A Chicago-based Design & Development Company
With backgrounds ranging from engineering to law, our team is as diverse as they are committed to your success. This enables us to bring fresh perspectives on how to leverage technology to achieve your business goals.
Who We Are
Our team creates custom mobile and web applications designed for all devices and built to scale. By leveraging a modular approach, our solutions evolve with your business to consistently and continually deliver the maximum value to your customers.
What We Do
We take a creative and practical agile approach to building technology. Through collaborative roadmap sessions, our team acquires a deep understanding of your needs and resources. With your team’s help, we iterate frequently to ensure our solution meets your business goals.
What We Stand For
We build lasting relationships with our clients which drive us to produce high-quality solutions that are flexible to change. We take deadlines and milestones seriously and deliver impactful solutions on time and on budget.
Meet Our Team of Designers & Developers
Located in Chicago, we’re a close-knit group with a hunger for knowledge and thirst for iced-coffee (always on tap). Through our Lunch & Learn and demo day sessions, we help each other continually improve while actively participating in the broader tech community.
Scott Weisman
Co Founder & Developer
Combining his 7 years of law experience and love for technology, Scott built WarRoom Law. By tapping into his creative streak, he has developed an intuitive sense of front end design and coding. Always current on the latest products in the tech world, Scott has an intimate understanding of product design and development.
Brendan Hennessy
Co Founder & CTO
Never stop building. Brendan manifests this passion, first seen in his love for Legos, by creating and building web products. He relies upon his formal background as an engineer to solve problems. His experience in both front- and back-end development is invaluable to making ideas come to life.
Ryan Francis
Partner & Developer
As ambitious as he is tall, Ryan has a passion for creation. In 2012, he created Francis Lofts & Bunks, a company in Western Ohio that manufactures aluminum loft beds and bunk beds. Equipped with a burning desire to build things that are useful to others, Ryan has come into his own in web development, combining creativity, logic, and an empathy for others to build outstanding, easy-to-use products.
Monique Marchwiany
UX & UI Designer
Monique's interest in design started at a young age, but it wasn't until going to school at the University of Illinois that she discovered her love of UX & UI design. With degrees in both Graphic Design and Psychology, she has developed a strong understanding of how design can enrich a user's overall experience. She also enjoys running outdoors, reading, and baking/eating plenty of baked goods.
Victoria Palacios
UI & UX Designer
Victoria, a lifelong Chicago native, has carved a path towards user experience and interactive web design that stems from a keen interest in psychology and human behavior. Victoria likes to stay well versed in relevant design trends, is passionate about content creation and sensitive to brand identity. In her free time she enjoys perusing local concert venues, photography, and planning her next travel adventure.
Rachel Killackey
Developer
A love of languages led Rachel into software development, where she found computer languages to be much less confusing than human ones. After obtaining her master’s in computer science, Rachel became inspired to build web apps that would serve as a powerful and dynamic medium for communicating ideas. When she’s not coding or looking for the next linguistic puzzle to solve, Rachel enjoys boxing (poorly) and annoying her two cats.
David Pickart
Developer
While studying computer science at Carleton College, David spent his free time building websites to simplify campus tasks like online printing and exchanging textbooks. His passion for turning ideas into reality led him to Launchpad, where he's embraced the challenge of staying up to date with the latest technologies in mobile and web development. When he isn't coding, he enjoys writing folk music and adding to his ever-growing list of elaborate puns.
Ifat Ribon
Developer
With a penchant for finding the best word in each situation, Ifat gravitated to coding as the perfect outlet for fitting the right words together. Ifat brings her consulting background, with a propensity for asking questions, to software development, and loves seeing the diversity of needs web applications can address. Away from her computer, Ifat is an avid lacrosse player. She runs a club team in Chicago and is always prepared to strike up a conversation about lacrosse or her team with anyone who will listen.
Diana Camacho
Developer
Like any good chemist, Diana loves to experiment and create new things. After completing her master’s in forensic chemistry, she decided to step out of the lab and apply her analytical skills to the exciting world of web development. In her spare time, Diana loves to cheer on the Chicago Cubs and is a big fan of musical theater. When not at her desk learning the latest web technologies, you can probably find her planning her next musical weekend getaway.
Waseem Karim
Developer
Analytical and deliberate by nature, Waseem is always searching for the best solution to any problem. After years of practicing law, Waseem pursued his passion for technology and became a developer, bringing the skills he learned solving legal problems to software development. In his free time, Waseem enjoys traveling, hiking, and - as a longtime Kentuckian - college basketball.
Nathan Jones
Developer
For Nathan, studying architecture exposed the complex inner-workings of urban centers. He carries an intense interest in the life of cities, and the forces that shape our environment. In software, he discovered superpowers that enable communities to build a brighter future. Away from the keyboard, Nathan is an avid boxer and wanna-be poet.
Danny Parnella
Product Designer
Danny has always had a creative streak and the desire to produce media content. Originally on the path to become a film editor, he found a love for web design that led to software development as well. These all provided an outlet for his obsession with inventive problem solving, which he continues today at LaunchPad Lab. Danny enjoys traveling to new lands, trying new food, and binging on several TV shows at a time.
Anthony Lower
Developer
Anthony has always loved puzzles and the problem solving it brings. After years of working in digital marketing he decided to enter the world of development so he can apply his analytical skills to creating products. When Anthony isn’t sitting in front of his computer he enjoys biking around the city and along the lake, and watching basketball - especially Indiana University.
Conor Hawes
Developer
Conor is passionate about using technology to unlock and amplify an organization's capacity for impact. He joined LaunchPad Lab as a software developer to continue pursuing this passion, while leveraging his past experiences in engineering and tech consulting. Conor believes that dad jokes are the highest form of humor and loves long distance running, traveling, and volunteering with amazing organizations like PALS.
Nida Rashid
Product Manager
Inspired by her experience in health tech and cancer research, Nida likes creating digital experiences that impact people’s lives. Her background in psychology and biology peaked her curiosity in how people interact with technology, and how to create the most impact. Working at the intersection of development and client teams, she naturally found her interest in product, and a desire to create something valuable for the people using them. Offline, you can find her getting lost in a good book, in a new city, or on her bike.
Katelynn Weingart
Junior Developer
Kate loves solving problems, and she believes that any problem can be conquered with a collaborative team, a thorough flow chart, and an ample supply of coffee. Before discovering all three at LaunchPad, Kate honed her analytical and organizational skills as an engineer and project manager in the medical device industry. When she's not cheering on her Cleveland sports teams, you can find Kate at small concert venues listening to bands you've never hear of.
Shannon Mason
Executive Assistant
Shannon brings a unique perspective to LaunchPad Lab. Her background working for start-ups has allowed her to build strong leadership, client service, sales, and administration skills. She has a passion for helping teams and offices operate efficiently and believes in the power of effective communication to positively influence those around her. Obsessed with all things health and wellness, outside of work you can find her practicing yoga, working out, or researching the latest holistic health trends.
Stephen Stavrides
Product Manager
Stephen’s fascination with products started at an early age while admiring the amount of gadgets in his parents’ kitchen. From user acceptance testing to user-centric design, Stephen has held various digital product roles and is looking for the next formidable challenge in the Lab. You can catch Stephen outside of work at a local concert, Costco, or Chicago sporting event.
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