The Story of Spreo
Spreo was born out of a passion for making teamwork not just productive, but enjoyable and authentic. Our journey started with a frustration familiar to many: Work in teams that claimed to be agile but lacked the tools to truly facilitate Scrum ceremonies.
As a lead developer, I found myself frustrated with the manual processes of updating Jira, leading refinement sessions, and conducting retrospectives. Despite the promises of Agile, our tools didn’t empower us to embrace its true spirit: collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
The Hackathon Spark
In 2016, I teamed up with colleagues Dan Greane and Bartek Nowojski for a company hackathon. They spent 24 hours coding, drinking, and eating (Rustlers, anyone?) to create a prototype for an ultra-adaptable, collaborative productivity tool. The result was the first working version of Spreo.
Breaking The Mold
Spreo was designed to break away from the traditional Trello-like column systems and Web 3.0 designs that dominated the market. Instead, it aimed to recreate the feel of a real retrospective, with sticky notes on a whiteboard, real-time updates, and a dash of fun. The goal was to make teamwork more engaging, enjoyable, and effective.
Evolving into a Continuous Improvement Platform
What started as a simple whiteboard tool quickly evolved into a powerful platform for continuous improvement. Along the way, we uncovered a significant pain point: Agile transformation failures. Too many teams were prioritizing methodology over strategy, losing sight of what matters most—effective collaboration, clear priorities, and the ability to adapt to change.
Spreo became the solution: an intuitive, enjoyable platform that puts people first. From retrospectives to sprint planning, our tools foster alignment, engagement, and measurable progress. By empowering teams to visualize workflows, remove blockers, and focus on what truly matters, we make continuous improvement a natural, joyful part of every workday.