Jake leads Bitwise Industries in vision casting, real estate development, and strategic initiatives. Jake grew up in Clovis, California with a dream of eventually holding a national office—an aspiration that eventually turned into creating opportunity for folks of every walk of life. Prior to co-founding Bitwise, Jake practiced intellectual property law at Walter & Wilhelm Law Group in Fresno. In 2012, over drinks and aha moments with his client, Irma Olguin Jr., they excitedly discussed the possibility of a company that could nurture and network the critical components of Fresno’s tech industry and become a driving force for the local economy. At that moment, the idea of Bitwise was born. Jake believes we all have gifts to contribute—and an obligation to use them. He has teamed up with art advocacy nonprofit Creative Fresno to launch the Boomerang Project, an initiative aimed at reversing the city’s “brain drain” by connecting high-level jobs with talented individuals who’d previously moved away for greater prospects. He also helped launch “I Believe in Downtown,” a grassroots campaign for the redevelopment of downtown Fresno and investment in Fulton Street. He is an advisory board member for 59DaysOfCode and sits on the board of the Downtown Fresno Partnership and Neighborhood Industries. Closest to his heart is magnet school Hamilton K-8 (“Home of the Hurricanes”) where he and his neighbors volunteer. For Jake’s wife, Sarah, and their three school-age children, it’s a venture whose progress is measured in years instead of days. Jake holds a dual degree in history and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD from Western State College of Law. He enjoys running, working in his yard, and spending quality time with his family.