Milwaukee startup developer Spreenkler LLC has changed its role to that of an “innovation agency,” providing consulting services to corporations that want to implement entrepreneurial strategies in a larger setting.
Romke de Haan has taken sole ownership of the company, buying out founder Steve Glynn and partner Bill Bensman. Both Glynn and Bensman will continue in consulting roles.
“This next phase of the agency has been in the works for a long time,” Glynn said. “It’s a natural evolution for us because our clients have been demanding this kind of lean training and consulting, and there’s no better leader than Romke to make sure Spreenkler can deliver on this promise.”
Spreenkler will offer large companies a lean innovation strategy to speed new product development through continuous experimentation and customer validation. The model has been successful for the more than 30 technology startups de Haan and Glynn have counseled since 2012.
“Once we began applying these same lean principles to our larger, better-established clients like Kohl’s, the light really went on,” said de Haan. “Now we’re ready to help all of corporate America invent disruptive new products and services, just like startups do.”
Since its 2006 founding, Spreenkler has played several different roles, including providing a gathering place for creative and technological professionals, training young designers and software developers and administering Wisconsin’s first software seed incubator.
