# Shaun Sorensen

> Shaun Sorensen is the co-founder and CEO of Kenect, the Utah software company founded in 2017 that expanded from business texting into dealership reputation management, payments and AI-assisted customer engagement. His public record includes growth financing, the acquisitions of Friendemic and Auto Labs, discussions of hiring and leadership transitions, and a company pickleball championship with colleague Jake Lauritzen.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Kenect
- **Organizations:** Kenect
- **Education:** MBA, The George Washington University School of Business, Bachelor’s degree, Brigham Young University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Kenect in 2017 and serves as CEO., Led Kenect through the Friendemic acquisition in 2022 and Auto Labs acquisition in 2025., Kenect appeared on the Inc. 5000 in every year from 2021 through 2026; it ranked No. 2,917 in 2026 with 107% three-year growth.

## Career timeline

- **2017** — Co-founded Kenect, a business texting and communications software company.
- **2020** — Kenect received non-dilutive growth capital from River SaaS Capital.
- **2021** — Kenect announced a strategic growth investment from funds advised by PSG.
- **2022** — Kenect acquired Friendemic, expanding dealer reputation and communication capabilities.
- **2023** — Kenect ranked No. 24 in the MountainWest Capital Network Utah 100.
- **2024** — Kenect appointed Scott Lee chief product officer as it expanded in the dealer industry.
- **2025** — Kenect acquired Auto Labs, adding AI capabilities for dealership service operations.
- **2026** — Discussed dealership service AI on Car Dealership Guy; Kenect appeared on the Inc. 5000 for a sixth consecutive year.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Kenect in 2017 and serves as CEO.
- Led Kenect through the Friendemic acquisition in 2022 and Auto Labs acquisition in 2025.
- Kenect appeared on the Inc. 5000 in every year from 2021 through 2026; it ranked No. 2,917 in 2026 with 107% three-year growth.
- Kenect ranked No. 24 on the 2023 Utah 100.
- Won a Kenect pickleball tournament with account executive Jake Lauritzen.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Appeared on the Car Dealership Guy podcast on January 17 to discuss dealership service departments, inbound and outbound AI, and personalization.
- **2025-03** — Kenect announced its acquisition of Auto Labs, an AI platform focused on dealership fixed operations and customer experience.

## Links

- Website: https://www.kenect.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-sorensen-kenect

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shaun-sorensen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25