The Marketing Leader Bringing Digital Security to the Masses

A sit-down with Ledger's Global VP of Communications and Marketing, Ariel Wengroff

Author

Carlo Palomino
July 03, 2025

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! Tomorrow’s the Fourth of July, so we’re sliding into your inbox a day early. While everyone else is sending sales blasts and “out of office” memes, we’re keeping it simple: a quick dose of marketing and tech insights you can skim before the grill heats up.

Whether you’re taking the day off, working a half-day, or pretending to work while waiting for the fireworks, here’s something worth reading before the long weekend kicks in.

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

  • A sit-down with Ledger’s Global VP of Communications and Marketing, Ariel Wengroff

  • The first ice-cream dispensing billboard

  • How Jackpot City won big with OpenFortune

📈 Marketer of the Week

If there’s anyone bridging the gap between advanced tech and human connection, it’s Ariel Wengroff, the Global VP of Communications and Marketing at Ledger. With a background spanning politics, media, and digital innovation, Ariel has built her career around one core belief: technology should empower people, not confuse them.

Ariel’s early work in politics gave her a front-row seat to the limitations of change within traditional systems. But it was in media, particularly during her time at VICE, that she discovered the explosive power of storytelling at scale. Producing content alongside icons like Gloria Steinem, she helped usher in a new era of digital journalism. Still, over time, she began to see the cracks: media had started serving platforms more than people.

That’s when she made a bet on something bigger—crypto. Specifically, on the role brands could play in helping people claim ownership of their identities and financial futures. She joined Ledger with a vision to make self-custody accessible and to reframe digital security not as a luxury, but as a right.

Ledger now secures over 20% of the world’s crypto and operates in 160 countries. The company has retail placement in Best Buy, one of the world’s leading crypto education platforms, and new offerings like a US-based debit card. For Ariel, the company’s mission hits especially close to home. She sees crypto as a tool for financial empowerment, especially for people navigating economic instability or systems stacked against them.

While Ledger isn’t typically someone’s first step into crypto (that’s often left to exchanges) it’s where people land when they start to take the space seriously. Ariel describes it as the “Bible, not the gospel” of crypto, the place people go once they understand the fundamentals and want to protect what they’ve built.

Education is key to that evolution. Ledger’s learning platform is designed to meet people wherever they are, from crypto-curious teens to cautious parents. In fact, they’ve even launched a kids’ book, complete with “W is for Wallet.” Ariel noted how common it’s becoming to gift a Ledger to a child the same way you’d open a bank account or start a college fund.

As digital value becomes more embedded in daily life, Ariel sees Ledger’s role expanding. She envisions a future where people deposit their paychecks into Ledger, divide their savings across digital currencies, and verify their identities online without sacrificing privacy. “It’s the first generation where all your value is online,” she emphasized, “so what does it mean to have control over that?”

Ariel’s Takeaway

When asked what’s the worst advice anyone has given her, Ariel said, “to wait to raise your hand. Instead, she encourages people to speak up early and figure it out along the way. For Ariel, confidence isn’t about having all the answers, but about being willing to learn.

To hear how Ariel is shaping the future of digital ownership and building one of the most trusted brands in crypto, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.

Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.

If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.

Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!

— The OpenFortune team