Luis Barroso of RootLo
An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Luis Barroso, the co-founder and CEO of RootLo, which was honored in our:
Tell us the origin story of RootLo – what problem were you trying to solve and why?
The vision for RootLo was curated by a small team of remote workers who, taking advantage of our location independence to travel the world, just so happened to meet one another along the way. We enjoyed our work and our lifestyle equally, but it didn’t come without its challenges. Through many “fireside chats” with remote workers around the world, we learned that our experiences all have similar hurdles – you can easily become detached from your co-workers and feel like an outsider within your own company, it can be difficult to grow your network, and the hours spent online researching tips for remote work can quickly add up. With the quest of minimizing these daily challenges to improve the day to day life of remote workers around the world, RootLo was born. Today, RootLo App is a holistic tool that companies can offer to their employees to promote a strong organizational culture or a resource that any remote worker can benefit from having downloaded on their phone!
What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?
When we decided that the best tool for remote workers would come in the format of an app, we knew this would present a challenge for our team, as the founders bring unique backgrounds focused in business and had very little experience developing technology. It has proven to be more difficult than we originally accounted for to find the best-fit technology partners to build out the RootLo App for our clients. Today, we are thrilled to be working with our CTO, Chet Bailey, who has an exceptional technology resume but also lives his life as a remote worker. Chet also has a great supporting cast and we feel very proud of the technology that we are able to bring to our clients.
What does the future hold for RootLo?
RootLo’s mission has remained unchanged – to help improve the life of remote workers around the world! As a result of the global environment, more companies are moving to remote work and this has huge benefits for today’s workforce. RootLo is working diligently to ensure that we are prepared to support and easily accessible to companies and remote workers during this transition.
What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Colorado Springs?
RootLo made the move to Colorado Springs for personal reasons, but stays in Colorado Springs because of the incredible tech startup community! The support, community, and resources offered here are unparalleled to other cities that we have spent time in around the world. We are humbled to be a part of this community.
What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart – it takes drive and commitment to see your idea to the finish line. Given this, find a business that you are truly passionate about and surround yourself with an incredible support system. Once you’re ready to get started, put your head down and get ready to work extremely hard! You can do it.