Meet Jacob (“Jacob G.”) Kite

 

We recently connected with Jacob (“Jacob G.”) Kite and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

This one’s quite an interesting one. I’m gonna answer this in a different way than we typically think is normal. I would say the reason that I’m different in the room from a lot of other people is because I’ve always been different as a person — my background, how I think, what I do and believe, how I operate, etc.

Being different than most has attributed to a lot of failures that I’ve had over the years specially those that require people to like me in order to win. I’ve always been different than many people in several ways whether it’s from my entrepreneurial drive and spirit, the old soul in me, or me just wanting to make friends with the adults in real changemakers rather than those who are my age. The single action I take is to build connections with the most important people in the room and always be kind to as many people as possible. People will judge me or someone else like me before meeting them, but all my expectations go away with a smile in a handshake and a kind gesture as what happened in multiple cases with me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an 18-year-old entrepreneur, creative founder, and actor focused on building brands and platforms that empower the next generation of creators and leaders. My work spans technology, media, music, acting, and education through ventures including Activatree and The Jacob Kite Show.

My artistic background is the backbone of everything I build. I began developing an interest in music before I could even talk (around 8 months old), became a violinist at age 2, mastered multiple instruments, performed professionally, won multiple awards, released albums on major streaming platforms, and composed and collaborated on music for film projects. That early immersion in performance shaped my creative instincts, discipline, emotional intelligence, and ability to connect with audiences – skills that now translate directly into business, branding, and platform-building.

Acting further refined my understanding of storytelling, character, emotion, and influence. Whether on stage, on set, or behind the scenes, I treat art as both a craft and a strategy. It is a way to shape culture, command attention, and create lasting impact at scale.

At 14, I expanded that creative foundation into business, investing, and crypto, studying markets, capital strategy, and ownership models while learning from high-level entrepreneurs and billionaires such as Grant Cardone. I became deeply focused on how wealth compounds, how power scales, and how systems are built to create long-term leverage. That financial and strategic education now informs how I structure companies, products, and platforms.

My flagship company, Activatree, grew directly from that fusion of creativity and strategy. It is a Gen Z–focused social and economic platform designed to give creators more control over their content, safety, and monetization. By integrating AI, blockchain, and emerging technologies, we are building infrastructure that treats creators as owners, not products.

I also recently launched The Jacob Kite Show, a podcast centered on creativity, influence, culture, entrepreneurship, and the minds shaping the future.

At the core, my brand is about artistry as leverage – using music, acting, storytelling, and creative systems to build platforms that scale influence, empower talent, and shape the next generation of culture-makers.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, the three most impactful factors in my journey have been ambition, confidence through communication, and strategic thinking.

Ambition has been the engine. People often say I am too ambitious for my own good, but as Mia once said, “I am not ambitious for my own harm. I am ambitious for my own good.” That belief has pushed me to think bigger, move faster, and refuse to shrink my vision to match average expectations.

Confidence through networking and public speaking has been a major multiplier. I have taken high level college courses in speech and communication, earned A+ grades, and learned from some of the best speakers and communication masters in the world, including Pete Vargas and Pat Quinn. The ability to command a room, communicate clearly, build relationships, and articulate vision has created opportunities that talent alone never could.

Strategic thinking shaped how I build long term. From an early age, I studied business, investing, crypto, and how high level entrepreneurs and billionaires structure leverage, ownership, and scalable systems. Understanding how money, power, and influence compound has guided how I make decisions and build for durability rather than short term wins.

Now I have some extra special content for you.

One of the most powerful differentiators in my journey has been creativity as a creative entrepreneur. My belief is that everyone should be entrepreneurial, regardless of profession. The French root of the word entrepreneur points to being a risk taker, an innovator, and a builder. Either you sell, or you get sold. You do not need to be a traditional business owner, but you do need to recognize that you are the business. You are the CEO of your own life, your own goals, and your own dreams. Being entrepreneurial means taking ownership, executing relentlessly, and finding creative ways to accomplish what you set out to do in any field.

A good friend of mine, Shane Seo, one of the leading real estate operators in Atlanta with over $100 million in assets under management, always emphasizes that you must be radically creative in how you do business and distinguish yourself. No matter how exciting or boring your industry seems, creativity and differentiation determine success. At the end of the day, you can make even ordinary pursuits extraordinary through the results you produce and the way you position yourself.

Another major factor is personal branding. Long before people meet you, they will know your reputation, your work, and the identity you project. You will always be personified by what you build around yourself and how you present yourself to the world. Your brand becomes the bridge between who you are and the opportunities that come to you.

My advice to people early in their journey is this: protect your ambition, build real confidence through communication, think strategically, operate entrepreneurially in every area of your life, create boldly, and build a personal brand with intention. Talent matters, but ownership, creativity, and execution are what turn potential into real power. In all instances in order to be successful, you must be an entrepreneur.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Below I’ve decided to answer a few of the questions that flow well together with my work.

One book that’s been huge for me is Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. It taught me that the teenage years are a special time in your life to build and create and start growing and learning. That book was a pivotal moment because I realized I need to go and do something. You are always going to have mistakes in your life, but if you start learning them early and taking on challenges early, it’ll build up faster. And you’re never too young to start no matter how young you are. The teenage years are a special time in your life to start implementing taking action.

That mindset ties right into the most impactful thing my parents did for me — they pushed me very hard in becoming accomplished. It set me up to tackle all this from music to business early on.

I’m always looking for interesting people to partner with or collaborate with, especially in influencer outreach. I’m always looking for new influencers to work with and big personal brands or individuals who want to grow online so that I can service them with the best services and work together with them to build the future of youth media with Activatree. And I’m especially looking for young people. If you’re reading this and want to contact me, please do so at JacobGKite.com, email [email protected], LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jacobgkite, or Instagram @jacobgkite.

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