AI Agency Haren
Haren is a prosperous commuter town just below the city of Groningen, with the Rijksstraatweg as its lively shopping heart. We help entrepreneurs here move forward with AI. And our co-founder is from here himself.
Why now, and why here
Haren has been part of the municipality of Groningen since 2019 and has a surprisingly high level of amenities for its size. Around the Rijksstraatweg there is a strong mix of specialist shops, fashion, hospitality and service providers, plus activity at Nesciopark along the A28.
We start with your process, not with the technology. First we get clear on where the pinch points are, and only then do we decide where AI genuinely saves time. That way you invest with purpose instead of in a hype.
What we do for you
AI workshops
Teach your team to work with AI, practical and ready to use straight away. In-company at your location.
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AI implementation
From a single task to a working system, with an adoption plan so your team actually uses it.
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Bespoke software
Software built with AI. A working product fast, then made production-ready and secure.
Read moreExamples of what we build
Every business has its own headaches. This is the kind of thing we build. Examples, not off-the-shelf products. We always start with your process.
More time for customers at a specialist shop on the Rijksstraatweg
Think of a shop or service provider in the centre that gets a lot of questions by email and phone. An AI assistant handles the standard questions, schedules appointments and prepares customer emails for you.
Your staff keep time for the real contact on the floor. The entrepreneur decides which answers may go out automatically and which a human checks. Technology that helps, not a cold robot.
This is an example of what we can build for you, not an existing product.
Close by, from Groningen
From the city you are in Haren in ten minutes, along the Rijksstraatweg or via the A28. Coming over for an in-company workshop or just a coffee costs us no travel time at all.
All three of us live in Groningen. Short lines, quick to respond, and someone who knows the region.
Leonard Springerlaan 35, Groningen
Our co-founder is from Haren
Maarten Oostland grew up in Haren, between the Rijksstraatweg and the woods towards the Paterswoldsemeer. He knows the village scale and the level-headed entrepreneurial mentality from the inside. At Empathree he now runs the AI workshops and the consultancy: he helps teams understand what AI can and cannot do for them.
That makes a conversation in Haren a little different for him. Not an outsider coming to sell something, but someone who knows the place and the people. For him, Haren is simply home.
Frequently asked questions
Do you come to Haren?
Gladly. We are ten minutes away in Groningen and Maarten is from Haren himself. Sitting in on site is a given for us.
What does an AI project cost?
We work with fixed prices that we agree in advance. After the first conversation you know exactly where you stand, with no open ends.
We're a small shop, is AI really something for us?
Definitely. It is precisely with small teams that taking away recurring work brings immediate calm and time. We start small and concrete.
Meet Empathree
Empathree is an AI agency from Groningen. We help SMEs use AI not as a toy, but as something that genuinely takes work off your plate. Always with a human checking the output.
What we believe
AI is fast, but speed alone delivers nothing. The value sits in the last 30 percent: judgement, nuance, knowing which question to ask. So we never start with a tool. First we map your process, then we look at where most time leaks away, and only then decide what AI handles and what stays human work.
How we work
We work at fixed prices, no billing by the hour. You know where you stand up front. We often start with a workshop to get your team on board, then build a working system step by step, and make bespoke software where it pays off. In our own Empathree Studio we build in our developers' coding style, so everything ships secure and production-ready.
Who you get
Behind Empathree are Marc Cornelius, Maarten Oostland and René Vrieling. Marc and Maarten handle strategy, workshops and implementation, René is the lead developer who makes the software watertight. All three of us live in Groningen, so you deal with local people who build with AI every day. We only teach what we use ourselves.
Why humans in the loop
The world is filling up with automated AI slop. Our answer is simple: the human stays in the loop. With us, and with you. That is how you keep control, quality and trust, even as the technology keeps getting faster.