Kat Kennedy

Kat Kennedy

General Partner, Kickstart

Salt Lake City, Utah

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Speaker levelProfessional Speaker

Primary sectorsTechnology / software / SaaS

Utah focusYes

About

Kat Kennedy is passionate about building – products, companies, and the startup ecosystem as a whole. Before joining Kickstart as a General Partner, Kat was President and CXO of Degreed, a company dedicated to changing how people develop skills, build expertise, and grow their careers. She was instrumental in driving Degreed’s growth, shaping its product and culture, and deepening its client relationships. She partnered closely with Degreed’s customers to accelerate innovation and ensure their ability to quickly reallocate talent to the most critical strategic priorities.

Kat’s 15 years of operating experience give her a unique perspective as an investor – one that allows her to not only spot talented entrepreneurs from all backgrounds but also to serve as a mentor, fostering innovation through every stage of the company’s growth.

Speaking formats

Experience level

Professional Speaker

Frequent / professional speaker (10+ speaking engagements in the last 2–3 years)

Topics & expertise

Communication & Storytelling

  • Communicating with senior leaders / boards
  • Difficult conversations & feedback
  • Executive presence (online & in-room)
  • Storytelling for leaders
  • Storytelling with data

Culture/HR & Talent

  • Coaching & mentoring programs
  • Handling burnout, morale dips & “quiet quitting”
  • Hybrid work, flexibility & future of work
  • Learning & development / leadership pipelines
  • Performance reviews & goal setting (OKRs, KPIs, etc.)

Entrepreneurship & Startups

  • Building an executive team as a founder
  • Exit strategies (acquisition, IPO, succession)
  • Funding & capital (VC, angels, bootstrapping)
  • Scaling a startup / growth stage
  • Starting a business
  • Women founders & access to capital

Functional Expertise

  • Data analytics & business intelligence
  • Human resources / people operations
  • Product management / product marketing
  • Sales & business development

Gender & Equity

  • Building equitable promotion and hiring systems
  • Inclusive leadership practices
  • Motherhood, caregiving & careers
  • Pay equity & negotiation
  • Sponsorship, mentorship & allyship
  • Women in leadership / closing the leadership gap
  • Women in tech and STEM
  • Women on boards & commissions
  • “Prove-it-again” bias & promotion barriers

Industry Expertise

  • Technology / software / SaaS

Leadership & Management

  • Board governance & board relations
  • Building high-performing teams
  • C-suite readiness
  • Decision-making & accountability
  • Difficult conversations
  • Executive leadership
  • Giving & receiving feedback
  • Leading remote & hybrid teams
  • Leading through change
  • People management & coaching
  • Performance management
  • Psychological safety & trust
  • Stakeholder management & influence
  • Succession planning & talent pipelines
  • Vision, strategy & execution

Strategy/Innovation & Change

  • Innovation and intrapreneurship
  • Product strategy & product-market fit
  • Scaling organizations (startup to growth stage)

Technology & Innovation

  • Artificial intelligence & responsible AI
  • Building inclusive tech teams
  • Product & UX design
  • Software development & engineering leadership
  • Tech careers & pathways for women
  • Technology trends & digital disruption

Utah & Regional Issues

  • Mountain West / regional issues
  • Rural Utah & regional equity
  • Utah tech ecosystem / Silicon Slopes
  • Women’s leadership in Utah

Wellbeing & Personal Growth

  • Boundary-setting & saying no
  • Burnout prevention & recovery
  • Confidence, impostor syndrome & self-advocacy
  • Mindfulness & stress management
  • Resilience & navigating change
  • Values-based career design
  • Work–life integration

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