# Jeremy Docken

> Jeremy Docken is the co-founder and president of Likhaya, an Evanston arts nonprofit he established with his wife Zarina in 2024. He previously co-founded Kalderos in 2016, served as CEO and later chief strategy officer, and announced a planned February 2024 departure. His subsequent work applies business mentorship, performance opportunities and shared resources to artists building sustainable careers.

- **Role:** Co-founder and President at Likhaya (latest publicly documented role)
- **Organizations:** Likhaya, Kalderos, KPMG, IMS Health
- **Known for:** Co-founded Kalderos in 2016 and served as CEO and later chief strategy officer., Led Kalderos during its $7 million Series A and $28 million Series B announcements., Co-founded arts nonprofit Likhaya in 2024.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2016** — Worked in consulting; public professional material identifies experience at KPMG and IMS Health.
- **2016** — Co-founded Kalderos with Jim Bonkowski and David de Vogel.
- **2019** — Served as Kalderos CEO during its $7 million Series A financing.
- **2020** — Led Kalderos as CEO when it announced a $28 million Series B from Bain Capital Ventures and Mercato Partners.
- **2022** — Identified as founder and chief strategy officer in his January guest article.
- **2023-12** — Announced that his final day at Kalderos would be in February, describing a deliberate handoff to a new executive team.
- **2024-06** — Co-founded Likhaya with his wife Zarina in Evanston.
- **2025-02** — Likhaya and Downtown Evanston launched the Encore! Evanston restaurant music pilot.
- **2025-04** — Discussed the early end of Encore! Evanston and lessons from its insurance and licensing challenges.
- **2025-05** — Public coverage documented Likhaya Labs community art workshops at Noyes Cultural Arts Center.
- **2025** — Likhaya announced an inaugural three-month artist incubator with an October 6 showcase planned at Evanston SPACE.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Kalderos in 2016 and served as CEO and later chief strategy officer.
- Led Kalderos during its $7 million Series A and $28 million Series B announcements.
- Co-founded arts nonprofit Likhaya in 2024.
- Helped launch Encore! Evanston, which supplied shared equipment and subsidized paid performance opportunities.

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Likhaya’s stARTup page advertised July 16, 2025 as the launch date for a documentary series following its artist incubator; release completion was not independently confirmed.
- **2025-05** — Likhaya Labs offered free community drawing and songwriting workshops at Noyes Cultural Arts Center.
- **2025-04** — Encore! Evanston ended early after a two-month pilot because of insurance and copyright licensing issues; Docken discussed the lessons learned.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremydocken

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jeremy-docken
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21