Denver is the greatest city in the world. Born and raised in Colorado, I’ve always known this. But after graduating CSU, I left to try something new. I knew that Denver with its rarified air and sunshine would be waiting, percolating, and growing while I was gone. I had to learn, to grow, to broaden my horizons, and pick up skills I could bring back someday. And I always knew I would be back, and I am bringing Clique Studios with me. More on Clique later.
That “someday” is now, and I couldn’t be more excited to come home. The opportunity did not come easy. I arrived in Chicago right out of CSU, without a wage and with few friends to help me find one. I took the only job I could find—running kickball leagues. Luckily, it wasn’t time-intensive, so when I had an idea for an app, I was able to learn to cobble together some code.
With a makeshift app in hand and 22 years of wisdom, I went about trying to sell this rickety piece of software. I failed. But I learned a lot. I loved thinking about how people would use such a thing, how it would impact a business, and how to wrap these things into a design. This kind of problem-solving enthralled me, so I joined a tech boot camp. Here, I started another app-based company whose purpose was laundry and dry cleaning. Ask Washio and Prim how the unit economics work out for that type of business.
Around the same time, I was fortunate enough to help spearhead the Chicago Venture Summit. It was here that I first came into contact with Clique, as they agreed to be a sponsor of the event.
I became fast friends with the team at Clique. I was hired shortly after. My past endeavors taught me more about myself than any course could have. They led me to the place I belonged (and my body thanked me for finally graduating from my rice and ramen diet). I began in User Experience at Clique, elevating the already brilliant design work to the next level from a strategic perspective.
Three years and with nearly 200 projects under my belt, here we are—with a team of the most talented designers, developers and project managers Chicago has to offer. We pushed Clique into the forefront, becoming known as the best agency in town.
As a bit more background, Clique is an award-winning design and technology firm. We partner with startups through Fortune 500 companies to create elegant, compelling interactive experiences. From day one, our mantra has been "Build Something.” We love helping high growth companies do exactly that.
We’ve been hungry to expand for a while now, but we wanted it to be right. We searched for the place where we would fit best and where we could have the biggest impact. While there were several great options, Denver was the clear choice. The economics and data all pointed this way, and we love the intangibles too—that je ne sais quoi that makes life pleasant and business boom. I knew this first-hand.
In doing our research, we could not help but notice all the amazing companies here. Incredible. We hope to learn from your examples as we grow alongside you.
Clique has been fortunate to grow every year since inception, just like Denver’s been doing lately. Even more compelling, I finally had my ticket home. I went out and learned of the world, and now, it’s time for me to bring that back to the place that made me who I am. I am excited to introduce Clique to Colorado, and hope you feel the same way.
Clique 5280 meet Denver. Denver, Clique.
Read Part 2 by Ted Novak: https://cliquestudios.com/building-something-colorado-clique-5280/
Want to get a project rolling before the launch? Let’s do it: https://cliquestudios.com/contact/
