We Get You to Growth.
We've worked in industry leadership roles, in consulting, and in thought-leadership. We've been where you are, delivered solutions to get past it, and keep ourselves at the cutting edge of what’s possible.
Our unique capabilities turn external noise into hidden clues about market opportunites, and deliver future-focused, practical results.
Experience tells us our approach helps you avoid the indecision, expediency, half-measures, and bad results that result from “waiting for things to get clearer.” Instead, we drive to clarity in unfamiliar circumstances — so you feel confident about what's next.
We specialize in helping growth-oriented organizations get the results they need and can use, delivered by a team that brings the practical experience and fresh approach that comes from diverse thought applied to real-world situations.
About the Founder
James Janega is the founder and Managing Partner of Growth Innovation Strategy Group, a consulting firm that helps mid-sized and family-owned businesses with strategic planning, innovation, and execution. With a diverse background in journalism, corporate innovation, and strategy consulting, Janega brings a fresh perspective to the intersection of business strategy and emerging technologies.
At GIS he developed TRENDWISE, an AI-powered foresight tool that tracks disruption risks across industries, and STRATWISE, which recommends customized, context-specific strategic response options, helping clients anticipate and respond to future market shifts.
Before founding GIS, Janega led product strategy and operations for Flexible Office Services at Cushman & Wakefield and advised Fortune 500 clients on innovation at Slalom Consulting. Beyond consulting, Janega is deeply committed to fostering innovation. He has served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s EnterpriseWorks incubator since 2015, is a startup advisor at the Duality quantum accelerator in Chicago, and a past member of the Chicago Ideas Co-Op and Brain Trust, an advisory group to Chicago Ideas Week. As an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, he teaches Innovation Leadership in MBA and Executive Education programs, sharing his expertise with future business leaders around the world.
Janega holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and studied Artificial Intelligence management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). He is recognized as a thought leader in AI, strategic foresight, and business innovation, helping companies navigate today’s fast-changing landscape.
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.