She's 23 and building climate resilient homes anyone can build themselves | Ep. 14

Kuponya is a Swahili word that means to heal. For Jordan, founder of Kuponya Innovations, that's the whole mission: healing climate and community by building one climate resilient home at a time. It started in August 2022, in a packed room in an Indigenous community in Canada's Northwest Territories. Community members shared how nobody ever asked what housing they needed, how materials arrived from the south with no consultation, and how young people were leaving because there was nowhere affordable to start their lives. Jordan knew she couldn't get back on the plane and pretend she hadn't seen it. Today, Kuponya acts as a systems integrator for construction. They partner with suppliers who meet strict criteria on climate resilience, sustainability, energy efficiency and affordability, and package them into a Kuponya kit, starting with the Northern Kit built for permafrost, wildfires, flooding and extreme temperatures. Alongside it, a digital assembly guide helps people with no trade skills build their own homes, tackling the shortage of skilled labour head on. Two pilots are now running in the Northwest Territories. In this episode, Danielle sits down with Jordan to talk about starting Kuponya in her second year of university with no background in architecture or engineering, the wildfire evacuation that forced a pivot and led to a better manufacturer, applying to the Hult Prize twice, why her COO Maddie is her perfect opposite, how her mum accidentally named the company, and her advice for founders facing doubt: let your feelings be felt, then let them fuel you. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Intro: Danielle meets Jordan, founder of Kuponya Innovations 00:26 Two pilots running in the Northwest Territories 01:09 What is Kuponya? Healing climate and community, one home at a time 03:12 The origin: a packed room in an Indigenous community, August 2022 05:16 The long term vision: making this the global norm for building homes 06:49 Starting Kuponya in her second year of university through Enactus 08:53 Building alongside her COO, Maddie 09:41 From political science to founder: learning by listening 11:22 Going face to face with communities and suppliers 12:53 The pivot: wildfires, an evacuation, and a new manufacturer 14:54 The best moments: communities, factories, and being a role model 16:19 The hard parts: closed doors and a second shot at the Hult Prize 18:04 Building the team: big picture meets detail, and Indigenous voices on the team 20:10 How Kuponya got its name (thanks, Mum) 21:34 Purpose, family, and what sport teaches you 22:55 What's next: a grand opening, Brazil, and getting the word out 24:48 Where to find Kuponya, and a message for young founders 26:17 When doubt hits: let your feelings be felt 27:59 Closing 👀 Become a co-owner of what we're building next: foundermatcha.com/sneak-peek Follow foundermatcha: 📸 Instagram: @foundermatcha 🎵 TikTok: @foundermatcha_official 🎙️ Podcast: search "foundermatcha" on Spotify #foundermatcha #kuponya #climatetech #housingcrisis #socialimpact #startupfounder #youngfounder #hultprize