David Kennedy (BMath '02) shares his own journey as a co-founder of Bitmoji and offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
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In 2008, David Kennedy (BMath '02) and his co-founders launched a website where users could create comic strips about themselves and their friends. From the beginning, people had a special connection with the animated characters that looked like them.
Eventually, those characters became what we now know as Bitmoji — emoji that look like you, and represent your emotions in a more authentic way than a yellow happy face can.
As a computer science grad with strong interests in the arts, it's no surprise David helped to create a product like Bitmoji. He joined the podcast to share his career journey, explore his long-time interest in human nature and offer some human-centric advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
(1:18) David recalls his first job after graduation
(4:05) How did Bitstrips begin?
(6:20) How did it become Bitmoji?
(9:40) Why did the Bitmoji team join Snap?
(13:07) Why should someone build a startup?
(18:55) Build something that you want to use
(19:57) Why take Arts courses as a Math student?
(24:00) You never know what path you'll take in the future. Be open.
(25:38) How have his interdisciplinary interests affected David's approach to creating inclusive digital spaces?
Bitmoji: Create your personal emoji to use across platforms and devices
Representing your authentic self online: David hopes that Bitmoji will make digital spaces more inclusive. Read about it in Waterloo Magazine.
