If I say Kendall, I know a whole bunch of people that could finish the sentence with 'Jenner' and explain that she is sister of TV personality Kim Kardashian, daughter of Olympic gold medallist Caitlin Jenner and what Americans dub a 'social media model' - in short the leading face of pop culture today.
However, this article is not about the American superstar, but an entirely different Kendall who possess just as much clout and can also command the attention of a room.
Kendall Flutey, serial starter-up-er-er and co-founder of financial smarts app, Banqer, has been wowing fellow entrepreneurs, investors, corporate organisations and most importantly school teachers, with her passionate and visionary goal for financial literacy in New Zealand.
The vehicle driving this vision is Banqer, an intuitive and fun virtual financial literacy tool used by teachers to help enable and increase financial smarts in the classroom.
The reaction to this innovative tool has been the catalyst for a new career and an entirely different approach to life.
Since winning the BNZ Start Up Alley Award at Webstock earlier this year, Kendall and the team have been riding a hybrid whirlwind-wave of energy, propelling them into boardrooms, classrooms and common rooms across the country.
"Life is moving pretty fast and although it's work, I love it, so I don't consider it 'work' so much," she explains.
This 'work' has become the meat to her veg and she is now working full time developing Banqer, having quit her job to meet the demanding needs of a growing platform.
Kendall, 24 is no stranger to multitasking, having worked and studied while creating (and then selling) her first start up aged 22 and continuing this ambidextrous approach with various other projects.
"Once I have an idea, it kinda sinks into me and I become attached to it and the idea of supporting financial literacy in young New Zealanders started to mean a lot to me."
As a developer, Kendall used her skills to bring her thinking to life, but admits the skills, learnings and challenges on the journey have helped her more.
"I had to learn how to pitch and present, how to sell my vision to people I didn't know and this was intimidating. I also started to project manage as the team has grown and the future of Banqer was slowly starting to emerge."
Over the next few months we will be sharing a vivid behind the scenes account in Kendall’s own words; detailing the ups and downs of a start-up that aims to change the face of financial literacy in New Zealand.
Stay tuned.
