Like many entrepreneurs, igloocompany CEO and co-founder Anthony Chow started his business to solve a problem he had encountered personally.
As an Airbnb enthusiast, Chow not only stayed in holiday homes when he travelled, he rented out his apartment too. One of the biggest bugbears he had was how to make the passing of keys or keycards to tenants or holidaymakers easier—could it be done safely and remotely? Enter Smart Keybox, which allows short-term home rental hosts to store keycards or keys, in 2016. Other similar smart locks and keyless solutions followed.
By the later part of 2020—partly inspired and accelerated by Covid—Chow, 35, and igloocompany had made a leap from being a product-led company to focusing more on its tech and platform: Chow is now on a quest to make accessibility a reality for as many people as possible.
“We are not just selling smart locks. We want to create solutions that enable people to elevate their experiences in a bigger fashion. We’re breaking down the physical barrier between two people meeting… sharing experiences,” said Chow.
And it seems many others believe in his vision too: In March 2022, igloocompany announced that it had secured US$12 million in its Series B1 round, bringing its total funding to US$32 million.
“We have realised that it’s a lot more important to build a platform around our products. This is to enable third-party partners or third-party hardware manufacturers to integrate into our platform so that we become a lot more hardware agnostic,” Chow said.
Covid, Chow said, sharpened the company’s focus on its technology. This was especially as property management and sharing economies affected by pandemic restrictions had to find a way to offer contactless access to customers.
But the company isn’t resting on its laurels. “We continuously invest in developing our technology solutions, because we know that post-Covid, the world will not turn back from going contactless,” Chow said. “For instance, when many markets opened up towards the end of 2021, we had the solutions ready for our customers. So, don’t underestimate preparation. It allows one to grab an opportunity when it arises.”
Chow’s concept of accessibility extends to helping the less fortunate. “We’re very big on looking at how we can enhance access to the underserved in areas like, for example, education, clean water, and more,” Chow shared. He noted that igloocompany has, among other initiatives, donated refurbished second-hand laptops to the needy, and raised funds to run coding workshops for girls.
The world, Chow says, is moving towards a sharing economy, and smart cities enable better accessibility and facilitate sharing.
He has found like-minded visionaries at the Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle, an international group of bright young people who come together to try and solve the world’s most pressing problems.
Chow himself also takes on a more personal form of sharing—mentoring, in formal programmes as well as in more casual ad-hoc ways.
“I have been blessed with a number of mentors who have entered my life and really extended a helping hand. I can recall multiple situations where we were faced with despair to the point that we thought nothing would work out. But then someone would offer to help, including seemingly simple actions like connecting us to a distributor or customer,” Chow recalled.
These people, he said, are the ones he keeps close—and whom he aspires to be for other up-and-coming entrepreneurs. “Nothing beats having someone who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.”
