It's Time To Change The Narrative
A new initiative aims to reposition the region through the renewed celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship and startup activity.
Innovation is a popular word these days. Every community strives to be driven by an innovative spirit, but innovation is not a switch one can turn on and off. It is deeply rooted in who you are, what drives you and what your vision is for the future. Innovation sets Peoria apart, although that may not be obvious to the outside world—and is often not even recognized in our own backyard.
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Tarter Source podcast: Entrepreneur Jake Hamann of OneFire innovation agency
CEO, President and founder of OneFire Jake Hamann joins the Journal Star’s Steve Tarter to chat about business development and the potential he sees in Peoria’s future.
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Startup Peoria helps entrepreneurs hone ideas
Josh Swank had a good idea of what to present at the Startup Peoria Weekend held last week at Bradley University.
Swank and his team, made up of Chelsie Tamms, a senior graphic arts student at Bradley, and Patrick Hoban, a member of the Decatur Economic Development Council, won the start-up competition with Swank’s concept of Virtual ID.
“IDs don’t contain much information and they’re difficult to update,” said Swank, explaining that what his team presented was an upgrade to a business card in a luggage tag, a concept using modern technology, allowing for immediate updates and additional information.
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A Look at Peoria’s Startup Scene, a Buzzing Ecosystem Just Getting Off the Ground
Venture capitalist Brad Feld says it takes about 20 years to grow a strong tech ecosystem. So with that time frame, Peoria, Ill. hasn’t even reached its rebellious teenage years.
But if you talk to entrepreneurs and investors in Peoria, there’s an undeniable energy happening around startups and innovation in the Central Illinois town that sits 160 miles Southwest of Chicago. Though Peoria’s 116,000 residents are just 20,000 more than Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, the town packs a business punch anchored by Fortune 100 company Caterpillar and bolstered by startups that have garnered national attention. It may still have a ways to go before it catches up with Chicago, or even neighboring Central Illinois anchor Urbana-Champaign. But it’s certainly growing up.
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40 Under 40 - Jake Hamann
Jake Hamann is the founder, president and CEO of OneFire, a Peoria-based innovation agency and digital technology company, and cofounder of Startup Peoria, an organization that works to develop and promote the entrepreneurial startup community in Greater Peoria.
At OneFire, Hamann is responsible for leading the company’s overall strategy and direction. In just three years, he has built a team of more than 30 talented “ideators” who deliver innovative experiences that inspire, impact and transform. Meanwhile, his efforts at Startup Peoria have been critical in helping more than a dozen entrepreneurs launch new businesses over the past two years.
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Q&A with Jake Hamann, OneFire
Jake Hamann is the founder, president and CEO of OneFire, responsible for leading the company’s overall strategy and direction. The cofounder and board president of Startup Peoria, he also serves on the boards of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council and the Downtown Development Corporation of Peoria.
Tell us about the beginnings of OneFire. How did you enter the tech world?
I started as a freelance graphic designer. I picked up my first Mac on September 10, 2001—I remember it well because of the day after, of course. That’s how I got started. It’s not what I went to school for—I went to ISU on a scholarship for music education.
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OneFireMedia CEO Jake Hamann a guiding force in entrepreneurial initiatives for Peoria
PEORIA — Jake Hamann is running out of room on his business card.
Along with being the president and CEO of OneFireMedia, Hamann is the co-founder of Startup Peoria, the organizer of the Startup Weekend and the 1 Million Cups program.
He’s also a board member of the Economic Development Council for Central Illinois and the Peoria Downtown Development Corp. as well as a contributor to the Whiskey City Collaborative.
That business card also reads: husband, father, serial entrepreneur.
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Startup Peoria: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
A growing movement of young entrepreneurs is taking the region by storm.
For years, popular opinion has dictated that to be successful in science, technology or startup ventures, one must relocate to Silicon Valley, the U.S. hub for technological innovation and venture capital. But the myth that businesses can only grow in northern California is being debunked as entrepreneurial communities sprout and flourish all across the country. Today, the next great business idea can come from anywhere.
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Move to make Peoria a high-tech haven gets fresh boost
The road to being a high-tech center has had its twists and turns in central Illinois.
The Peoria NEXT consortium made up of engineers and other tech types from area resources such as Caterpillar Inc., universities, hospitals and government agencies such as the Peoria Ag Lab was greeted with great fanfare back in 2001.
Richard Florida, author of “The Rise of the Creative Class,” came to town in 2004, drawing more than 1,000 people to a forum on creativity at the Peoria Civic Center.
The Peoria NEXT Innovation Center opened at 801 W. Main St. in 2007, not only providing an incubator for startup businesses but a high-tech symbol for central Illinois.
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More big changes expected for central Illinois business in 2014
The year 2014 is also likely to see more activity on the technology front in Peoria. Startup Peoria, part of Seattle-based Startup America, had its first event in November at Bradley University and looks to promote new ideas in the future, said Startup Peoria co-founder Amy Lambert.
Prospective and practicing entrepreneurs now meet on a regular basis — at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Thirty-Thirty Coffee Co., 734 Main St., for a program called 1 Million Cups, the chance to hear two six-minute accounts of those involved in entrepreneurial activity, said Jake Hamann, CEO of OneFire Media, located in the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center, 801 W. Main St.
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Getting started in Peoria
If you think you have an idea or want to join a group working on a concept you’re interested in, your time has come. Peoria hosts its first Startup Weekend on Friday, Nov. 15, with registration at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and presentations at 7:30 p.m. at the Robert Michel Student Center at Bradley University.
If you think you have an idea or want to join a group working on a concept you’re interested in, your time has come.
Peoria hosts its first Startup Weekend on Friday, Nov. 15, with registration at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and presentations at 7:30 p.m. at the Robert Michel Student Center at Bradley University.
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