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Jake Kendall

Investor

Founder and Director at DFS Lab

Greater Paris Metropolitan Region

Writes $50K – $1M checks

Find your path to Jake

926 people in our graph share verified history with Jake — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Wesley ChanunlockedJake: together at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1996–1998)
×4Jake: together at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jake: together at World Economic Forum
Jake: together at Sciences Po

About

Jake Kendall is a researcher-trained economist and GP who combines academic teaching at Sciences Po with thesis-driven African fintech research, advocating augmentation over automation and leveraging telco data and AI.

Invests in

AgTechE-commerceFintechFoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainMarketplaces

Experience

  1. DFS LabCo-Founder and Directorcurrent2017 — presentParis Area, France
  2. Cambridge Judge Business SchoolResearch Fellowcurrent2025 — present
  3. Sciences PoEnseignantcurrent2023 — presentParis, Île-de-France, France
  4. Caribou DigitalDirector of Digital Financial Services Innovation Lab2016 — 2019Greater Seattle Area
  5. University of WashingtonVisiting Researcher2016 — 2019Greater Seattle Area
  6. Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationDeputy Director, Research and Innovation2015 — 2016Greater Seattle Area
  7. Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationSenior Program Officer, Research and Innovation2010 — 2015Greater Seattle Area
  8. World Economic ForumCouncil Member: Data for Development Council2014 — 2016
  9. The World BankEconomist at CGAP group2008 — 2010Washington D.C. Metro Area
  10. University of California, Santa CruzPhd Student Lecturer2003 — 2008Santa Cruz, Californie, États-Unis
  11. Young and RubicamQuantitative Brand Analyst2003New York, États-Unis
  12. Arcot Inc.Public Key Encryption Sales Engineer2002New York, États-Unis
  13. CertCo Inc.Public Key Encryption Deployment Engineer2000 — 2002New York, États-Unis
  14. Peace CorpsFisheries Extension Agent1998 — 2000Zambie

Skills & more

Scholarly ResearchGuest LecturingVisitor StudiesArtificial Intelligence (AI)Investigative ResearchAccess to Finance24International Development30Economics35Policy Analysis5Program Management5Economic Development5International Relations1
+12 moreProject ManagementPublic PolicyBankingFinanceMicrofinanceProgram EvaluationSocial EntrepreneurshipBusiness DevelopmentManagementCapacity BuildingStrategyCorporate Finance

Languages English · French

  • Human Subjects Research – Social-Behavioral-Educational Refresher 1 — CITI Program

From Jake's professional profile.

Colleagues at DFS Lab

Guang Zao Deng
General Partner at DFS Lab
Richard Thoms
Executive Officer at DFS Lab
Stephen Deng
Co-Founder and Partner at DFS Lab

Frequently asked questions

Who is Jake Kendall?
Jake Kendall is a researcher-trained economist and GP who combines academic teaching at Sciences Po with thesis-driven African fintech research, advocating augmentation over automation and leveraging telco data and AI.
Where does Jake Kendall work?
Jake Kendall is Founder and Director at DFS Lab.
What does Jake Kendall invest in?
Jake Kendall invests in AgTech, E-commerce, Fintech, FoodTech, Logistics & Supply Chain, Marketplaces.
What check size does Jake Kendall write?
Jake Kendall typically writes checks of $50K – $1M.
Where did Jake Kendall go to school?
Jake Kendall studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Bachelor of Science - BS, Physics); University of California, Santa Cruz (PhD, Economics); Nikiski Jr/Sr High School (HS).

Same school

Shared employers