Operators who have spent their careers building organizations from the ground up, growing them through transitions, and creating things that lasted. That experience lives inside everything Fist Bump Labs touches.
Over the course of their careers, the Kennedys have built organizations from the ground up, grown them through transitions, and created things that lasted. Fist Bump Labs is the platform where all of that experience comes together. Applied across a portfolio of ventures they believe in deeply enough to be fully invested in every outcome.
Bekki Kennedy has spent her career turning early-stage potential into something real. She finds something worth building and she builds it. That pattern has held across every chapter.
At a leading healthcare consulting firm she was among the first employees, helping grow the organization into one of the most recognized names in the industry while building and scaling multiple divisions along the way. One of those divisions was Fire Starter Publishing, where she worked with 36 authors, published more than 40 books, and produced Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek bestsellers. She was recognized with the Fire Starter Award for long-term measurable and cultural impact.
Following the firm's acquisition by a strategic buyer, she supported the transition before turning her attention to community impact and the projects she felt most strongly about.
Today she leads Be the Bulb Publishing, working closely with authors on projects she believes in deeply. Her focus is expanding into AI and technology ventures where her operational background translates well. She serves as the strategic and creative force behind Fist Bump Labs and invests in the communities around her. The instinct for what matters, and the discipline to build it right, have never changed.
Shannon Kennedy has spent the better part of three decades building things that did not exist before he started. He believes progress equals happiness and has structured an entire career around proving it.
In 2000 he co-founded SASid, bootstrapping it from scratch into one of the largest individual insurance technology administrators in the country before its acquisition by Acrisure in 2021. He was recognized by UW-Whitewater with its Outstanding Recent Alumni Award along the way. The work was technical, operational, and built entirely from conviction.
As CEO of SASid, Shannon developed a deep expertise in gamification as a business strategy. Inspired by a lifelong love of strategy games like Civilization, he worked with his IT team to build real-time salesboards displayed on TVs throughout the office, tracking daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly performance. The system generated achievements for hitting milestones and created a culture of transparency and self-motivation across the entire company. He also designed a kudos-based peer review system and internal games where employees could win gift cards for exceptional work. It was loved and hated in equal measure, and it worked. That experience became a framework he now brings to other businesses through Fist Bump Labs.
At Fist Bump Labs he leads Fist Bump Scores, develops at the intersection of AI and vibe coding, and consults with businesses on gamification strategy and development. He partners with founders who are serious about growth and is a founder-friendly investor who shows up as an operator. Shannon is grounded in Dale Carnegie principles and brings that same commitment to human connection to every venture and every community he is part of.
Giving back has never been a line item for the Kennedys. It has been a practice. Over the years they have invested time, resources, and energy into organizations that strengthen communities, expand access, and create opportunity for those who need it most.
From healthcare access and youth development to faith communities and local infrastructure, their giving reflects the same belief that drives their work: that when you have the ability to build something meaningful, you have a responsibility to try.
Looking for experienced operators in your corner? We'd like to hear from you.