James Janega

Biography

James Janega is Managing Partner at Growth Innovation Strategy Group (GIS). GIS helps organizations see how the future will develop around them, find wins in changing environments, and build growth paths using agile strategies and better innovations.

Janega specializes in bridging the gap between strategy and innovation, particularly identifying growth opportunities and developing products and services that serve emerging market segments.

He has taught executives and worked with consulting clients around the world, serving sectors that include consumer goods and electronics, financial services, health care, commercial real estate and insurance, energy, education, and infrastructure. He has advised startups in AI and innovative technologies that include clean tech, precision optics, and quantum hardware.

Janega’s career brings a broad perspective to new activities. His two decades in journalism include 15 years at the Chicago Tribune Media Group. He helped develop the Strategy & Innovation group at Slalom Consulting Chicago, and worked in emerging opportunity areas at Cushman & Wakefield that included managing innovation strategy, new product strategy and development, and new business operations. He has served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the EnterpriseWorks incubator at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2015, and is a startup advisor at the Duality quantum accelerator in Chicago.

Janega holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, an MA in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and a BA in journalism from Northern Illinois University.

When not teaching or consulting, Janega’s interests include laughing with his wife and their two children, exploring the outdoors, racing in Ironman triathlons, and performing jazz music.

Academic Areas

• Entrepreneurship