Jake Millar | |
---|---|
Born | Jake Christopher Clifford Millar 8 August 1995 Christchurch, New Zealand |
Died | (aged 26) |
Education | Christchurch Boys' High School |
Occupation | entrepreneur |
Years active | 2013–2021 |
Known for | founder of Oompher and Unfiltered |
Jake Christopher Clifford Millar (8 August 1995 – 29 November 2021) was a New Zealand entrepreneur and businessman who founded the companies Oompher and Unfiltered.[1][2]
Early life
Millar was born in Christchurch, New Zealand[3] and was the son of Robyn and the late Rod Millar. He was raised in Greymouth.[4][5] Rod Millar died in the 2010 Fox Glacier FU-24 crash.[6][7]
Millar was ambitious about business from a very young age. During his primary school years Millar's Mother Robyn helped him create and sell fridge magnets outside of supermarkets.[5][8]
Also with the influence of his fathers Sky Diving Business growing up, Millar saw that business was something he wanted to get into as he got older.[5]
Career
Millar's professional business career started early during his teenage years when he was attending Christchurch Boys' High School, where he was Head Boy in 2013.[9] There he founded his first company, Oompher, a career advice platform.[10]
Still a teenager, he sold Oompher to the New Zealand Government, with the platform being taken up by Careers New Zealand only 10 months after beginning Oompher.[5][11][12][13]
Unfiltered
Millar's next venture was Unfiltered which he founded in 2015,[14][15][16] a platform that provides inspirational interviews and advice from high-profile individuals. A notable interview Millar did for Unfiltered was with British business magnate Richard Branson.[17]
Despite the promise of the idea with nearly $5 million raised and a $12+ million valuation at its peak, the business failed as a result of the impact of COVID-19 and Unfiltered was subsequently sold in early 2021 to Crimson Education for a combination of cash and shares.[18][19][20][21]
Personal life and death
Following the sale of his business, pressure from investors and New Zealand media led Millar to leave the country for Kenya.[22] He had previously lived in Auckland and New York City.[5]
On 29 November 2021, at age 26, Millar died by suicide in Karen, Kenya.[23][6][18][24]
References
- ↑ "View All Details". app.companiesoffice.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ Harding, Bruce (21 January 2022). "Life story: Ambitious entrepreneur Jake Millar, a Kiwi Gatsby". Stuff. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ↑ Downs, David; Dickinson, Michelle (29 January 2018). No.8 Re-charged: 202 World-changing Innovations from New Zealand. Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited. ISBN 978-0-14-377258-3.
- ↑ "Jake MILLAR Obituary (2021) The Dominion Post". Legacy.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Jake Millar - millennial entrepreneur". RNZ. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- 1 2 "Tributes pour in as Unfiltered founder Jake Millar dies aged 26". ZB. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Jake Millar: 21 years. 21 things I have learnt". Stuff. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ↑ "Life story: Ambitious entrepreneur Jake Millar, a Kiwi Gatsby". Stuff. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ↑ "Jake Millar - millennial entrepreneur". RNZ. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Jake Millar launches Unfiltered Live business speaker series". Stuff. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Oompher". www.careers.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ Junn, Jihee (11 February 2021). "From Oompher to Crimson: A brief history of Jake Millar's Unfiltered". The Spinoff. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Motivational website Oompher sold to Careers New Zealand". Stuff. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Unfiltered founder Jake Millar signs up Aussie entrepreneur". Stuff. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Jake Millar is not a typical entrepreneur". NBR. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Jake Millar dies in Kenya". NBR. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ Newsroom, Sharon Brettkelly of (25 February 2021). "The Detail: The story of Jake Millar, a young entrepreneur who burnt some of the country's wealthiest investors". Stuff. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- 1 2 "Unfiltered founder dies in Kenya: 'I'd never met anyone like Jake Millar'". Stuff. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "How it all went so wrong for Unfiltered founder Jake Millar". NZ Herald. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "The Detail: The young entrepreneur who made millions then disappeared". Newsroom. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ↑ "Young entrepreneur's death sparks media backlash". RNZ. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ↑ Junn, Jihee (31 March 2021). "Popping the Unfiltered bubble: Jake Millar on how it all went so wrong". The Spinoff. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ↑ Fieldhouse, Rachel. "Kiwi millionaire found dead in Kenya | OverSixty". www.oversixty.co.nz. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ↑ "New Zealand entrepreneur Jake Millar dies in Kenya, body found hanging from balcony". The Star. Retrieved 1 December 2021.