EP #488 - Brynne Kennedy: Running for US Congress and Investing in Climate Tech Startups

Timestamps:

8:01 - What drew Brynne to entrepreneurship

15:10 - Brynne’s political debut

24:12 - What’s a smart society?

27:05 - Measuring growth as a VC

43:25 - How can you find the right co-founders?

This episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place this year on May 14th 2025. Click ⁠here⁠ to purchase your ticket.

Click here to check out our free Founders Agreement masterclass, with Melanie Gabriel from Yokoy, Christof Roduner from Scandit, and Viviana Gropengiesser from Talent Kick.

About Brynne Kennedy:

Brynne Kennedy is the co-founder and managing partner of Smart Society Ventures, a decarbonization and energy tech investment firm striving to accelerate net zero. She holds an MBA from London Business School, and founded and successfully exited Topia, a company providing technology solutions to manage all forms of employee movement and work location flexibility. 

After stepping down from her CEO role at Topia in 2019, Brynne had a brief stint in American politics, running for US Congress in California's 4th Congressional District. She was not elected, and nowadays she’s able to look back with gratitude at that turn of events, considering the current political climate in the US. In 2023 she co-founded Smart Society Ventures, and began her career as a VC in the climate tech space. 

Smart Society Ventures strives to build a “smart society” (as the name would indicate), which they define as a society enabled by tech and data to achieve better outcomes and do more with less. Brynne is extremely committed to creating the societal impetus necessary to successfully manage the energy transition. She also co-hosts The Smart Society Show with Former MP and UK Energy Minister Chris Skidmore, where they discuss climate news and scaleups.