For this edition of Founder Spotlight, I had the chance to sit down with Kristian Kimbro Rickard, founder and CEO of doyenne360. Kristian is a social entrepreneur who is looking to solve the lack of STEM education with her creative market solution.
Kristian’s company doyenne360 is a social impact, technology startup. They are solving problems in education with a solution called STEMLEX. STEMLEX is modular curriculum plus STEM hands-on activity kits plus AI-powered social learning platform. Doyenne360’s technology platform is built with innovative advanced analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) cloud technology by Microsoft. They are also a financially-supported member of the Microsoft for Startups program.
Q: How did you start your company, doyenne360?
A: It started as an advanced analytics platform. We build end-to-end advanced analytics platforms from input of data from various sources like mobile apps, business systems, and Internet of Things (IoT).
It wasn’t until a retail customer referred us to a nonprofit for underprivileged youth that we realized our passion for using our technical expertise and talents for social good. We realized that we could not only provide technical solutions to clients, but also teach what we know to other underprivileged youth so they can map out a lucrative career for themselves.
Q: What is your vision for your company?
A: Coming from the private sector and moving into this public sector with schools, I see that there shouldn’t be this separation between the sectors. There are 3 sectors – the public sector, private sector, and civic sector. My vision is that doyenne360 is this ideal fourth sector company — disrupting the boundaries between traditional public, private, and social sectors, while blending specific components of all three. We will be placing an emphasis on harnessing the power of social innovation in partnership with leaders across all sectors.
Q: How has the customer discovery process at Start Co. changed your business so far?
A: It has definitely changed my business. I always knew there would be some sort of intersection between all of the sectors. During a discovery meeting last week at Nissan, in Smyrna, just South of Nashville, certain next steps started to become quite clear along this journey. I met with 2 mechanical engineers and asked when I was finishing the interview if there was anything I could do for them. They said they really like what we’re focusing on with our current business in not only teaching STEM students the technological skills, but also the soft skills such as technical writing, researching, and presenting.
Their feedback will be reflected in the next release of our STEM curriculum and lesson plans, ensuring an even tighter alignment of the skills – both hard and soft skills — companies need when students graduate, while continuing to make our STEMLEX program a holistic experience for students so they can be competitive in the 21st-century digital economy.
Q: What does the word “Doyenne” from your company name mean?
A: It means a woman who has a lot of experience in her profession. I’ve been in technology my whole career. It’s in my DNA. It’s important to me that I help other young woman come up in technology and an ode to the female part of what I do.
Q: What are some of your hobbies outside of running your business?
A: I’ve always loved to paint. When I was an undergrad at Texas Tech in the Department of Engineering, I was doing web development and helped to create this online learning environment. They were so curious as to how I was a computer programmer and also loved to paint, so they tested me and it turned out I’m equal left brain and right brain. I have the capacity to do complex logical things like computer programming but also sit down and paint acrylics for hours. Painting has always been a therapeutic outlet for me outside of my work.
Q: If you could give a TED Talk, what would you give a TED Talk on?
A: It’s always been a goal of mine to give a TED Talk. I gave a keynote recently at a CTE (Current Technology Education) conference for their STEM track. The talk was centered around making sure women get a seat at the table in a tech environment. I think I would talk about that if I were to give a TED Talk. I think it’s so important that we give women the same opportunities to advance their career that men do, whether it is within an existing organization or in starting their own business. It’s important for companies, organizations, and schools to show that there is both men and women at the table if we want to create diverse, inclusive environments.
Q: What advice would you give a high school senior looking to enter the STEM field?
A: Students need to be aware of what’s possible. I would give them advice on how to explore those opportunities and make sure that that person has a network of people that will help facilitate the exploration of what is possible. It’s hard to say, “You can do anything in the world you want to do,” when the student cannot be what they cannot see. In some cases, students only know what is at the end of their block. I would say to always be curious, always ask questions, and always say yes to an opportunity even if it’s just from a learning perspective. I’d say if they want to explore STEM opportunities, I would tell them about the value of Current Technology Education (CET) and that there are 1 year paths that would qualify them to work at a company like Nissan. There are very viable and lucrative careers that can be obtained by going through these certificate programs.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?
A: I think there is something really special about how Start Co. runs their accelerator program. It’s such an amazing opportunity to be here with all of the other entrepreneurs. There are things I wouldn’t be able to do if I wasn’t here in this environment, and there’s a certain magic to that. I don’t think there is any other entrepreneurship hub like Start Co. that combines all of these accelerators here at once: medical devices, home service companies, logistics, and social impact companies. The interdisciplinary approach that Start Co. takes is really great for a founder like me to be able to interact with so many different perspectives and outlooks.
Kristian is the founder and CEO of doyenne360, a female-founded, social impact technology startup. She’s been working in the technology industry for over two decades, and she’s recently relocated to Tennessee from Seattle, WA where she worked for Microsoft headquarters. Together, she and her team aim to bring the innovative technology typically associated with the West Coast to Memphis to enable competitive advantage of Memphis businesses.
By Jonah Baer