Draft:Kirsten Brecht Baker


Early Life and Career

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Kirsten Brecht Baker attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Russian. She later returned to Penn to pursue her MBA at the Wharton School, concentrating in Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies and Finance.

Baker began her career as a consultant at Monitor Group in New York City, where she worked from 1996 to 2000. She then embarked on a series of entrepreneurial experiences, co-founding several companies including Accent Partners and eStoreUSA in 1999. In 2002, she co-founded First Americans Development Company, a strategic management consulting firm serving Native American tribes and Alaskan National Companies. With other experiences, she served as CEO and Co-founder of Constellar Group Inc from 2000 to 2016, where she focused on helping companies internationalize their business models. From 2005 to 2013, she also co-founded and led New City Construction, a residential construction company specializing in full-gut rehabs and large-scale remodeling projects. Baker later served in leadership roles at American Councils for International Education from 2012 to 2015, first as Chief Officer for Marketing and New Markets and then as Special Advisor to the President.

Jeenie

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Kirsten Brecht Baker founded Jeenie in 2017 to address a critical pain point that translating services are unreliable and expensive. She saw there was a need for immediate, on-demand language support. This innovation is a mobile platform that connects users to live, bilingual experts (called "Jeenies") for on-demand video or audio remote interpreting. Users are matched with one of 11,000 interpreters in over 150 countries. These services are available 24/7. Jeenie is particularly revolutionary for its ability to provide instant access to language support in situations ranging from medical appointments to business meetings, effectively eliminating the need to schedule interpreters days or weeks in advance. Baker identified a pain point with many underlying issues: traditional interpretation services are expensive, require prior scheduling, and are often inaccessible in urgent situations. This is extremely problematic in healthcare settings, where immediate communication can be critical, or even in business contexts, where decisions cannot be made due to language barriers. Baker's solution simplifies access to interpretation services while also creating flexible employment opportunities for bilingual professionals. Jeenie is making a significant impact in various ways, especially in healthcare, where it helps hospitals and medical facilities provide better care to patients. The platform also serves business travelers, international students, and organizations dealing with multicultural audiences. Further, it can be used just as easily by tourists in need of directions or even for translating a purchase at a store. Jeenie also provides American Sign Language (ASL) translations. The company focuses heavily on translating in healthcare while maintaining its core innovation of on-demand interpretation services. The platform has expanded its language offerings and introduced specialized services for specific industries. The pandemic actually accelerated Jeenie's virtual model, as remote interpretation services became essential for telehealth and virtual business meetings. The company's impact on society is significant, helping break down language barriers in critical situations and contributing to more equitable access to services for translations and for non-English speakers in the U.S. and Canada.

References

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Baker, K. B. (n.d.). Kirsten Brecht Baker - Jeenie. LinkedIn. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-brecht-baker/

Jeenie. (n.d.). Jeenie. Jeenie | Quality Audio & Video Remote Interpreting. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://jeenie.com/

Porter, M. (n.d.). CRED Kirsten Baker — Global Seal of Biliteracy. Global Seal of Biliteracy. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://theglobalseal.com/cred-2020-kirsten-baker

Slator. (2022, May 13). # 117 Jeenie CEO Kirsten Brecht Baker on Raising a Series A for Healthcare Interpreting. YOUTUBE. Retrieved November 21, 2024.

TITAN Women in Business Awards. (n.d.). Kirsten Brecht Baker - Jeenie CEO & Co-founder. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://thewomenbusinessawards.com/winner-info.php?id=725