Jess Houlgrave: How Reown’s UX Fix Makes It Fast and Frictionless
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Reown is building the infrastructure layer that makes crypto payments work across apps, wallets, and chains.
The company grew out of WalletConnect, the open protocol that became a foundational tool for Web3 connectivity.
Now, under the leadership of CEO Jess Houlgrave, Reown is focused on making crypto usable for everyone, without the friction that has slowed down adoption for years.
In an interview with CCN, Jess Houlgrave, CEO of Reown, explained why fixing the user experience in crypto is central to mainstream adoption.
She discussed Reown’s mission to simplify Web3, the evolution of its WalletConnect network, and how decentralization, AI, and regulatory clarity can unlock the next wave of real-world crypto payments.
Her insights offer a clear look at the challenges Reown is tackling, the opportunities shaping the next phase of Web3 payments, and why user experience will determine crypto’s future.
Web3 Remains Too Hard for Most People
Jess opened the conversation with a blunt diagnosis at the heart of crypto’s adoption problem: the unrealistic demands placed on everyday users.
She said, “We have, for too long, expected users to download wallets, experience theirseed phrases, and store 24 words under their mattresses to keep their funds secure.”
For Jess, progress is underway. Innovations like smart accounts and sponsored transactions are beginning to remove friction.
Blockchain Should Disappear Into the Background
For Jess, the long-term goal is clear: make blockchain invisible. She states that “the end user doesn’t need to know what gas is.”
Jess argued that users shouldn’t need to know or care about chains, gas, or tokens. The real progress happens when the tech works silently behind the scenes.
“Crypto and blockchain is going to become like that for the internet. So it will be something that we all use every single day. We might not think about it as crypto, and we might not even know that it’s blockchain under the hood.”
She explained that Reown’s mission is to eliminate silos and allow full access across wallets, apps, and chains:
“The dream is that anyone with any wallet can use that anywhere, on any chain, without needing to understand what crypto is beneath the hood.”
From Walletconnect to Reown: A Foundation for Interoperability
Reown began with WalletConnect, a communications layer that helped wallets and applications speak the same language.
“Only certain wallets would work with certain apps. Only certain merchants could accept funds from certain wallets.”
Jess noted that “in Web2, we use different payment methods for different things, and in Web3 we will use different chains and different assets for different things. I use my credit card and Apple Pay for some things, but I use wire.”
Reown solved that by building a network where “any wallet could be anywhere,” allowing users to transact without hitting compatibility walls.
Today, the network supports “about 700 different wallets” and “about 60,000 different applications.”
How Reown Aims to Decentralize WalletConnect
Jess explained that the WalletConnect network is “now run by about 22 different node operators” and that Reown’s long-term goal is for that number to grow further:
“It’s what means the network can one day be fully censorship resistant in a world where Reown as a company doesn’t exist.”
The WalletConnect token enables ecosystem participants to govern the protocol and earn rewards.
However, a decentralized network that permeates daily life won’t appear overnight. It depends on removing the roadblocks that still keep most people out of crypto, starting with regulation and user experience.
Adoption Demands Clarity and Usability
“My dream would be to have more aligned regulation globally”, said Jess.
She stated that unclear rules remain one of crypto’s biggest bottlenecks. “I think the lack of clarity of regulation around the world often slows down the adoption of crypto.”
At the same time, she highlighted rising demand for stablecoin payments, especially in underserved markets:
“Seeing adoption of stablecoin payments in Africa, in Latin America… that’s where we’re seeing the highest growth.”
But she admitted the user experience still lags:
“What was interesting to me also was the number of people who said that they really wanted to pay with crypto… I probably fall into that same category… I don’t do it because the user experience is still poor.”
No More Theory but Action
Jess closed the conversation with a clear call to push adoption forward through use:
“It’s only really by using, by talking about it, by asking people to accept crypto for payments… that we really start to spin this flywheel of adoption.”
“Talk to people, talk to your local coffee shop about why they are or aren’t accepting crypto, try and pay for things with crypto.”
Dr. Lorena Nessi is an award-winning journalist and media technology expert with 15 years of experience in digital culture and communication. Based in Oxfordshire, UK, she combines academic insight with hands-on media practice.
She holds a PhD in Communication, Sociology, and Digital Cultures, and an MA in Globalization, Identity, and Technology.
Lorena has taught at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Nottingham Trent University, and the University of Oxford. She is a former producer for the BBC in London, with additional experience creating television content in Mexico and Japan.
Her research focuses on digital cultures, social media, technology, capitalism, and the societal impact of blockchain innovation.
She has written extensively on digital media and emerging technologies, with her work featured in both academic and media platforms. Her Web3 expertise explores how blockchain technologies shape culture, economics, and decentralized systems.
Outside of work, Lorena enjoys reading science fiction, playing strategic board games, traveling, and chasing adventures that get her heart racing. A perfect day ends with a relaxing spa and a good family meal.
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