Ja-Naé Duane

Ja-Naé is a behavioural scientist, award-winning innovator, and four-time entrepreneur who is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of The Revolution Factory, a global innovation firm creating transformative ventures and scalable impact worldwide. The author of four books, her work spans technology and innovation, motivation and performance, and business and economics. With over two decades of experience guiding organisations, institutions, governments, and communities, she has dedicated her career to creating a better future for humanity, harnessing global systems alongside virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technologies to develop future-ready systems for businesses with an expertise that is second to none.

Her professional journey began in 2005 with the founding of Wild Women Entrepreneurs, where she championed the potential of women in business. She has collaborated extensively with institutions including Northeastern University, Clark University, Emerson College, the College of the Holy Cross, Singularity University, MIT, and Brown University, shaping entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology programmes that prepare the next generation of leaders to thrive in a rapidly changing world. During this period, her reputation as an international speaker began to grow. Ja-Naé has also held influential roles such as Vice President of Social Media and Strategy at Overdrive Interactive, former Director of Innovation at Constant Contact, and Company Advisor at Hemmings House. She currently serves as an advisor at Teleportec and as a Virtual Reality Research Collaborator at the VCR Lab.

She is a CCP Mentor and Faculty Member, as well as Academic Director of the Master’s Programme in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at Brown University School of Engineering. In addition, she is an Academic Research Fellow at MIT’s Centre for Information Systems Research, serves on the Loomis Council at the Stimson Centre, and advises both start-ups and multinational corporations worldwide. As the author of ‘The Start-up Equation’ and her newest book ‘SuperShifts’, she combines academic expertise with entrepreneurial success and a human-centred vision. She has collaborated with major global organisations such as PwC, Saudi Aramco, Deloitte, Samsonite, AIG, Yum Brands, and Natixis, helping them explore new business models and embrace transformative technologies.

Recognised by The Associated Press, NPR, Fast Company, PYMNTS, and FoundedByWomen.org, Ja-Naé 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’. Due to host an immersive workshop at SXSW 2025, she continues to inspire innovation, resilience, and fearless action, equipping audiences with the insight and confidence to embrace the future with purpose.