Kelly Kehn: ‘Backing startup innovators is an investment in the industry’s future’

Kelly Kehn, a technology sector veteran with over two decades of professional experience, has become an increasingly vocal advocate for nurturing startup ecosystems within the iGaming industry. As co-founder of the All-in Diversity Project and the startup accelerator Defy the Odds, Kehn brings both entrepreneurial credibility and a commitment to expanding opportunity within the sector. Her perspective on supporting emerging businesses reflects a broader industry recognition that innovation often emerges from smaller, agile organizations rather than established incumbents.

Kehn's endorsement of major industry conferences—specifically iGB L!VE London and ICE Barcelona—underscores the critical role that trade shows play in connecting emerging entrepreneurs with established operators, investors, and service providers. These events function as crucial networking hubs where startups can gain visibility, secure funding, and establish partnerships that would be difficult to cultivate through traditional channels. For an industry experiencing rapid technological change, such platforms become essential infrastructure for identifying and nurturing the next generation of solutions.

The emphasis on startup support reflects a maturation within iGaming's business culture. Rather than viewing emerging companies as threats, established operators increasingly recognize that backing innovative ventures represents a strategic investment in sectoral evolution. Startups often tackle specific pain points—whether in compliance technology, player retention analytics, or payment processing—that larger organizations may overlook or deprioritize. By supporting these ventures, the industry simultaneously addresses operational gaps and cultivates a pipeline of potential acquisition targets or partnership opportunities.

Kehn's framing of startup investment as an investment in the industry's future carries particular weight given the sector's ongoing regulatory pressures and technological disruption. As compliance requirements intensify and player expectations evolve, the capacity to rapidly prototype and deploy innovative solutions becomes increasingly valuable. Trade shows that actively support emerging businesses therefore serve a dual function: they provide visibility and resources for startups while simultaneously strengthening the broader ecosystem's adaptive capacity.

This dynamic suggests that iGaming's most competitive operators will be those that actively engage with startup communities, whether through sponsorships, partnerships, or direct investment. The industry's future competitive landscape will likely reward organizations that view innovation not as something to be developed exclusively in-house but as something to be cultivated across a diverse ecosystem of contributors.