Kerry William Kirby

Kerry W. Kirby is a global entrepreneur, technology innovator, and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of 365 Connect, a company that specializes in automated marketing, leasing, and resident engagement platforms for multifamily communities worldwide. 
== Early life and education ==
Kirby was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to parents Kenneth and Virginia Kirby. He attended Tulane University where he studied business management.
==Career==
Kirby founded 365 Connect in 2003 and serves as its CEO. Kirby has built the firm from a small start-up to a highly recognized award-winning multinational technology company. The software-as-service (SaaS) platform provides automated marketing, leasing, and resident service platforms for the multifamily housing industry. Prior to founding 365 Connect, Kirby worked in the multifamily housing industry developing apartment communities across the Southern United States. Kirby’s eye for finding building sites with incredible locations was his formula to create an array of successful ventures. It was through his work as a developer that he saw the need to provide technology services to properties. 
In 2007, Kirby launched a podcast with property management expert, Ernest F. Oriente. The podcast has received multiple global awards, drawing millions of listeners from around the world. 
In 2017, Kirby purchased the a rental housing search engine, uCribs, from a London-based investment group dedicated to the apartments located near the universities. Kirby revamped the search engine, receiving multiple awards for his efforts. 
In 2018, Kirby launched an integration with Uber which created one-click ride reservations directly from an apartment community’s website. 
In 2019, Kirby launched the multifamily housing industry’s first WCAG certified platform to allow for people with disabilities to access a full suite of services to find, apply, and reside in rental housing.
In 2020, Kirby launched an AI powered livestream tour bot called Digi.Lease. The bot gathers leads, schedules tours and livestreams video between property managers and prospective renters.
In 2023, Kirby developed a unique system for people to apply for apartments online. The system manages inventory, verifies identity, calculates income qualification, builds, and delivers lease documents for signature and collects payments without human intervention, utilizing a combination of artificial intelligence and automation. 
==Awards==
Kirby has received multiple awards, including the Louisiana Governor’s Technology Award, Multifamily Innovation Bootstrapper Award and Titan Entrepreneur Award. He has been placed on Silicon Bayou's 100 list of most influential entrepreneurs for his work in the technology industry and 365 Connect.
== Boards ==
Kirby serves on the Board of Advisors of Rainbow, a national nonprofit organization that provides service-enriched housing programs for affordable housing communities across the United States. He is also Chair of Technology Initiatives for the Multifamily Innovation Advisory Council, a members-only group, focused on assisting owners and operators of multifamily communities identify pain points and advancing innovative that will drive change across the industry. 
==Philanthropy==
Kirby and his wife Melinda are highly recognized fixtures in the philanthropic community and were honored with a Communitas International Award for their dedication to humanitarian, educational, healthcare, and equality programs. They have been a longtime supporters of the National Kidney Foundation in Louisiana, Electric Girls, a non-profit STEM program for girls age 5-18y, ChildHelp, a national non-profit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse, and STARC of Louisiana, a non-profit organization centered on providing programs for individuals with disabilities.
Category:People from New Orleans	
Category:American people
Category:Tulane University alumni
Category:American entrepreneurs
Category:Software design
Category:Philanthropists