Kate Isler
Kate Isler is a trailblazing entrepreneur, author, and gender equity advocate whose work bridges technology, commerce, and social impact. She is co-founder and CEO of The WMarketplace, a mission-driven e-commerce platform and accelerator designed to support women-owned businesses globally and drive economic parity.
Kate’s path has always been unconventional and rooted in bold leaps. In her early twenties, she moved to Seattle with no clear plan-and soon landed a role at a small tech firm that evolved into Microsoft. Over the years she held international leadership roles across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, United Kingdom and back in the U.S., ultimately leading global marketing for Microsoft Windows.
During her travels and career, she often found herself navigating male-dominated environments, but she embraced those challenges by observing local norms, adapting intentionally, and pushing forward with purpose.
After leaving Microsoft, Kate committed to making a direct impact on gender equity. She wrote her memoir, Breaking Borders (2021), and co-founded The Marketplace in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a response to how disproportionately the crisis impacted women.
Under her leadership, The Marketplace has grown to support over 1500 women-owned brands offering thousands of products and services. The platform offers market assessments, accelerator training, technical support, and community building to help women entrepreneurs scale online. Kate defines success not only by sales metrics, but by mission alignment: by expanding women’s economic opportunities and enabling consumers to “shop their values.”
Beyond her business ventures, Kate is deeply invested in equity work: she co-founded the nonprofit Be Bold for Change to spotlight women’s voices, and often speaks publicly on themes of leadership, reinvention, and the power of purposeful business. In her writing and mentoring, she challenges women not to self-select out of opportunity, to lean into ambition, and to fuse professional success with impact.