Rinka

What Rinka does

Rinka is a privately held architecture and design firm founded in 2005 by Matt Rinka and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm provides integrated architecture, master planning, interior design, and brand strategy services to enterprise clients including real estate developers, financial institutions, government entities, healthcare organizations, and tribal nations. Operations span Wisconsin (Milwaukee and a Madison office opened in March 2026) and Florida (Fort Lauderdale regional headquarters), with a project portfolio covering mixed-use towers, residential communities, workforce/affordable housing, civic infrastructure, financial branches, and hospitality/retail. The core product portfolio includes flagship projects such as The Couture (Wisconsin's tallest residential building, 44 stories), R1VER, Lakeshore Commons, Northern Gateway Community Collective, Thrivent's Wilden Portfolio Park, and Inspire Prairie Springs, plus a 400+ project financial vertical anchored by long-term client Associated Bank.

The firm generates revenue through professional services fees structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed-fee engagements for individual projects, a standard architecture practice model. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven: enterprise engagements are secured through direct outreach, referrals, RFPs, and the firm's reputation within the regional commercial real estate community. A+R, a co-development joint venture with Affiliated Development, extends Rinka's footprint into Florida by embedding the firm as the design partner on multi-phase residential and workforce housing projects. Business development is supported by content marketing ('The Alcove' blog), earned media in outlets including the Milwaukee Business Journal and BizTimes, and a heavy award-submission cadence across AIA Wisconsin, ASID, IIDA, APA-WI, and Daily Reporter programs.

The firm's competitive position rests on its integrated service model (architecture + brand strategy under one roof), two-decade brand equity in the Milwaukee market, signature projects of regional prominence, and entrenched multi-project relationships with developers such as Barrett Lo, F Street Group, Cobalt Partners, and Ansay Development. Founder/principal Matt Rinka and a tight-knit partner group anchor client relationships, while structured talent pipelines (the RINKA Studio at UW-Milwaukee, MIAD adjunct roles, NAIOP mentorship) support execution capacity across three offices.

Name

Rinka

Legal name

RINKA

Website

https://rinka.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rinka is a privately held architecture and design firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, delivering architecture, master planning, interior design, and brand strategy to real estate developers, financial institutions, government entities, and workforce housing clients across Wisconsin and Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architecture & Design Fees: Professional services revenue generated through architecture, interior design, master planning, and brand strategy engagements for real estate developers, corporations, government entities, and financial institutions. Projects are typically one-time engagements billed as a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee arrangements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rinka is an architecture and design firm providing architecture, interior design, master planning, urban design, and brand strategy services for commercial, residential, mixed-use, and public sector projects. The firm serves real estate developers, property owners, government entities, financial institutions, and healthcare organizations with notable projects including The Couture, R1VER, Lakeshore Commons, Maple & Main, and Lofts on Lyons.

Product overview

Rinka is an architecture and urban design firm offering a unified service portfolio spanning architecture, master planning, interior design, and brand strategy. The firm operates across multiple service verticals including Financial (400+ projects), Hospitality + Retail, Masterplanning, Residential, Workforce Housing, and Workplace design. Their product offering consists of service-based work rather than software products, delivered through specialized teams for each project type. Key branded projects include The Couture (Wisconsin's tallest residential tower), R1VER (Harbor District mixed-use), Lakeshore Commons (Lake Michigan master-planned community), Northern Gateway Community Collective (inclusive development), and various workforce housing initiatives. The firm also provides branding services as part of their design offering, creating consistent brand identities for developments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Core architectural design services for commercial, residential, mixed-use, and public sector projects, delivered for real estate developers, property owners, government entities, financial institutions, and healthcare organizations.
• Interior Design Services Interior design services that complement architectural projects, providing cohesive built environments for commercial, residential, mixed-use, and public sector clients.
• Master Planning Services Master planning services for large-scale developments, mixed-use projects, and urban districts, supporting developers and municipalities with site planning and long-term design strategy.
• Brand Strategy Services Brand strategy services integrated with architectural design to create cohesive brand identities for buildings, developments, and places, helping clients differentiate their projects.
• Urban Design Services Urban design services for public and private sector clients, addressing the design of streets, neighborhoods, and districts with focus on placemaking and community outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wisconsin's tallest residential building — The Couture at 44 stories / 516-517 feet
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and secondary.

• Barrett Lo Visionary DevelopmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Barrett Lo Visionary Development is the developer behind The Couture, Wisconsin's tallest residential building at 44 stories/516-517 feet. RINKA served as the architect for this landmark project. The partnership also extends to the Southridge Mall master plan, where Barrett Lo's proposal to replace the former Boston Store with 675 apartments and 20,000 square feet of retail is incorporated into RINKA's draft master plan for the Village of Greendale.
• GRAEFcoreTechnology or Integration · 25 August 2025GRAEF served as the engineer for The Couture, Wisconsin's tallest residential tower. As a structural and civil engineering firm, GRAEF worked alongside RINKA (architect) and Thornton Tomasetti (also credited on The Couture) to deliver the complex engineering required for a 44-story tower.
• Bond CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2025Bond Companies is the developer behind Inspire Prairie Springs in Pleasant Prairie, a $185M, 700+ unit apartment development spanning phases through 2028. RINKA led both the architecture and branding for this project, responding to housing demand driven by major local employers like Eli Lilly, Haribo, and Uline.
• IM PropertiessecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2025IM Properties is the developer behind The Corners of Brookfield West End expansion, featuring 278 luxury apartments across two buildings and 40,000 sq ft of retail. RINKA is the design firm for The West End, described as a gateway landmark and community destination unifying and elevating the existing core of The Corners of Brookfield.
• Ansay Development Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2025Ansay Development Corp. is the developer behind the $180M Northern Gateway Community Collective in Saukville, a 99-acre inclusive mixed-use development. RINKA designed the master plan as well as individual projects within the development including American Orthodontics (130,000 sq ft manufacturing facility) and Gateway Sports Academy. The development features housing (25% reserved for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities), businesses, community spaces, a hotel, event space, and assisted living.
• Affiliated DevelopmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerA+R is a co-development partnership between Affiliated Development and RINKA for projects in the Florida market. RINKA serves as the architectural and design partner while Affiliated Development handles development and financing. Projects include The Era in Fort Lauderdale (400 units, $128M, 2027 completion) and The Spruce in West Palm Beach (270 units, workforce housing). Affiliated has also selected RINKA as its strategic design partner for workforce housing projects.
• F Street GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerF Street Group is a Milwaukee-based development company and long-term strategic partner of RINKA. Key projects include Lakeshore Commons in Oak Creek (35-acre first phase, 199 apartments, 28 condo townhomes, 28 rental townhomes, 19 single-family homes), COAST at Lakeshore Commons, and South Summit at Lakeshore Commons (75 apartments). RINKA has been described as having a unique ability to help F Street Group develop and grow its successful businesses.
• Associated BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated Bank, Wisconsin's largest state-based bank, is a key strategic client for RINKA. RINKA has designed over 400 financial projects for the bank, including Wealth Management Services locations, Community Advocacy Centers, and branch expansions. The partnership has expanded to new states including Missouri. With more than 400 financial projects delivered, the work has helped reshape how people experience banking.
• Cobalt PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMilwaukee-based Cobalt Partners is a key development partner for multiple RINKA projects including The Symphony at OneNorth in Bayside ($40-41M, 98 apartments with ground-floor retail and North Shore Library) and the R1VER development in the Harbor District. Cobalt Partners is also working with RINKA on the Johnson Controls former campus conversion (The Patent Block).
• Bayside Development Partners IIcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBayside Development Partners II is the owner of The Symphony, a $40-41M, 98-apartment building at OneNorth in Bayside designed by RINKA. The project serves as the inaugural building in the planned 25-acre OneNorth redevelopment.
• Land By DesignsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand By Design is developing the Willow Run project in Pewaukee, transforming the former Willow Run Golf Club (161 acres) into a residential community with 283 garden-style apartments, 160 for-sale single-family homes, and 42 rental homes. RINKA is the design firm for this redevelopment project.
• FindorffcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFindorff served as the general contractor for The Couture, Wisconsin's tallest residential building and RINKA's flagship project. The partnership delivered a 44-story, 516-517 foot tower that won Project of the Year at the Daily Reporter Top Projects Awards.
• Stevens Construction Corp.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStevens Construction Corp. served as the general contractor for The Symphony at OneNorth in Bayside ($40-41M, 98 apartments), working with RINKA as the architect. Stevens Construction has been involved in multiple RINKA-designed projects.
• Bear Real Estate GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBear Real Estate Group of Kenosha acquired the Johnson Controls former downtown Milwaukee campus (430,000 sq ft, seven buildings at 507 E. Michigan St.) in 2021 for $24M. Partnering with Founders 3 and RINKA, Bear aims to retain about 250,000 sq ft for office space while converting other areas into apartments. The project is named 'The Patent Block.'

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HGA Architects and Engineers: Midwest-headquartered (Minneapolis) integrated architecture and engineering firm serving cultural, healthcare, workplace, and corporate clients across multiple states. Comparable to RINKA in scale, integrated service offering, and regional brand strength with national reach.
• Kahler Slater: Milwaukee-based architecture, interior design, and brand strategy firm with a similar service mix to RINKA, including workplace, healthcare, and living/community practices. Direct geographic and service-line competitor in the Wisconsin market.
• Eppstein Uhen + Architects (EUA): Milwaukee-based architecture and engineering firm serving workplace, healthcare, education, and community markets. Directly competes with RINKA for Wisconsin developer and corporate clients with similar headcount and integrated service offerings.
• Sasaki Associates: Integrated design practice offering architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and urban design for large-scale master-planned communities and mixed-use developments. Closely comparable to RINKA's master planning and landscape visioning services for clients like F Street Group and Barrett Lo.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with a strong multifamily, mixed-use, and healthcare portfolio competing for the same marquee developer commissions RINKA serves (e.g., multifamily towers, mixed-use communities). A broader incumbent with deeper bench and global footprint.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with significant workplace, hospitality, retail, and mixed-use practices. Competes with RINKA for flagship developer and corporate clients, but at much larger scale and with broader service portfolio.
• HKS Architects: National architecture firm with mixed-use, residential, and hospitality practices that competes for large developer-led projects of the type RINKA handles (e.g., multifamily towers, mixed-use districts). Broader incumbent with larger project capacity.
• CallisonRTKL (now Callison): International architecture and design firm with strong mixed-use, retail, and hospitality practices serving large developers. Competes with RINKA on multifamily/mixed-use commissions at a larger scale.

Regional players

• BKV Group: Midwest-based architecture, engineering, and interior design firm headquartered in Minneapolis with offices in Chicago and other regional markets. Comparable integrated service offering and regional developer/mixed-use focus, though serving different core geographies.
• Antunovich Associates: Chicago-based architecture firm with strong multifamily, mixed-use, and hospitality portfolio serving regional developers. Comparable to RINKA in boutique scale and Midwest developer focus, serving a different geography (Chicago metro vs. Milwaukee/South Florida).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/we_are_rinka
• Facebookfacebook.com/We.Are.RINKA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rinkachung-architecture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rinka