Scaling Engineering
From the first hire to high-performance teams of 15+, we build technical cultures that last.
Illinois Spark
What is Illinois Spark?
Illinois Spark is a strategic consulting partner for entrepreneurs and scaling businesses who demand clarity, structure, and momentum. We bridge the gap between high-level vision and technical execution, providing the seasoned leadership necessary to navigate the journey from:
IdeaLaunchScale
Start Your Journey
Let's discuss how we can help you navigate from idea to scale.
What Makes Us Different
We don't just offer advice from the sidelines—we've been in the trenches. Our leadership is rooted in decades of high-stakes execution, having sat in the CTO seat and led product teams through every stage of the business lifecycle. We've built the systems, fixed the failures, and driven the revenue.
A Track Record of Execution
Agile Transformation
We don't just "do" Agile; we optimize it—increasing delivery velocity by over 42%+ through disciplined process shifts.
Proven Revenue Growth
We've navigated the complex transition from $60M to $120M+ in revenue for both Consumer and B2B platforms.
Crisis Recovery
We specialize in the "impossible," having rebuilt mission-critical platforms on aggressive timelines following total vendor collapse.
Our Philosophy: We've led at scale so we can help you build at scale. We apply enterprise-level lessons to your business at the size and stage that makes sense for you today.
Put Our Experience to Work
Schedule a consult to discuss your specific scaling challenges.
Services
Adaptive Partnership
Stop fitting into "packages." Start solving the problem.
Most clients arrive knowing something is stuck—a product that won't scale, technology that feels brittle, or a vision that lacks a clear roadmap. At Illinois Spark, we don't force you into a rigid service bundle. We follow the "Way of Water"—a fluid partnership that adapts to the specific shape of your business.
Step 01
Discovery
We dive deep to identify your pain points and the true "shape" of your vessel.
Step 02
Adaptive Strategy
We flow into the gaps with a custom roadmap for Product, Tech, Design, or Compliance.
Step 03
Execution
We generate immediate momentum with development-ready outputs that eliminate rework.
Don't force a fit. Flow into your solution. You don't need the answer; you just need the vision. At Illinois Spark, we don't force you into a rigid package. We start with Discovery to understand your unique vessel and build the strategy that flows naturally toward your goal.
Formation & Compliance
Formalize Your Business. Protect Your Future.
Transitioning from a side hustle to a formal entity is the first step toward true growth. We manage the administrative complexity of business formation, turning your vision into a legitimate, battle-ready corporation.
Stage 01
Business Formation Services
We help you navigate the "why" behind your structure before handling the "how" of the filing.
Stage 02
Ongoing Compliance & Maintenance
Formation is just the beginning. We act as your proactive partner to ensure you never miss a deadline or risk a "revoked" status.
Stage 03
Compliance Without the Stress
We treat your legal foundation as a core part of your product's health, not an afterthought.
The Illinois Spark Promise
We leverage years of experience to turn complex legal hurdles into a streamlined launchpad. Whether you need a strategic guide to navigate the options or a dedicated partner to handle the filings for you, we ensure your business starts—and stays—on solid ground.
fractional consulting roles: CPO | Head of Product | Product Manager | Product Owner
Build the Right Product. Ship With Confidence.
Why Product Management is Your Competitive Edge
Ideas are cheap; execution is everything. Most products fail not because the vision was wrong, but because the path to market was cluttered with technical debt, feature creep, and misaligned priorities.
You shouldn't have to be a Product Manager to see your vision come to life. You need a partner who can translate your business goals into a high-performance digital asset. We provide the strategic oversight and technical discipline required to move from a "good idea" to a "market leader."
What Product-as-a-Service looks like with us:
Pillar 01
Strategic Product Definition
We transform high-level ideas into actionable roadmaps. By defining your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and core value proposition, we ensure you aren't just building features—you're solving a specific market problem.
Pillar 02
Managed Execution & Lifecycle
We oversee the entire development journey—from UI/UX design to final engineering. We act as the bridge between your vision and the dev team, ensuring every sprint stays aligned with your business goals.
Pillar 03
Market-Ready Quality Assurance
Shipping with confidence means more than just "going live." We handle the rigorous testing, feedback loops, and deployment strategies required to ensure your product is stable, scalable, and ready for users on day one.
Design That Drives Outcomes.
Visualize the Solution. Mitigate the Risk.
Great design is more than aesthetics—it’s the blueprint for your business logic. We transform abstract ideas into tangible wireframes and interactive prototypes, allowing us to stress-test the user journey and identify gaps before a single line of code is written. By visualizing the product early, we ensure your engineering budget is spent on proven concepts, not expensive course corrections.
Our Design Ecosystem:
Pillar 01
Rapid Prototyping & Wireframing
We build the "skeletal" structure of your idea to map out user flows and business logic, ensuring the foundation is intuitive and efficient.
Pillar 02
Curated UI/UX Partners
Design needs vary by industry and budget. We match you with elite UI/UX designers and brand specialists from our vetted network—partners we've worked with for years and trust to deliver.
Pillar 03
Strategic Oversight
We don't just hand you off. We manage the design process from start to finish, ensuring the final visual identity aligns perfectly with your technical constraints and business goals.
Fractional CTO | Leadership | Full Stack Engineer
Technology Managed. Vision Realized.
Stop worrying about the how and focus on the why. We provide the technical roadmap and expertise; you provide the vision and set the priorities.
Pillar 01
Fractional Leadership
Expert CTO services to guide your software, infrastructure, and automation strategy.
Pillar 02
Elite Ecosystem
Strategy meets execution. We leverage a career-vetted network of proven partners to assemble the exact team your project demands.
Pillar 03
Business-First Approach
We ensure your tech stack serves your bottom line—not the other way around.
Our Simple Promise:
Technology should make your business easier to run, not harder. We bridge the gap between your operational goals and the code required to reach them.
We manage the entire technical lifecycle from start to finish, freeing you to focus on what matters most: your vision.
Beyond management, we believe in empowerment. You don't need to be an engineer to lead, but you should understand the "connective tissue" of your business. We provide the high-level clarity you need to feel confident and in control of your technology, without getting lost in the code.
Stop acting as your own CTO. Let us manage your technology so you can focus on your vision.
Discover Technology-as-a-Service