Q&A with social impact entrepreneur Macauley Kenney, COO of Surgibox, Inc
Q&A with social impact entrepreneur Macauley Kenney, COO of Surgibox, Inc. Picture: Macauley Kenney presenting at MIT DeltaV.
Social impact leader and mentor, Macauley Kenney, shares her journey through MIT, her experience as an entrepreneur, and how she became COO at one of today’s leading global health startups, SurgiBox, Inc.
How did your educational path influence your social impact work?
I attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute for my undergrad, and like most people, I wasn't sure what I wanted to study. At the time, I loved anatomy, math, and science, so I thought that I might become an engineer making prosthetics. I eventually realized my interest in exploring the structures and frameworks that went into those fields.
I majored in engineering with a minor in law and tech policy, and in many ways, my college capstone project in Cape Town changed the trajectory of my career path. During that project, I witnessed the complexity of problems as an engineer and was introduced to the concept of human-centered design. I learned that you can be the best engineer, but your product will go nowhere or help no one if you don't incorporate what you learn from your customers. I really loved that perspective and wanted to continue exploring that in my master's.
I then pursued my Master's in Technology and Policy at MIT. I was a Tata fellow, which meant that my work was centered around entrepreneurship in India. We looked at the impacts of emerging steel economies, urbanization, and the possible synergies between the two. It was a great opportunity to learn about different social impact philosophies, particularly around social-oriented and mission-oriented work. I learned that you can be doing mission-oriented work, but not working with users. In some contexts, there's nothing wrong with that, but I decided that it was not how I wanted to engage in social impact work.
What was your experience working with MIT’s D-LAB?
After I finished my master's, I was awarded a 1-year research fellowship. I focused on organizations doing user-centric work, which is how I came into contact with the D-Lab. I had taken a course as a grad student and recognized that they shared a lot of the philosophies that I had been exposed to in my undergraduate Cape Town trip.
I worked in a D-Lab research group studying early-stage entrepreneurs creating clean cookstoves in Uganda. I was trying to understand the dynamics between local founders, international founders, and hybrid teams.
You've been involved in many social impact projects. Can you share some notable entrepreneurial experiences?
My first formal foray into entrepreneurship was co-creating a trucking logistics business in Rwanda. It happened by a mixture of coincidences and positioning. My roommate at the time had been in discussions about creating a logistics company and had been accepted to MIT’s accelerator. Since I had worked in international businesses before, they thought I would be a good fit. Our idea was to build a long-haul logistics company in Rwanda in East Africa. That idea changed after spending some time on the ground and working with the locals.
It was a really interesting experience where I reflected on the value - or lack thereof - of Western entrepreneurs. Even if we are mission-oriented, we’re not always the best people to solve the problem. We tend to dominate the conversation and access to capital. Many funding organizations want to support local founders, but they can’t find them. It was an opportunity to understand the mismatch between Western expectations, signaling, and local businesses.
After that, I became involved at the consultancy level with a variety of startups. One of the great things about being a generalist is that you get to wear a lot of hats. I had the chance to work as a global operations manager for a rapidly expanding startup called Insiglio. I was the highest operational and financial individual at that company and was overseeing the activities a COO or CFO would at that time. That experience transitioned well when I joined SurgiBox.
How did you get involved with Surgibox?
The orgs that I have worked for have been varied in how they are trying to create impact, but they are always trying to make lives better in some capacity. SurgiBox really resonated with me, so I started out consulting with them for a couple of months. We ended up figuring out the fit, and I've been COO with them for over a year now.
I am really invested in what they are doing. There's a growing need for sterile facilities, whether it be a humanitarian relief, rural area, or conflict setting. We've already built partnerships with humanitarian organizations and are looking to expand internationally. The tech is really innovative and has the potential to really impact peoples' lives.
And finally, could you share your top advice for early-stage social impact entrepreneurs?
Build Self-Awareness. It’s hard to be self-aware, particularly as an early-stage founder. I’ve found that the best founders are aware of their weaknesses and strengths, and they bring in people that complement their skills. If you are not great at public speaking, bring in someone who is - or work to develop that skill. Having a blind spot is hard to address later on.
Reflect. I found it important to build in time for reflection, both for myself and for what I'm trying to build. I always ask myself - is this still the problem we are trying to solve? And is this something that I want to commit to working on? It's easy to continue down a path and then realize it's not going in the right direction.
Be User-Centric. Know who you are working for - and with - to make sure you are meeting their needs, particularly when you are creating a company for a culture that is not yours. Get in front of your user early and involve them as much as possible. They'll be able to tell you what you might be missing.