Defining purpose, the why: the vision behind the jacobsen project

By Nick Jacobsen 

Hey everyone – Nick here. Thanks for following the journey of the jacobsen project. 
It’s been two months since I officially launched jacobsen – my own kiteboarding brand. And a lot of people have asked me: 

why start another kite brand? especially now? 

I totally get it. It’s a fair question. I’ve been a professional kiteboarder for more than 20 years. Over those two decades, I’ve been lucky to ride for some of the biggest and most respected brands in the industry – Liquid Force in the early days, then Slingshot, Cabrinha, and North, just to name a few. 

And let me be clear: I’ve loved being a team rider. 
Those partnerships gave me the chance to travel the world, compete in insane events, and meet incredible people I never dreamed I’d cross paths with. 
But over time, something changed. 

I started asking myself: 
"Why am I continuing to help build someone else’s dream, when I have one of my own?" 

That question stuck with me. 
And eventually, I knew what I had to do. 

where it all began

It all started back in the early 2000s. I had just finished school and took a trip to Cape Town to visit my dad. I needed a break – a gap year, like many teenagers do. 
My dad was a windsurfer but had just gotten into kiteboarding. Naturally, he wanted me to try it too. 

At first, I hated it. 
The kite felt way too powerful, I had no control, and honestly, it scared the hell out of me. I felt like my dad was using me as a crash test dummy – I mean, he couldn’t afford to break anything at his age, but I would recover from an injury over a long weekend. 

Eventually, I convinced him we needed an instructor. 
We still have photos from that day – me standing on the beach, staring at the kite, thinking what the hell am I doing here? 
But something clicked when I finally got up on the board. That was the moment it all began. 

saying YES

I still remember the thrill of getting my first six Quiksilver T-shirts as a sponsor. That was all the motivation I needed. 

From there, I just kept saying YES. 

Yes to unpaid trips. Yes to crazy opportunities. Yes to chasing the dream. 

I once flew to the Philippines on my mom’s dime – no pay, no ticket covered – just for a chance to land the cover of a magazine. And guess what? I got the cover. 

Later, I flew to Maui for a Cabrinha shoot with zero money in my pocket. I even ended up on Richard Branson’s Necker Island with just enough cash to get there – no return ticket, no backup plan. I had to wait three days for my paycheck from Cabrinha to hit just so I could get back. 

That trip changed everything. I jumped off Branson’s island, and that one stunt blew up across the global kiteboarding scene. On that same trip, I met an American guy who invited me and his wife to Alaska – on his private jet. I had no money. But again, I said yes. 

Saying yes took me places I never imagined. 
It built my career. It shaped who I am. 

why i started my own brand

I’ve had an incredible ride. But eventually, I reached a point where I realized that building something for myself – something with purpose and soul – meant more than just chasing the next shoot, the next paycheck, or the next photo op. 

I wanted to create something meaningful. Something that gives back. 

jacobsen isn’t just another kite brand. 
It’s about inspiration, purpose, and creating opportunities – especially for kids who don’t have the privileges I had.  

the vision

At its core, this brand is about saying yes. 
YES to your dreams. 
YES to wild ideas. 
YES to something bigger than yourself. 

I still say YES– though now, as a father of two, I say NO a little more often too. 
But that fire? That purpose? It’s stronger than ever. 

This is just the beginning. 

— Nick