Making Rent Affordable and Supporting Local Businesses in Canada with Robin Gray from Karla Rewards
06/03/24 • 43 min
Ever thought your everyday spending could help pay your rent? Meet Karla, the innovative platform connecting local businesses and renters, easing the burden of high living costs.
In this episode of Pitch Please, we talk with Robin Gray, the visionary behind Karla Rewards. Robin shares his journey from his challenging upbringing in Montreal to founding a tech startup aimed at reducing living expenses for Canadians. We dive into how Karla's unique rewards system helps members earn cashback on daily purchases, which can then be applied to rent payments.
Robin also discusses Karla's focus on community, financial literacy through Karla AI, and their ambitious goal of transforming shopping experiences while supporting local businesses. Learn how Karla is creating a connected ecosystem that benefits both residents and businesses alike.
Listen now to discover how Karla is making housing more affordable and supporting local communities in Canada!
About Robin
Robin Gray, an African-Canadian entrepreneur from Montréal, Quebec, founded Karla Rewards in 2023. After a successful four-year stint at Microsoft, specializing in Azure Cloud and Data + AI services, Robin took the jump into entrepreneurship and went full force into tackling affordable housing within local communities plagued with high living costs.
Robin grew up relatively poor. His parents were both immigrants from Europe and Africa, giving him a unique perspective on the challenges of immigration, but generally, the high cost of living in Canada. He aims to create Canada's first super-platform, focused on affordable housing and supporting local businesses. Through Karla, he envisions a connected ecosystem where businesses and residents are interconnected through a single platform, The Karla Network, with an ambitious goal to make housing more affordable, fairer, and more rewarding through its unique rewards program, Lifestyle Rewards.
About Karla Technologies
Karla Technologies helps Canadians reduce living expenses, particularly rent when its members make online and local purchases through the Karla Alliance Network. Additionally, timely rent payments with Karla contribute to building a strong credit profile. Karla addresses the network effect challenge of loyalty by focusing on hyper-localization, targeting dense communities, and fostering neighborhood connections.
Key Announcements:
1. Karla has commenced development on Karla AI, a Robo Advisor to help its members with financial literacy
2. Karla has reached 1,000 members and 100 stores on its platform
3. Karla has entered into a partnership with IDEA Mississauga to transform shopping experiences for 16,000 local businesses (including SquareOne) and help reduce rent for Mississauga's vast 800K+ residential community!
Want to Connect?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.karlarewards.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/karlarewards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karlarewards
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karla.ai
Robin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-gray8/
Want to Get Involved?
The Karla Alliance is growing—we welcome any interested parties to reach out directly to Robin Gray, Founder of Karla Technologies at [email protected]
Ever thought your everyday spending could help pay your rent? Meet Karla, the innovative platform connecting local businesses and renters, easing the burden of high living costs.
In this episode of Pitch Please, we talk with Robin Gray, the visionary behind Karla Rewards. Robin shares his journey from his challenging upbringing in Montreal to founding a tech startup aimed at reducing living expenses for Canadians. We dive into how Karla's unique rewards system helps members earn cashback on daily purchases, which can then be applied to rent payments.
Robin also discusses Karla's focus on community, financial literacy through Karla AI, and their ambitious goal of transforming shopping experiences while supporting local businesses. Learn how Karla is creating a connected ecosystem that benefits both residents and businesses alike.
Listen now to discover how Karla is making housing more affordable and supporting local communities in Canada!
About Robin
Robin Gray, an African-Canadian entrepreneur from Montréal, Quebec, founded Karla Rewards in 2023. After a successful four-year stint at Microsoft, specializing in Azure Cloud and Data + AI services, Robin took the jump into entrepreneurship and went full force into tackling affordable housing within local communities plagued with high living costs.
Robin grew up relatively poor. His parents were both immigrants from Europe and Africa, giving him a unique perspective on the challenges of immigration, but generally, the high cost of living in Canada. He aims to create Canada's first super-platform, focused on affordable housing and supporting local businesses. Through Karla, he envisions a connected ecosystem where businesses and residents are interconnected through a single platform, The Karla Network, with an ambitious goal to make housing more affordable, fairer, and more rewarding through its unique rewards program, Lifestyle Rewards.
About Karla Technologies
Karla Technologies helps Canadians reduce living expenses, particularly rent when its members make online and local purchases through the Karla Alliance Network. Additionally, timely rent payments with Karla contribute to building a strong credit profile. Karla addresses the network effect challenge of loyalty by focusing on hyper-localization, targeting dense communities, and fostering neighborhood connections.
Key Announcements:
1. Karla has commenced development on Karla AI, a Robo Advisor to help its members with financial literacy
2. Karla has reached 1,000 members and 100 stores on its platform
3. Karla has entered into a partnership with IDEA Mississauga to transform shopping experiences for 16,000 local businesses (including SquareOne) and help reduce rent for Mississauga's vast 800K+ residential community!
Want to Connect?
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.karlarewards.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/karlarewards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karlarewards
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karla.ai
Robin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-gray8/
Want to Get Involved?
The Karla Alliance is growing—we welcome any interested parties to reach out directly to Robin Gray, Founder of Karla Technologies at [email protected]
Previous Episode
Setting New Standards in Air Quality and Purification with Jenessa Olson from ecologicca
Discovering Better Air Quality Solutions for a Healthier Future 🌿
Welcome back to Pitch Please! Today, I caught up with Jenessa Olson from ecologicca to discuss their innovative approach to indoor air quality and its profound impact on health.
We dive into how ecologicca's cutting-edge technology addresses air quality challenges, transforming how we manage and improve the air we breathe indoors. Jenessa shares her journey from chronic illness to founding a company that uses advanced air sanitization to eliminate pollutants and pathogens, ensuring healthier environments.
Learn how ecologicca’s systems go beyond traditional air purification, using hydroxyl technology to create fresher, cleaner indoor air.
About Jenessa Olson
Jenessa is a two-time founder and is the founder and CEO of ecologicca, an IoT company that is connecting your health and your environment. The company was initially born out of Jenessa's own personal health struggles. Despite being at the peak of her health and fitness journey, she would fall ill with inexplicable flus and it was finally determined that she was reacting to poor indoor air quality. Her travels showed her that this was a global problem, and thus began her mission to improve health through the environment. She has a background in software and logistics, was a former professional runner for Team Canada, has a Master's in Business from Ivey Business School and is passionate about social and environmental responsibility.
About ecologicca
ecologicca is an IoT startup, linking your health and your environment with our proprietary ecosystem. ecologicca's ecosystem consists of three parts: our hardware products, proprietary software system, and certification program. With our system, businesses can meet regulations such as ASHRAE 241 and 100, realize greater building efficiency, and improve environmental and human health - starting with the air we breathe indoors.
Want to Connect?
Website: https://ecologicca.com/
ecologicca's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecologicca/
Jenessa's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenessa-olson/
Interested in Learning More?
We are actively raising our Seed round and are looking for introductions to funds, family offices and angels in the IoT, hardware, proptech, cleantech spaces who are actively deploying. We are also looking to connect with any WELL accredited professionals who are looking for ways to help their customers meet regulations, improve their WELL scores, and quantify the impact of air quality on their health.
Next Episode
Democratizing Access to Mock Interviews for Students with Adam Huang From Mockt
Navigating the job market as a student can be daunting. Enter Mockt, the platform that's revolutionizing interview preparation and access to information.
In this episode of Pitch Please, we caught up with Adam Huang, co-founder of Mockt, to discuss how their platform is transforming the way students prepare for job interviews. Adam shares his journey from studying at the University of Toronto to developing a tool that bridges the gap between academic learning and real-world job market demands.
We dive into how Mockt connects students with upper-year peers for realistic mock interviews, providing valuable feedback and building confidence. Adam explains the unique challenges they faced, the importance of real-time feedback, and their commitment to enhancing accessibility and affordability for students.
Discover how Mockt is helping students turn interview anxiety into success stories. Whether you're a student gearing up for your first job or looking to refine your interview skills, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.
About Adam
Adam is a student entrepreneur with a keen interest in technology and product development. He co-founded Mockt, a platform designed to democratize access to interview practice for students through a peer-to-peer format. With experience in finance recruitment, he was able to leverage his recruitment insights to kickstart this new venture alongside his two co-founders.
Growing up, he was always interested in building and experiments, whether it was physically through LEGOs, or virtually through coding and open-world games. After his journey in finance, he looked to explore his passion for building, which began with simple coding projects but has since evolved into a broader exploration of what it means to create products that resonate with people. Today, he continues to hone his innovation and general acumen as a founder with a story that is a compelling reminder of the power of following one's passions and the impact of building with purpose.
About Mockt
Mockt is an ed-tech startup that aims to democratize access to mock interviews for students. For students, we aim to democratize access to mock interviews and help you land your next job offer. For career centers, we improve job placements, data transparency, and resource offerings for your entire student body.
Want to Connect?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getmockt/
Email: [email protected]
Want to Get Involved?
Visit the website and Get a Mock Now!
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