Poken: PokenArmy – Throwbacks NW
Originally uploaded by Poken Army

Welcome new CHS intern ew.webster to the neighborhood. The Seattle U. student will be working on the site and reporting across the Hill for the next three months. This is her first post for CHS.

Attention Capitol Hillers, a new opportunity for artistic expression, exposure, and networking is ready to shake on it. It’s local and it’s really, really cute. Jeremy Morris, head of the Capitol Hill branch of the Swiss start-up Find A Poken, has made it his goal to use the Poken as the new method to promote Capitol Hill artists by working with them to design their own Poken lines.

The Poken, a small plastic creature with a USB input disguised as a big, friendly hand, allows you access and organize your networking information and the information of your contacts online. To share contact information, two Pokens must simply press their hands together in what Morris is calling the “2010 handshake.” 

While Morris did not invent the Poken, he is spearheading a cause specific to Capitol Hill — promoting these useful creatures as a means of exposure for local artists, graphic designers and tech professionals. Not only does he want to cater to what he calls the “tech savvy and fashion conscious” population of the Hill with this new method of personal networking organization, he also wants to help local artists establish their careers by designing a custom Poken- perhaps even pre-installing the artists’ work, merchandise, and business information for the purpose of greater exposure. Because he feels Capitol Hill is a vibrant breeding ground for art and community centered movement, he says, “I can’t think of a better way to get this launched.”

A former employee of Enron, or “corporate refugee” as he puts it, Morris is abandoning the business model of his past employer for a more grassroots approach. The Capitol Hill business is Poken Inc.’s primary partner in the country for marketing & distributing the product across the US. Find A Poken consists of Morris, five full-time employees, and about fifteen assistants all usually working around the city in cafés. Morris believes that a company should be based on the notion of  “breaking bread,” or collaboration, and his goal to work for and with local talent exemplifies this style of doing business.

As for the Poken itself, it is not only adorable, but secure. The codes on the Poken are encrypted and your Poken profile is password protected, lest you lose your Poken, or a jealous stranger succeeds in stealing it. Interested artists and the rest of us can find more information on the specifics of the Poken on the website.