SCALING SUCCESS THROUGH SOFTWARE

A new local player is bringing fresh energy to user-focused product design and development.

Several years ago, Infinum’s North America team worked with the National Hockey League to design and build the official Stanley Cup Bracket Challenge. This past winter, here on the North Shore, the award-winning agency sponsored a youth hockey team at the Winnetka Hockey Club that brought home the Minor Mite trophy.

“Creating software has more in common with hockey than you might think,” says Glencoe’s Joe Rosenthal, head of Midwest Business Development for the fast-growing agency. “It’s about making the right plays amid speed and disruption.” Since establishing itself in North America, including the greater Chicago area, in late 2023, Infinum has helped a range of companies notch top-shelf business goals.

The agency, headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, has built digital products for the past 20 years—scaling digital R&D operations for Porsche, powering over 1 million smart home users for Philips, and helping cut energy costs by 75 percent with MasterConnect lighting. They’ve developed an AI-powered bike safety system, launched a vitals-tracking app to fight cardiac failure, and built revenue optimization tools for leading hotel brands.

Closer to home, Infinum has designed new financial tools for BMO, helped a Fortune 500 manufacturer grow its direct-to-consumer business, supported a financial services client’s brand relaunch, and is currently partnering with Midtown Athletic Club to transform data into an asset for strategic decision makers.

“We’re working on a business intelligence platform that visualizes our data in real time alongside AI insights,” says Midtown Athletic Club President Jon Brady. “Infinum has been a great partner in helping us bring this project to life and make the information actionable.”

Launched by engineering students Matej Spoler and Tomislav Car after they sold their first piece of software for $5,000 in 2005, Infinum now has a worldwide workforce of 450 employees. In addition to its Zagreb headquarters, it set up shops in London, Amsterdam, North Macedonia, and Slovenia. Infinum partners with forward-thinking brands, organizations, and founders that understand the value of technology. That philosophy placed them in the company of leading companies like Alps Alpine, Leica, Alfa Laval, and KPMG.

Infinum acquired the New York-based creative digital agency ExpandTheRoom (ETR)—co-founded by James Cole and Todd Doyle—in 2023 to build a presence in North America. Cole lives outside of D.C. and serves as Infinum’s North America CEO.

“Clients appreciate new options, and Infinum represents fresh thinking and a proven process,” says Cole. “The Greater Chicago market is an opportunity for us to help solve businesses’ complex problems and add value to companies. I still get excited when I learn something interesting about a new industry, and I love generating tangible results through our work.”

Cole and Rosenthal both got their start in the music industry, working for major labels going up against Napster in the MP3.com era and helping to launch RollingStone.com. Rosenthal, a Northwestern University graduate, spent nearly a decade at the ad agency Ogilvy, and Cole co-helmed ETR from 2002 until the agency’s acquisition by Infinum.

“What we’re experiencing in today’s era of AI innovation feels familiar to us,” says Rosenthal, who moved to Glencoe in 2012 with his wife, Karri, and their children, Jonah and Livi. “It’s exciting, fascinating, and challenging—just like it was during our days in digital music in the early 2000s.”

“Here we go again,” echoes Cole, “embracing change and all the good that comes with it and working at a breakneck speed in a high-stakes, winner-take-all environment.”

“Chicago is full of legendary companies and pace-setting global businesses,” Rosenthal says. “And they’re looking for ways to gain an edge through digital product design and strategy and, increasingly, the promise of AI. We’re here to help with that.”

For more information, visit infinum.com.