From Prison to Tech Millionaire

How Duane Jackson Turned Adversity into Success — Part I

*This interview first appeared in my newsletter here. You can find parts II and III of this interview linked.

Duane Jackson is a hugely inspiring serial entrepreneur. But no one could have guessed how successful he would become based on his childhood.

Duane grew up in East London with his mother, brother and sister. At eleven, his mother called the police on him and got him taken into care. At fourteen, he was expelled from school with no qualifications to his name. At nineteen, he was arrested trying to smuggle 6,500 ecstasy tablets into the USA.

But during his stint in prison, Duane turned his life around. Upon the realisation that he is the only person who is in charge of where his life goes next, and with the help of The Prince’s Trust, Duane decided to make his hobby his career. And so his tech entrepreneur path began…

Two successful exits later, Duane is working on his third startup, and is Patron of The Prince’s Trust. He is also the co-founder and Non-Executive Director of Code 4000 which teaches prison inmates how to code.

Here’s his story:

Newnham: I wanted to start with your childhood. Can you tell me more about growing up in East…