Anecdotally, you're starting to hear more and more about a Chicago tech "boomerang effect." In other words, tech workers who've left the city but are now returning to Chicago to start their next businesses or join an existing high-growth tech company. And the latest executive hire at Chicago-based Jellyvision is the next example of Chicago tech talent returning home.
This week employee communication software company Jellyvision announced that it has hired Brian Walker as its first-ever CTO. Walker comes to Jellyvision after spending two years at Berlin-based Delivery Hero, a food delivery company backed by Germany's Rocket Internet. The company has raised more than $1 billion since launching in 2010.
During Walker's time at Delivery Hero, the company grew from 400 to 2,400 employees, Walker's Tech/Product group grew from 30 to 200 people, and Delivery Hero acquired more than 16 companies.
Prior to Delivery Hero, Walker was VP technical ops at Chicago's GrubHub, where he helped build the tech team and prepare for the company's IPO. Prior to that, he held multiple positions at Orbitz, including managing a large part of the company's Global Technical Operations and Engineering team.
Walker told Chicago Inno he returned to Chicago specifically for the opportunity at Jellyvision, and fell in love with the company's people and culture.
"(Jellyvision) is one of those companies you walk into and you feel like this is a little bit different. It's a little bit special," Walker said. "The people really believe in the journey they’re trying to take their customers on. They want to really make a difference in people's lives."
Jellyvision was founded in 1989 by Harry Gottlieb. Then under the name Learn Television, the company created the You Don’t Know Jack trivia game and developed the original Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD-ROM for Disney. Today, Jellyvision's software helps companies explain important and complex topics to their employees--like choosing health insurance or saving for retirement. Jellyvision's popular product ALEX helps employees better understand their insurance benefits through an engaging and informative platform.
ALEX is used by more than 800 companies, including 72 of the Fortune 500.
Jellyvision CEO Amanda Lannert said in a statement that hiring Walker was like the company "won the CTO lottery.”
"Not only is he extraordinarily skillful at doing what we need most as a fast-growing tech company ... he’s a super-smart, fun guy who loves helping others and who cares about the world around him," she said.
Walker said it "feels a bit special" to be named the company's first CTO, and he's planning to make Jellyvision a more visible force in the Chicago tech community.
"Jellyvision has a lot of good things inside it that the Chicago tech community doesn't know about," he said. "I think the Chicago tech community can look forward in the next few years to having a much larger presence from Jellyvision."
Correction: This post has been updated to note that Rocket Internet was an investor in Delivery Hero. The company was not born out of RI's startup studio.
