Philip "Kip" Bates - Phoenix Project Technology Guru

Philip “Kip” Bates III

Tech Guru

Chidi Nwachukwu, Dr. Adhiambo Odaga and Kip Bates (right)

Kip Bates has been a part of the Electronic Community Team of Social Entrepreneurs since 1997 when they made their first foray into West Africa on behalf of the Ford Foundation. 

Kip is currently Associate Director, Security & Special Initiatives at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he has myriad positions for over twenty years. He started in the micro-computer business in the early eighties when he used his Commodore 8032 to prepare sponsorship packages to present to beer companies for his International Hang Gliding competitions held on the beaches of Santa Barbara. Realizing there was more opportunity in micro-computing than hang gliding he started  his own company, “Hope Avenue Computer Services”, in later years he played a primary role of the creation of “The Brown Book” computer technology’s equivalent to automobile’s Blue Book. In the mid-nineties he co-founded INNterREST (ItR) which was an inaugural content provider for the Microsoft Network. ItR assisted all types of food, travel, and lodging related organizations in setting up, and managing their own unique, branded online home-pages. The service allowed hospitality organizations to have real-time communication with millions of consumers, and business partners alike. During a trade show in Chicago in 1996 ItR was the first company that publicly demonstrated the ability to book airline tickets on-line. An inquisitive Nathan Myrvold stopped by the booth for a demonstration and later expanded the concept. 

Kip has been the primary force in helping to link more than 150 NGOs throughout West Africa together in an “Electronic Community” to share ideas and professional development, from which the entrepreneurial group draws its name. 

Bates and King were close friends in college and had stayed in touch while living on opposite coasts of the US. During a 1997 visit on Martha’s Vineyard the two began discussing the West Africa project and King let on that he had just lost his technical person after he had read the State Department warnings about Nigeria and decided that it was a bit too scary for him. Being made of tougher stuff, of course, Kip Bates immediately volunteered for the job. 

The warnings, however, were prescient as during that first trip the entire Team was arrested and held at gunpoint by the military forces of dictator Sanni Abacha in an undisclosed area of Lagos, a city of more than 18 million people. The team was questioned for about 5 hours and finally released.  Abacha died mysteriously a few days later, while the team was in the air to Dakar Senegal,  where they confirmed his death. Kip was quick to remind our escorts in Senegal that all of this was mere coincidence! Despite the encounter with the Nigerian military, Kip Bates has continued to be a vital member of the team.