About us
We succeed when you do. That's not a tagline,
it's how we're built.
We're employee-owners, so we think like partners, not vendors. That's why we show up differently, because we care about long-term relationships.
Years in Business
Completed PRODUCTS
awards
Our values
We’re endlessly curious and never stop learning. We ask bold questions and dive into the unknown without fear. Curiosity drives innovation and fuels growth.
Empathy is at the heart of how we work with each other, with our clients, and with the people we design for - building solutions that respect real human needs.
We keep it real and we keep it moving. We do the right thing, the smart thing, and the thing that makes the biggest impact. Our clients count on us to lead, not just follow orders and we deliver.
We create a space where people feel supported, heard, and empowered. We work as one team, with each other and with our clients, building relationships that last.
We show up as our true selves. No pretense, no politics - just honest conversations, meaningful work, and mutual respect.
Meet the Leadership Team
Kerri Klun
Kerri is the driving force behind Red Foundry’s vision, culture, and operational excellence. With nearly 30 years of experience building high-performing teams, delivering complex products, and shaping organizational strategy, she blends big-picture thinking with hands-on leadership. Her career spans leadership roles across global and national organizations, and entrepreneurial ventures, evolving Red Foundry into a high-impact, employee-owned, digital product consultancy. She is known for her ability to turn ideas into execution through thinking boldly, aligning teams, scaling processes, and fostering deep, enduring client partnerships. An early adopter of next-gen tech, champion for women in leadership, and a believer in a human-centered approach, Kerri brings a blend of strategic clarity and empathy to every challenge - creating an environment where teams perform at their best, clients achieve meaningful outcomes, and transformative products come to life.
Ron Franczyk
Ron was an original founder of Red Foundry in 2009. In addition to staying hands-on with emerging mobile technologies himself and leading our product team. Ron provides our “Founder’s Touch” with direct oversight on client projects from the initial kick-off meeting through app deployment. Before Red Foundry, Ron was CEO of Giant Company Software, acquired by Microsoft for its award-winning AntiSpyware software, which was later released as Windows Defender, and was one of the first employees at Click Commerce, which went public in 2000, and which was acquired by Illinois Tool Works in 2006. Ron is passionate about awe-inspiring product design and the use of emerging technologies to solve problems and create wonderful user experiences.
Angela Dugan
Angela brings a unique blend of enterprise experience from global tech leaders like Microsoft, combined with a deep understanding of the agility and innovation that drive success in smaller, fast-paced consulting firms like Polaris Solutions and 3Cloud. With a career spanning software development, DevOps strategy and execution, agile transformation, and delivery excellence, Angela is known for her people-first leadership style that fosters collaboration, growth, and impact. Beyond her professional achievements, Angela is a passionate advocate for community frequently contributing to industry events like VS Live, actively supporting organizations that promote women in STEM, and volunteering her time with mission-driven groups such as i.c.Stars. Her commitment to empowering others and driving meaningful change will be instrumental in helping Red Foundry scale with purpose and heart. She grew up in the Midwest, and currently lives in Oak Park, IL with her husband, dog, and 3 chickens.
Oliver Holmberg
Oliver is a seasoned Full Stack Software Engineer and Technical Leader with over 15 years of experience in technology and software development. Originally a carpenter and cabinet builder, he entered the software engineering field as a startup founder, building a live video streaming platform spotlighting Chicago’s indie entertainment scene. He went on to lead engineering teams at Blisty, an arts and crafts supply startup, and at WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR news station. Today, Oliver heads the Red Foundry software engineering team; a group of talented, versatile full-stack engineers delivering a wide range of mobile, web, backend, data, and AI applications. Born and raised in Chicago, Oliver currently lives in the Pilsen neighborhood with his wife and their two-year-old son.
Rich Linden
Rich began his IT career in Chicago, progressing through a number of technical and management positions before becoming CIO of an international risk management company, a position he held for four years. Following the acquisition of the company, Rich became the CEO of an IT software and services company specializing in clinical information systems for hospitals and clinics, and held that position for five years leading the company through six acquisitions and growth to approximately $100 million in revenue. In November 2009, he became an owner and CEO of Geneva Technical Services (“GTS”), an IT consulting and staffing firm, where he focused on GTS’ overall strategy, marketing, sales and business development activities. In 2017 after successfully growing the business, expanding into new markets, and significantly increasing shareholder value, Rich and his partners sold GTS to a private equity firm. While leading GTS, Rich pursued his passion for giving back to the IT community by serving on the Board of i.c.stars – a non-profit dedicated to helping young adults pursue a career in IT. Rich holds a BS degree in Computer Science from Miami University of Ohio, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Our Story
Red Foundry was founded in 2009 with a simple belief: great technology should be accessible, intuitive, and transformative. In the early days of the App Store, we built mobile apps purely out of curiosity and passion for what was then a brand-new frontier. Some of those early apps became breakout successes, creating opportunities with iconic brands and proving that thoughtful design and strong engineering can fundamentally elevate how people interact with technology.
As demand grew, we saw a larger challenge taking shape. Organizations wanted to innovate quickly, but the path was often complicated, expensive, and unpredictable. To solve that, we created the Red Foundry Studio, a platform that empowered independent developers to build high-quality native mobile applications with agility, speed, and economy, without sacrificing the depth or power of a feature-rich digital environment.
Over time, we evolved from a SaaS tool into a full-service digital product design and development consultancy, delivering award-winning mobile, web, cloud, data, and AI solutions.
Today, as an employee-owned company, every member of our team plays a meaningful role in Red Foundry’s success and in the success of the clients we serve. Ownership isn’t just a structure, it’s a mindset that shapes how we collaborate, innovate, and show up for one another.
What We Bring
A Strategic Business Perspective
We deliver value not versions. Impact, not iterations. Whether that means monetizing a product, improving operational efficiency, or accelerating innovation, our proven methodology brings predictable delivery, transparency, quicker time-to-market, and reduced project risk.
Deep Roots in Mobile & Web
Since 2009, we’ve built the full spectrum of digital products and back-end systems. No challenge is beyond our experience or our adaptability.
Beautiful UX Design
Simple. Elegant. Intuitive. Our designs are part art, part science, and consistently award-winning. We create engaging user experiences that keep people coming back.
AppCare Maintenance Program
With AppCare, we take responsibility for keeping your product healthy in an ever-changing world, so you can focus on running your business instead of running your app.
Solution Accelerators
Our library of reusable, battle-tested components jump-starts development, increases quality, and reduces cost. Why reinvent the wheel when you can start with proven building blocks?
From startups launching their first product to enterprises reimagining their digital ecosystem, we thrive on solving complex challenges, aligning technology to business strategy, and creating experiences people love to use. We’d love to tell you more. Get in touch and explore what we can build together.
Longevity! Founded in 2009 Chicago-based, on-shore
We partner with entrepreneurs to launch their digitally enabled business
Nimble, iterative, flexible, consultative, business-minded
10+ year partnership with i.c.stars in Chicago and Milwaukee
Sponsor, Mentor, Govern, Hire
Promote i.c.stars throughout the tech community
Join us
Interested in joining our team? Check out our open positions
