A Name with a Legacy
The story begins with the name itself. IKE is my last name. In my East/Central African culture, we don't take a parent's last name, so IKE is my own. I was named after my great, great grandmother, a powerful matriarch from my family tribe who lived over 300 years ago. This project carries the weight of that legacy.
The Journey of a "Solo Flyer"
I came to Canada as a refugee at age four due to war, and my life has been marked by instability. Having lost connection with my family and having been cut off from my culture, I've navigated life alone. My kind and accepting nature often led to being taken advantage of, used, and misunderstood by others.
As an empath whose thankfully been able to help countless people, I’ve had to hold myself to the highest standard of excellence in every aspect of life—as a sibling, a parentified child, a youth worker, an artist, a student, a friend, and a mentor. After many hardships, I embarked on a solitary spiritual journey, learning how to survive and prosper by adhering to a strict set of personal values and living life on my own terms.
"I wanted to create something for myself that would allow me to safely, productively and positively engage with humans by recognizing the great ones who also display excellence... while maintaining my privacy, freedom and autonomy."
Creating a New Economy of Gratitude
With no financial support from family, I decided to create my own banking system. A system designed to give credit and acknowledgement to the "excellent" humans of the world—the unrecognized backbones of their communities who are so often undervalued and underappreciated.
As the world's financial systems move toward crypto, I am building a system that rewards people who do good and exemplify excellence, just as I have strived to do my entire life.
This is why IKE Coin is not just another "tip" coin. It's a time capsule—an encrypted digital record of "good" and proof of humanity's excellence. The thank you messages are seeds of gratitude with the power to bloom into purpose and counteract the negativity and division in the world.
I.K.E. - International Keepers of Excellence
The name IKE also stands for something bigger. It's an acronym for: International Keeper of Excellence.
- International: Available and accessible to all deserving humans around the world.
- Keeper: A permanent time capsule and record keeper of good deeds and exceptional work.
- Excellence: For examples of merit that deserve to be acknowledged, recognized, and monetarily rewarded.
The end goal is to create a legitimate digital gratitude economy, where positive actions are rewarded and IKE becomes a currency used to acknowledge the good in each other across any platform.