bailén is a consulting group.
We are brought in by organizations for quick innovation projects focused on impact, equity, and the environment.
Some of the groups we’ve worked with
How we work
Many innovative projects start with a problem or an opportunity. At this stage its complex, and the answers aren’t clear. We love it here. We lean into the complexity with you, and by employing our unique approach of listening, questioning and researching, we start to make sense with you.
From chaos
As we make progress, we will clarify the problem or opportunity, and begin to propose possible approaches and constraints to move forward with.
To confidence
We then move from ideation and innovation to creating an ideal program or product for you (and with you). We help to bring this to life, and into the real world.
To creation
Who we are
Kaitlin Tait
I grew up and studied in Silicon Valley, and my career has been focused on gender, international development and equity. I’m a co-founder of the impact accelerator ygap.org and the creator of the yher female-focused accelerator. I hold a master’s degree in international education (Sydney), a graduate diploma in education (ACU), and a BSc in Psychology (Santa Clara). I’ve run global operations for ygap across three continents, and have led consulting and learning design projects for organisations including DFAT, UNCDF, USAID, Mastercard and GIZ.
I grew up in New Zealand in a family of environment and social justice activists. I am a co-founder of the impact accelerator ygap.org. I’m also a co-founder of the edtech company ec.inc which was acquired by the tech unicorn Go1 in 2022. I have three master’s degrees, in climate change (Cambridge), global policy (UNSW) and international development (Deakin) and a BA in economics. I’ve led innovative impact projects for Microsoft, Apple, Atlassian, and every state and territory government in Australia. I am a military veteran with decorated service from the Middle East.
Aaron Tait
Our track record
A snapshot of just some of the innovative impact projects we’ve worked on.
Mastercard - The challenge: Female small business owners in the Pacific miss out on sales due to a reliance on cash.
At ygap, Kaitlin and her team collaborated with Mastercard, Fintech Pacific, and the Australian government, on the design of a mobile payment platform for informal, cash based traders. Bringing an understanding of the local community and customer experience, Kaitlin led on designing the training that ygap delivered to build the business acumen of the women and ensure good user experience and uptake of the application. The product has since been launched with an initial focus on Fiji and plans to expand regionally.
Microsoft - The challenge: The Challenge: A generation of young people need AI skills to thrive in the future of work.
Whilst at EC Aaron led the creation and implementation of the global AI training program Imagine Cup Junior. This program has run from 2018 - 2024 (initially as AI for Good) and runs globally with thousands of students.
Whilst at ygap, Kaitlin led on the design and delivery of a capacity building program to improve, launch or grow inclusive and sustainable Incubators across the Pacific Islands. Over twenty incubators across the region participated in a 10 module online course and a virtual webinar series, followed by a second phase of in-person training, ongoing coaching and access to funding for 3 incubators in Tonga, Solomon Islands and Kiribati.
The Challenge - The entrepreneurial ecosystem across climate impacted Pacific Islands is underdeveloped.
The Challenge - Entrepreneurs in emerging market struggle to access quality support in startup.
We are two of the co-founders of ygap.org and created the organisation’s impact model. ygap is easiest to describe as ‘like the Shark Tank entrepreneur show, but for emerging nations’. The ygap approach was built on our years working in the villages and townships of East Africa, and the organisation has significantly and measurably improved the lives of more than one million people across Africa, Asia and the Pacific through the running of 70 impact accelerator intakes for 750+ startup entrepreneurs.
The solution: Aaron co-founded ec.inc a technology platform used by thousands of schools and easiest to describe as ‘Netflix for teacher training’. The platform now provides teacher training to thousands of schools, with thousands of courses aggregated from more than 100 providers. EC was acquired by the technology unicorn Go1 in 2022, and before this trained 25,000 educators in person each year, ran major education events, published two books and provided training programs for every state and territory in Australia, as well as school networks across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
The Challenge - Teacher training is expensive and difficult to access.
bailén is a Spanish word.
It means to dance.
It’s also the name of the street that we met on in Alicante, Spain in 2004.
We love coming together with others ‘to dance’ on inspiring projects that make a difference.
Should we work together?
Either send us an email at aaron@bailen.us, or share some details below.