About Kate

Kate wears many hats that span from market strategy to communications, branding and UI design to impact-oriented product development. Kate was previously the co-founder and CEO of Atikus, a fintech company in East Africa that made it easier for financial institutions to serve difficult-to-reach demographics. Prior to co-founding Atikus, Kate worked in a product innovation group within Citibank's Institutional Clients Group, designing tech-enabled financial solutions for global corporates and their customers. Before joining that group, she worked for Citi’s Technology, Media, and Telecom team, devising short-term liquidity structures in emerging markets. Kate graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business with a BS in Finance and Management.

Why Circa?

When I rented my first apartment, I had to send my rent check in the mail each month. I needed it to get there after my paycheck cleared but before my landlord would consider the payment late… it was unnecessarily stressful. More than 10 years later, it's still the only time I've ever written a check. On top of that, I didn’t have any real means of building credit. I saw my peers struggle with credit card debt and didn’t want to participate in that. I hated that to be able to considered "creditworthy," I had to make other, unnecessary financial risks. The whole system needs to be reworked, especially for new and/or vulnerable payers. At Circa, I’m building something I wish had been available to me years ago.

What’s your favorite part of your home?

My books! Every book has a story beyond what's written inside... where it came from, where I was when I read it, what I took away from it. They're a physical reminder of everything (and everyone) I love.