Describe your company and its product.

Loop provides contactless solutions and artificial intelligence to drive real-time insights, enhanced customer engagement, and automated venue tracing to the brick and mortar space.

What year did your company start?

2019

Which city (or cities) are you located? 

We are Vancouver-based. Most of our employees are located in Vancouver – but we also have employees working remotely in various areas in the US.

Describe your company culture in three words.

Innovative, collaborative, adaptable

How do you celebrate company or employee wins? 

Recently, through Zoom happy hour – we actually had a professional bartender join us virtually for our Christmas party and taught us how to make some pretty fun rum drinks!

What is the problem that you are trying to solve?

We are all about real-time data applications and helping our customers actually action the data they collect.

What is your biggest milestone to date? 

Our biggest milestone would probably have to be the successful implementation of our venue management service at two NCAA basketball tournaments in the US last year.

What is your biggest challenge?

Probably that we are still such a small team trying to develop all aspects of our business at once. We are learning to be strategic and make sure that what we focus on is in our customers’ best interest.

How are you making an impact?

We enable real-time data applications for our customers so they can increase operational efficiencies and provide a personalized, seamless experience to their customers.

What is your hope for the future of tech in BC?

We hope that BC becomes more widely known on the world stage. We have a lot of really cool, exciting tech companies in this province that are sometimes overshadowed by the bigger players.

Lightning Round with Rob Anson, CEO and Chairman

What excites you about your job?

I’m always excited about what’s next – and that’s what I get to do everyday at Loop. I’m excited about solving problems and challenges through innovation.

What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?

There are many obstacles you face when running a startup – the biggest among them though is probably finding the right people to jump in and do it with you. Finding talent with the same passion while competing against a lot of the bigger tech companies in the city – probably the biggest challenge I faced.

If you can give advice to your 20 year-old self, what would you say?

I would say that patience is something I’ve only come to learn later in life. Knowing when to sit back and let things unfold – that’s what I would want my 20-year old self to know. A lot of senior leaders, they panic – and that’s when you make poor decisions. And a lot of that panic, I think, comes from impatience – and learn to wait for the gratification of the big win.

Words of wisdom to other tech CEOs or founders?

You can’t be scared to fail. That is one of my biggest things – when someone offers you an opportunity – you have to jump in and take it. Also, you have to practice gratitude – I wouldn’t be anywhere without my family and my team – and I’m forever grateful to them for that.

Favourite city you visited?

I love New Orleans – the culture, the history, the people. I’m also a big foodie and I love the food there. The city just has such great energy.

What is your formula for success?

You have to have work-life balance – you need to balance a strong work ethic and passion with a strong support system.

Name one book that everyone should read.

The Wealthy Barber – it’s a classic and I really think everyone should read that one.

How do you decompress?

I’m a big outdoors guy. I live on the Island and spend my free time outside with my family and friends. I love fishing – it’s a big passion of mine.

Favourite movie?

Probably either Caddyshack or Rounders. I’ve recently been watching Yellowstone on Amazon Prime – that’s a great show.