhaps even greater technological forces lie ahead. We look forward to seeing Gracy Chen lead Bitget in unlocking more possibilities in this new era, driving transformative change across the industry.
The Long-Distance Runner
To Gracy Chen, the Web3 journey resembles an endless marathon. On this long track, only by becoming a steadfast long-term "marathon runner" can one infuse lasting vitality into the industry.
"Unlike exchanges that rise fast and die young," Gracy emphasizes, "we build user-friendly, powerful tools that empower individuals—enabling everyone to safely, conveniently, and efficiently integrate into the future financial system. By putting users first, focusing on product innovation, embracing long-termism, staying true to our初心, and improving day after day, we move forward."
This isn't a sprint, nor a race to the finish line—it’s a long, solid run: a marathon of continuous improvement and evolution. And Gracy Chen, together with her team, is committed to leading this race.
Since the second half of 2021, Bitget has achieved rapid global expansion, successfully serving over 20 million users across more than 100 countries and regions. Moreover, to best meet diverse user needs, Gracy has led the Bitget team in adopting a gradual strategy, continuously expanding business boundaries to build a comprehensive trading ecosystem covering trading, investment, research, DeFi, media, and more. These are not mere numbers—they represent milestones achieved through a marathon-style strategy.
For Gracy Chen, the synergy between wealth creation and long-termism is key. Moving swiftly, focusing on trending narratives, and launching quickly allow users access to more early-stage opportunities. This long-term business philosophy has enabled Bitget to stand out in a fiercely competitive industry—ranking first in CryptoRank’s 2023 Top 10 Platforms LaunchPad ATH Average ROI report.
Excellent news indeed.
In a sense, though the road ahead may be long and fraught with setbacks, dawn follows even the longest night.
Consolidate, wait, persist, move forward.
This marathon still awaits its spring.
Ups and downs are part of the journey—what are tides if not?
Gracy Chen, this cross-domain female leader growing against the wind, stands tall amidst the waves of commerce—resolute, unwavering, and ever-advancing.
Join TechFlow official community to stay tuned
Telegram:https://t.me/TechFlowDaily
X (Twitter):https://x.com/TechFlowPost
X (Twitter) EN:https://x.com/BlockFlow_News
