The Ikigai Company
Historically, Kate’s energies have been focused on global initiatives. Recently, her vision has brought her focus closer to home. Early in 2020 Roberts launched Ikigai Company, a private consulting practice dedicated to advising families, individuals and organizations on strategies to design and execute customized and purpose-driven fundraising.
Ikigai is the Japanese based scientific solution for a long, happy, healthy and purpose filled life. Roberts is using her 30 years of business and social impact experience to identify champions and teach the art of fundraising and mission driven social impact. Some of her clients are listed below.
Roberts is particularly interested in the opportunity that the next generation is presenting to change the world by creating it. Kate's new platform will be a peer to peer collective of young successors all focused on having incredible social impact. Stay tuned.
Kate believes that people make the impact not just money.
Maverick Collective
In 2012 together with The Crown Princess of Norway Mette Marit and Melinda Gates Roberts founded Maverick Collective. A PSI initiative together with some of the most influential and powerful women from across the world it develops impactful projects in the developing world with which to tackle women’s health issues. Engaging South African Philanthropist Dr. Precious Motsepe as co-chair it is redefining what it means to be an effective philanthropist and innovator. Kate describes herself as a pioneer in developing a new type of philanthropy – going beyond the checkbook, using time, talent, and treasure to become a more powerful and efficient advocate for mission-driven philanthropy to end extreme poverty.
PSI
For twenty years Kate was Senior Vice President for Population Services International (PSI), a Washington, DC based $500M global NGO, that operates in 50 countries. By establishing meaningful relationships with a number of successful businesswomen and philanthropists, she has raised hundreds of millions of dollars; created public and private partnerships and impacted the lives of women across the world. As a leader in global philanthropy and social change Roberts has parlayed her business acumen and marketing background into a “Madison Avenue” approach, setting concrete goals and delivering measurable results.
PSI is now a client of The Ikigai Company.
YouthAIDS
YouthAIDS was established by Roberts in 2000, an initiative of PSI that drove investment into identifying prevention solutions in the fight surrounding HIV/AIDS in youth. Most significant impact was the seed funding of a large-scale innovation in male circumcision in Southern Africa. Of other notable milestones were the global MTV broadcast "Staying Alive" and the global ALDO Fights AIDS campaign raising millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS innovation. The brand is still alive in South Africa due to the support of The Levi's and Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Pilot Light Foundation
The idea of the pilot light is that we will light a small spark that can grow into a larger fire, after we are gone. We see a world where no one is forced to suffer the hardships and humiliation of extreme poverty, where each person has opportunities to improve the quality of their life through entrepreneurship or agriculture or whatever business they are able to do.Roughly 422 million people live in extreme poverty in Africa, that is one in three people. The World Bank defines “extreme poverty” as living on $1.25 or less a day. Pilot Light has been working for 13 years with people living in extreme poverty in Africa to help them improve their lives through creating a sustainable, livable income.
