Bootstrapping From Oklahoma: Robin Smith, CEO of WeGoLook (Part 7)

Robin Smith: The corporate clients are amazed. A lot of them have to be in meetings over weeks and sometimes months just to have a project completed. They can do it with us, basically, overnight. Everything is geo-tagged. All the metadata includes time and date stamps. It’s all very secure. We’ve gone through our second security audit. All the data is deleted once it’s uploaded form our looker’s device. It’s exciting to have this mobile technology platform that works. We can instantly have it out in the hands of thousands of people.

Sramana Mitra: You said the initial part of the journey was all bootstrapped. Is the company entirely bootstrapped? Did you raise any financing? How are you managing to get to where you are now?

Robin Smith: We bootstrapped it until October 2014. A little over a year ago, I raised a Series A round for a total of $3.5 million. That’s what’s helped me fund the mobile portion.

Sramana Mitra: Where did you raise the Series A from? Was it venture capital?

Robin Smith: No, it’s from an angel seed fund here in Oklahoma. It was basically a Series A angel-funded round.

Sramana Mitra: How has it been building this company in Oklahoma city? Talk to me about your experience working out of Oklahoma?

Robin Smith: In the beginning, I think it wouldn’t have mattered where I was because I didn’t know a lot about technology. I had to learn along the way. I’m still not an expert but I try to learn a lot. The first platform that I built wasn’t what I wanted, nor was the second. Finally, we’re now on a platform with a group that is fantastic. A lot of people think, “Oh, you’re not in Silicon Valley. You’re not down in Austin. You can’t have good talent.” What they don’t realize is that in Oklahoma city, we have so many oil and gas companies. There’s also Boeing and GE who are always trying to hire senior software developers. We actually have a good pool to choose from. It’s just like any other town that has its own community.

If you get in with the right people, they will bring the right people to your company. It’s an exciting product. It’s a startup obviously. We’re the only one in the nation doing what we’re doing. It’s a fun atmosphere. I love my employees. They’re my team. People just love working there. Oklahoma city has worked so hard to make it a fun community. It’s a lot more modern than people think. It’s actually quite progressive.

Sramana Mitra: I’m a huge fan of entrepreneurs building companies outside of the mainstream entrepreneurial hub. I’m thrilled to hear your story. I wish you all the very best in taking this further.

Robin Smith: Thank you. I love being in Oklahoma.

Sramana Mitra: Terrific. One of these days, we’ll invite you to come to our Roundtable. Thank you for your time.

This segment is part 7 in the series : Bootstrapping From Oklahoma: Robin Smith, CEO of WeGoLook
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