Inspiring Innovators: Leanne Kemp
Founder and CEO of Everledger, On Transparency
At SAP.iO, we work with innovative people and new technologies that positively impact our world every day, and we think it’s time to share their stories with you! In our series, “Inspiring Innovators,” we get to hear how leaders of cutting-edge startup technologies overcame, thrived, and pursued their goals. SAP.iO’s Alexa Gorman sat down to discuss the road to success and lessons learned with some of our most inspiring startup founders.
Meet Leanne Kemp
The word that describes the central theme coming from our conversation with Leanne Kemp is transparency. It is a word that describes both who she is as an entrepreneur and the significant value her company brings to the marketplace.
Starting as a software engineer, she began in RFID technology in the mid-90s with radio frequency identification at the silicon chip and inlay level. Leanne has built a career through evolutionary advancements in supply chain traceability for the past 25 years covering various industry disciplines, founding and exiting three companies before creating at Everledger. Firmly understanding importance of transparency Leanne chose to focus on some of the most challenging industries globally, ultimately deciding to concentrate on conflicted and opaque supply chains.
“Being an entrepreneur, firstly through and through, as well as having an engineering background and understanding the disciplines of business, enabled me to have the perfect triangulation of skill set to be able to take my idea or vision for change and then enable that in such a way where I can craft it with my own hands.”
Everledger helps businesses identify and converge asset information using a combination of secure technologies, including blockchain, AI, and IoT, to create greater clarity and confidence in marketplaces where transparency is a strategic imperative. This trusted transparency platform builds a connected system where reputable people buy, sell & promote assets with verified provenance, authenticity & sustainability data.
In Leanne’s role as the founder and CEO of Everledger, she inspires transparency and trust with technology and has become a prominent figure in the technology sector. Leanne co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Manufacturing and participates in the Global Future Council on Blockchain. In 2018, her entrepreneurial success saw her appointed as the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur in Australia to develop the state’s startup ecosystem, attract investment, and support job creation. She was the first female entrepreneur to hold this position.
Let’s Chat
How do customers use your technology?
Everledger has operational centers in Australia, India, Israel, the UK, the USA, and mainland China and service 32 countries to date. Their technology confirms the origins & provenance of an asset, such as the life story of a diamond, gemstone, or fine bottle of wine, to prove its authenticity, impact & value. Information businesses must increasingly be able to tell with clarity and confidence to meet their customer’s call for responsible and verifiable sourcing.
A great example of how customers use Everledger’s technology is Gübelin Gem Lab which partnered with them to launch the Provenance Proof Blockchain to improve traceability in the colour gemstone industry. With everledger blockchain platform, combined with Gübelin’s Emerald Paternity Test, it’s now possible to mark a stone’s birthplace and trace its journey across the value chain. Now that this solution is open to the entire industry, the origin of any gemstone can be tracked and authenticated. The transparency this brings to the supply chain makes it difficult for fraudsters and irresponsible businesses to benefit from misinformation or greenwashing.
What character traits do you think you possess that help you be a successful founder?
When we talked with Leanne about what it takes to be an entrepreneur, she attributes her aptitude towards antifragility as a reason for her success. Antifragility is a characteristic of systems that thrive due to stressors and volatility; an antifragile thing gets stronger from instability. As an entrepreneur, you are met with many stressors, unpredictability, and risk and to endure and come out on the other side with some accomplishments and lessons learned creates strength. This growth mindset was inhabited in her journey as she launched and exited three startups before founding Everledger.
“I would say probably antifragility. You know, we think about how you can learn through mistakes and how you can reform strength through that process. And I guess that’s really the meaning of antifragility.”
What challenges have you faced as an entrepreneur?
Leanne described that she failed more times than she won. As an entrepreneur, challenges and new obstacles constantly exist, regardless of whether you’ve started a business once or five times. She advises you to be persistent and good at learning from your mistakes. Make a lifelong commitment to understanding that challenges and failure have hidden secrets and gems where you can learn a whole new way of doing things.
“It’s really about having the discipline to apply and consistently take risks. You just become better at calculated risks. Me, I’ve only ever been an entrepreneur. I am pretty much an entrepreneur through and through.”
What we learned
When speaking to Leanne, it was clear that she values transparency in business as a way to build trust. Her training as a software engineer, years of experience in supply chain traceability, and tendency towards antifragility have given her the tools to excel as the Founder and CEO of Everledger. We asked her advice to those considering launching a business, and she simply said, “just do it.” Being an entrepreneur is a big part of who she is; she uses all these talents and lessons learned to do good.
Everledger was part of SAP.iO Foundry New York’s and the SAP.iO Rising Stars program 2022 and is an SAP Silver Partner. This partnership with SAP allows Everledger customers to utilize the existing SAP Logistics Business Network and S/4 HANA Cloud to tell their authenticity, sustainability, and brand story. Everledger offers complimentary discovery workshops for SAP customers to explore how your organization and products can benefit from Everledger Identify and our partnership with SAP. During this workshop, they define service delivery roadmaps, product requirements, and manufacturing processes. Find more details here.