Duncan Kennedy

About Duncan Kennedy

After founding 10 startups (3 of which were sold) and spending more than a decade at…

Experience

1. Founding Partner and Managing Director

   Indigenext

   Aug 2016 — Present · CA

   Incubator supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs envisioning and executing on community based, sustainable growth businesses.• Worlds Tallest Totem Pole [Nakalkala Society]. Led by Chief Udzitales [Johnathan Henderson] we are building the world’s tallest totem pole [176 ft] in Kwakwaka\'wakw territory with 17 Nations; the project includes a visitors experience centre and an interactive arts building• Indigenous AI training curriculum and deployment. Partnership with Innovate BC to deliver AI training to Indigenous youth• Nawalakw Cultural Revitalization. Supported hereditary Chief K’odi Nelson to build an Indigenous Health organization to be the 2nd largest organization the community-Raised $17 million through a tiered funding model -Reclaimed a remote sacred river (Hada) through construction of a language learning centre for 40 youth and staff. Salmon returns now at 10x-Growth from 1 to 30 employees in 3 years-Created the largest non government seasonal employer of Indigenous youth in the province• tumtum threads: Collaborative textiles startup with internationally renowned Kwakwaka’wakw artists and Zapotec weavers in Teotitlan and Mitla, Oaxaca.• Deyen. Online reconciliation platform developed by Chastity Davis. Our support led to profitability on day 1.• Indigenous Digital Accelerator at CapU (IDA). Raised $2M+ to build this first-of-its-kind IDA providing resources to nurture Indigenous business growth in BC’s digital-creative sector. • B4Vancouver. Prototype of youth camp digitally recreating the village of Senakw, which was destroyed by the early government of British Columbia. Teaching 3D modelling (Sketch-3D) and Unity. Partners included Timewalk, Native Education College and the Discovery Foundation.• Drone Territory. Youth staging ground for introduction of drone technology to First Nations communities• UBC Sauderer Business School, Partner. First global assessment of Indigenous accelerators and incubators.

Skills

• Business Development
• Leadership
• Mobile Applications
• Mobile Devices
• Product Marketing
• Strategy
• E-Commerce
• Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Product Management
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• User Experience
• Strategic Partnerships
• Start-Ups
• Digital Media