He was selling Christmas albums before he could drive — now he’s building a blockchain-powered alternative to Instagram. In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Classical Conversations graduate and entrepreneur Jacob Kite to talk about faith, freedom, and building companies in a culture that’s lost its bearings.
Jacob walks through his winding entrepreneurial path — from a childhood Christmas album that funded his first “aha” moment at a CC Entrepreneur Day, to city youth councils, to studying stocks and crypto at 14. He unpacks his two current ventures: Activitree, a new-age social platform built on blockchain and AI meant to break Big Tech’s monopoly on content, creators, and manipulation; and Pocket Truth AI, an app designed to put the Constitution and Bill of Rights literally in young people’s pockets so they know their rights before they ever need them. Along the way, he opens up about lawsuits, cofounder fallouts, and what he calls “eating glass and staring into an abyss” — and how his classical Christian homeschool education gave him the confidence and the mental toolkit to keep building anyway.
Whether you’re a homeschool parent wondering what classical education actually prepares kids for, or you just want to hear a 20-year-old talk about taking on Big Tech with a Bible in one hand and a business plan in the other — this conversation delivers. Tune in for a look at what it means to build with purpose in a post-truth world.
Connect with Jacob Kite (all platforms + projects): https://jacobgkite.com/
This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by the 2027 CC Family Cruise featuring the National Memory Master Competition, the National Number Knockout Competition, & the National Commencement.
The CC Family Cruise is setting sail May 2-8th, 2027, departing from Galveston, Texas, and your whole family is invited! Onboard, you can enjoy CC Signature events and exclusive perks like group dining, merchandise, events, onboard credit, and time with Leigh and Robert Bortins.
Space is filling up quickly, so visit classicalconversations.com/cruise to start your booking today!