Kennedy Capital helps Western industrial, energy, and technology companies enter and grow in high-friction emerging markets—across China, Hong Kong, and East & Southern Africa.
"We are not a sales agency. We are a market-access partner—measured by relationships opened and opportunities advanced, not emails sent."
Trusted access, local credibility, and the relationships that accelerate opportunities which would otherwise take years to mature.
Structured entry pathways for China & Hong Kong and East / Southern Africa—built to convert intent into in-market traction.
Access to ministries, embassies, trade authorities, and chambers of commerce—opened at the right level.
Sourcing and qualifying distributors, agents, and commercial partners—introduced and assessed, not merely listed.
Commercial negotiation support and transaction framing, with Hong Kong as the structuring and trade-finance gateway.
Competitive landscaping, regulatory feasibility, and demand assessment—sharpened by AI-enabled research.
Sustained local presence and public–private coordination that maintains momentum between your visits and headquarters.
What's running underneath every engagement — built, not bought off the shelf.
Every engagement runs through an internal AI advisory system built on Claude Projects, organized into six specialized councils that stress-test each opportunity from a different angle before it reaches a client.
Deal-facilitation workflows powered directly by the Claude API and Model Context Protocol servers, connecting research, outreach, and negotiation prep into a single operating pipeline rather than scattered manual steps.
Lead-generation and outreach automation built on AI workflow tools, sharpening the relationships and market intelligence that traditional research cannot match.
An AI-powered predictive assessment platform for companies evaluating China market entry, grounded in 20 years of Shanghai-based operating experience.
Operating depth where it is hardest to build—paired with the official and private channels that turn access into outcomes.
20+ years based in Shanghai and Hong Kong leading commodity procurement and cross-border commercial activity—engaging major Chinese state-owned energy enterprises (CNOOC, Sinopec, CNPC) and global counterparties such as Saudi Aramco, with Hong Kong serving as the structuring and trade-finance base and the mainland anchoring state-enterprise and government relationships.
Anchored by deep, on-the-ground relationships in Tanzania, with active market-entry development across Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Zambia, and the DRC—including senior government officials and trade authorities (e.g., TanTrade), the American Chamber of Commerce, and entry documentation prepared for the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Sector-focused business development spanning oil & gas, power generation, mining and minerals, and heavy industry—including distributor identification, counterparty engagement, and partner qualification for market entry.
Duane brings 20+ years of resident experience across China and Hong Kong—native fluency in navigating state-owned enterprise and government relationships, JV-era dynamics, and cross-border deal culture, built leading commodity procurement and cross-border commercial activity from Shanghai and Hong Kong.
He pairs that depth with an active East & Southern Africa network—on-the-ground relationships reaching ambassadors, ministry officials, trade authorities, and chamber leadership—and works alongside the U.S. Commercial Service and in-country chambers to connect government-backed pathways with private execution.
A prioritized, qualified opportunity pipeline—with the market intelligence to make confident go / no-go decisions.
Vetted in-market partners and counterparties—distributors and agents introduced and assessed, not merely listed.
Access where decisions are made—government, embassy, and trade-authority relationships opened at the right level.
Sustained in-country representation—momentum maintained between your visits and headquarters.
Kennedy Capital works through structured representation agreements rather than transactional, activity-based fees.
A typical engagement pairs a monthly retainer—covering research, relationship development, government and chamber engagement, and market intelligence—with a success fee tied to the net value of opportunities originated, over a defined territory and term.
This structure shares risk, sustains long-cycle development work, and aligns incentives around outcomes.
If cold entry has stalled—or you need access where decisions are actually made—let's talk about what it takes to get there.