Ja-Naé Duane

Ja-Naé is a globally recognised leader in technology, innovation, and future systems thinking. A behavioural scientist, award-winning innovator, and four-time entrepreneur, she has dedicated her career to guiding organisations, institutions, governments, and communities towards a better future for humanity. She is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Revolution Factory, a global venture studio dedicated to building innovative solutions and accelerating projects that shape the future. With the bold ambition of improving human life on a large scale, she draws on more than two decades of expertise to inspire audiences and help them navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of business, technology, and society.

Her career began in 2005 with the founding of Wild Women Entrepreneurs, where she championed the potential of women in business and built a thriving network of change-makers. Over the years, she has collaborated extensively with institutions including Northeastern University, Clark University, Emerson College, the College of the Holy Cross, Singularity University, IE Business School, Bentley University, MIT, and Brown University, designing and leading entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology programmes that prepare future leaders to thrive in an increasingly complex world. During this time, her reputation as an international speaker grew, alongside influential industry roles such as Vice President of Social Media and Strategy at Overdrive Interactive and former Director of Innovation and Accelerator Program at Constant Contact, where she developed initiatives that fuelled business growth and adoption of emerging technologies. She has also served as Company Advisor at Hemmings House, and continues to contribute as Advisor at Teleportec and Virtual Reality Research Collaborator at the VCR Lab.

At Brown University’s School of Engineering, Ja-Naé serves as a CCP Mentor, Faculty Member, and Academic Director of the Master’s Programme in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship. She also shapes research as an Academic Research Fellow at MIT’s Centre for Information Systems Research and is a member of the Loomis Council at the Stimson Centre. She is the author of four books, including the co-authored ‘The Start-Up Equation‘ and her newest title ‘SuperShifts’, which blends academic expertise with entrepreneurial success and a human-centred vision for the future. Her thought leadership has been recognised by The Associated Press, NPR, and Fast Company, and she has collaborated with leading global organisations such as PwC, Saudi Aramco, Deloitte, Samsonite, AIG, Yum Brands, and Natixis, helping them explore new business models and embrace transformative technologies.

As a speaker, Ja-Naé captivates audiences by making complex ideas in AI, VR, and blockchain accessible, relevant, and engaging. She connects with audiences through her deep knowledge of global systems and her lived experience breaking barriers in male-dominated industries, as shared in her TEDx talk Overcoming Powerlessness. Her sessions combine strategic insight with practical foresight, showing how emerging technologies can be harnessed to address pressing societal challenges. Due to host an immersive workshop at SXSW 2025 based on SuperShifts, she continues to inspire innovation, resilience, and fearless action, equipping audiences with the insight and confidence to embrace the future with purpose.