Montréal tech company Leav wants to make the checkout process for in-store shopping faster and easier. It takes five seconds to checkout with Leav as compared to an average of five minutes with the traditional method, making the in-store shopping experience 10x faster. We spoke to Leav CEO Olivier Roy to find out more about them.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Leav is a tech company that offers a comprehensive mobile shopping platform giving customers the ability to manage their purchases in-store by simply scanning a QR code.
What made you want to do this work?
In November 2019, I was in a restaurant with two friends and when we were ready to pay the bill, it took 20 minutes to get it. That’s when we started discussing how annoying the wait time was and that there had to be a better way to settle a tab. And that’s how we came up with Leav. Initially, we were only targeting restaurants to help expedite their payment process time and, in turn, serve more customers but when the pandemic hit, and restaurants started shutting down, we began exploring options. After securing our first
round of financing from an angel investor, we decided to pivot and cater to the retail industry with a specific goal: reduce long checkout lines.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
Long checkout lines.
Who is your clientele/demographics?
– North American Retailers with 100+ stores
– Fast fashion
– Sports brands
– Any non-grocery product/service retailers that experience long lineups at the checkout counter
How does your business make money? How does it work?
We sell the Leav platform directly to retailers. Costs comprise of an annual subscription and a small fee for every transaction made through Leav.
Where in Montreal can we find your profession?
We are located at Suite 403 – 430, Sainte-Hélène Street, Montréal, QC H2Y 2K7
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
An ideal question a prospective customer could ask us would be: does your technology require hardware deployment? And the answer is NO!
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part is being able to talk to a lot of people from the industry. Every discussion I have with a retailer is extremely fascinating and informative. The worst part is that the long hours mean compromising my personal life. So, spending time with friends and family has become a luxury.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
Every startup is born in a bar!
What are your social media channels?
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Montreal business that you love?
