Kike Agoro was scouted by Harvard at 18. An international athlete with top grades. But she found out two years too late to prepare. She missed her shot. That missed opportunity is why she built Raising Greats.
Kike grew up in East London with a single mum who held the family together through crisis. At 16 she opened her GCSE results. Eight A stars and three As at a school where only 30 percent of students passed. She did it for her mother.
Later came javelin for Great Britain, a degree in economics, internships at Goldman Sachs, and a fully funded scholarship to Florida. She also built BYP Network from her bedroom, now with 200,000 members and clients including Amazon, Google and Disney.
Then in 2021 she lost her mother unexpectedly while pregnant with her daughter. That grief and the Harvard miss became the fuel for Raising Greats.
Raising Greats is a membership community for parents who want their children to be innovators, not just students. It costs £39 to £169 a month. Inside you get live scholarships, competitions, expert webinars, real world playdates, and a framework of 22 skills and values.
Kike is a mum of two. She says parenting in the age of AI means raising kids who use technology rather than being replaced by it. Children with global connections, not just local ones.
We asked her ten honest questions about motherhood, missed opportunities and what actually works. Here is what she told us.
What would you tell your 16 year old self?
Start looking for opportunities today. Not when you feel ready. Go online and search for USA colleges for athletes, competitions, bursaries, work experience. Really start thinking about who you want to become and search how to make it possible. The opportunity exists. You just need to know to look for it. That is exactly why I built Raising Greats.
The single most important thing your mum taught you
I had an incredible mum. She was the fun mum, the one everyone wanted around. She always said never take yourself too seriously and celebrate your wins, because that allows others to celebrate you too. It took me a long time to really hear that advice. When I finally did, everything shifted. She was right. She usually was.
How did motherhood change the way you think about success and ambition?
My ambition completely rewired. It shifted from my own goals and achievements to what will my children become, and how do I make sure I guide them well. The fear is not failing myself anymore. It is missing something in them. My daughter lost a modelling contract because I could not make a shoot. I felt that guilt deeply. What if she has a talent I do not spot, or a practice she misses that changes what she could have become. Motherhood is the strangest and most beautiful recalibration.
What does a parent get for £39 to £169 a month that they cannot find on Google or TikTok?
Put it in context. Private school fees, a new games console, a stack of books and toys. None of those are questioned. Yet something designed entirely for your child’s future feels expensive. One connection, one competition, one scholarship, one piece of advice at the right moment can change the entire trajectory of a child’s life. I am a living example of that. For an intentional parent, this is one of the most worthy investments you will make.
One thing parents should stop doing and one they should start immediately
Stop treating parenting like the world is the same as when we grew up. The school to university to job pipeline is broken. The children who will thrive are already building things, using AI to their advantage, filling their CVs with real results before they graduate. After a few years in work, nobody cares about grades. They care about the person in front of them. Is this person innovative? Are they a problem solver? Are they proactive? That is what sets someone apart. The extra work needs to go into those skills, not just the grades.
A real example of a child who got something life changing through your network?
Raising Greats officially launches 1st June, so I do not need to look far for proof of concept. I am the example. Scholarships, bursaries and competitions took me from East London to the University of Florida. One opportunity at the right time changed everything for me. That is not abstract. That is my life. Raising Greats exists so that more children have access to exactly that.
Why is face to face connection still so important?
No matter how connected we become online, real world connection will always win. Even in business, most significant relationships are built in person. Over lunch. On a golf course. We are human. We are wired for it. Online community is powerful. There is something that happens when your child is in a room with other children being raised with the same intention. That shapes who they become in a way no screen can replicate.
The one skill or value you are most determined to teach Rio and Yetunde
Confidence. If your child is confident in themselves, in their abilities and in navigating the world, that is half the battle. A confident child can sit an exam, compete at a high level, launch a business, go after any opportunity. This world runs on confidence. Everything else can be learned. Confidence is the foundation.
What do Amazon, Google, Disney and UNICEF look for that most parents miss?
Initiative. Parents who do everything for their children are doing them a disservice, even when it comes from love. Companies want self starters. People who see a problem and solve it without being asked. People who generate ideas that actually move things forward. Someone indispensable. You cannot learn initiative if someone else is always doing the hard part for you.
The most common mistake well intentioned parents make
I will give you a real example. There are parents paying people to write their child’s university personal statement. That is a mistake. Children need to achieve things on their own merit and see the direct result of their own effort. When you find the shortcut for them, you teach them to look for shortcuts. Shortcuts erode character. The goal is not to get your child into a good school. The goal is to raise a person who earns their place in every room they walk into.
Join the waitlist
Raising Greats opens its doors on 1 June, Global Day of Parents. If you are the kind of parent who refuses to leave your child’s future to chance, this one is for you.
Kike Agoro built this for her mother. She built it for her own children. And she built it for you.
Join the waitlist at raisinggreats.com
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
