Conversations on Retail Q&A with Brad Bogolea
Simbe
In a recent Conversations on Retail interview, Matt Fifer chats with our Co-Founder and CEO, Brad Bogolea, about how Simbe got its start and how his early passion for computers and technology led him into retail automation. Brad shares his personal journey, from growing up in Pennsylvania to partnering with leading retailers worldwide. Throughout the conversation, he reflects on key lessons learned and how retailers are now using real-time data to gain better visibility into store conditions, streamline inventory management, and improve day-to-day operations. This shift is helping store teams work more efficiently while creating better shopper experiences.
The conversation goes beyond just tech and startups — it addresses some of retail's most pressing challenges. Brad dives into the everyday issues retailers face, like managing out-of-stocks and keeping pricing and promotions accurate, and explains how Simbe is helping solve these costly problems. He also gives a glimpse into what’s next for Simbe, from expanding into new markets to introducing new ways of capturing in-store data beyond just robots.
Watch the full interview below, and read on for highlights from their conversation.
"My parents had me when they were 18 and 20. As they hadn't gone to college, out family had a culture of ownership & resourcefulness. When something broke, you fixed it yourself."
Q: Tell us about your upbringing and what sparked your interest in computer science, engineering, and entrepreneurship. What made you feel like you could start your first technology company while still in college?
A (Brad): I was fortunate to come into contact with technology at a young age, growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania. Our school district was one of the first to get computers in the state, which opened my eyes to the possibilities of technology. My upbringing also played a role; my parents had me when they were 18 and 20, and neither had gone to college. We grew up in a household where if something broke, you fixed it yourself, fostering a culture of ownership and resourcefulness.
Q: How did you end up at Penn State, and what led you to study engineering and computer science there?
A (Brad): My interest in computers and technology deepened in high school, particularly in information security. I worked on assessing my high school's network security and helped them get infrastructure upgrades. Penn State made sense economically and was close to home, so that’s why I chose it.
When I got to Penn State, my resume landed with someone in the College of Engineering who saw an opportunity for me to work with the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency as a contractor, given my background in information security.
Q: What was the first company you started?
A (Brad): While in college, besides working in information security, I became interested in wireless sensor networks and the Internet of Things. My father worked for an electric utility, and we saw a need for consumers to understand their energy usage better. This led to the idea of putting a wireless sensor in the electric panel to stream real-time energy consumption data to a home dashboard, which became the foundation of iConserve. We funded it in 2005 with state and federal grants, and it eventually caught the attention of companies in Silicon Valley, leading to its acquisition.
Q: After selling your first company, you reconnected with a college friend who was exploring the idea of robotics. What led you to start Simbe?
A (Brad): I spent about 10 years in the energy and utilities sector, went through two acquisitions, and was part of a company that went public. Afterward, I wanted to return to my entrepreneurial roots. I reconnected with my college friend, Shah, who was at Willow Garage, a robotics and computer vision think tank that spun off from Google. That’s also where I met our other co-founder, Jeff. Willow Garage was building the Robot Operating System and a high-end robotic research platform, showing that robotics was on the cusp of a revolution. When Willow Garage faced funding challenges, we saw it as the perfect time to start a company, leading to the creation of Simbe.
Q: What was the initial vision for Simbe, and did you always intend to focus on retail automation?
A (Brad): Our initial vision was to automate retail, with the first application being data collection to provide visibility of what’s happening on the shelves. We believed there might be opportunities later to move products or pick and manipulate products, but we quickly realized the significant potential value of focusing on the data aspect. So, we decided to focus there and started developing Tally, our shelf intelligence solution that was the world’s first autonomous mobile robot.
Q: Who was Simbe's first retail partner, and how did that relationship develop?
A (Brad): Our first retail partner was Schnuck Markets in St. Louis. We started with a week-long proof of concept in their stores, and within the first 90 minutes, their Chief Information and Supply Chain Officer wanted to expand Tally to their top three stores. From there, we quickly moved to their top 16 stores and then chain-wide, forming a strong development partnership.
"There will be store formats where robots and fixed cameras work together, and where shelf cameras work better. That's why Simbe is building all of these things."
Q: How did you end up at Penn State, and what led you to study engineering and computer science there?
A (Brad): My interest in computers and technology deepened in high school, particularly in information security. I worked on assessing my high school's network security and helped them get infrastructure upgrades. Penn State made sense economically and was close to home, so that’s why I chose it.
When I got to Penn State, my resume landed with someone in the College of Engineering who saw an opportunity for me to work with the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency as a contractor, given my background in information security.
Q: What was the first company you started?
A (Brad): While in college, besides working in information security, I became interested in wireless sensor networks and the Internet of Things. My father worked for an electric utility, and we saw a need for consumers to understand their energy usage better. This led to the idea of putting a wireless sensor in the electric panel to stream real-time energy consumption data to a home dashboard, which became the foundation of iConserve. We funded it in 2005 with state and federal grants, and it eventually caught the attention of companies in Silicon Valley, leading to its acquisition.
Q: After selling your first company, you reconnected with a college friend who was exploring the idea of robotics. What led you to start Simbe?
A (Brad): I spent about 10 years in the energy and utilities sector, went through two acquisitions, and was part of a company that went public. Afterward, I wanted to return to my entrepreneurial roots. I reconnected with my college friend, Shah, who was at Willow Garage, a robotics and computer vision think tank that spun off from Google. That’s also where I met our other co-founder, Jeff. Willow Garage was building the Robot Operating System and a high-end robotic research platform, showing that robotics was on the cusp of a revolution. When Willow Garage faced funding challenges, we saw it as the perfect time to start a company, leading to the creation of Simbe.
Q: What was the initial vision for Simbe, and did you always intend to focus on retail automation?
A (Brad): Our initial vision was to automate retail, with the first application being data collection to provide visibility of what’s happening on the shelves. We believed there might be opportunities later to move products or pick and manipulate products, but we quickly realized the significant potential value of focusing on the data aspect. So, we decided to focus there and started developing Tally, our shelf intelligence solution that was the world’s first autonomous mobile robot.
Q: Who was Simbe's first retail partner, and how did that relationship develop?
A (Brad): Our first retail partner was Schnuck Markets in St. Louis. We started with a week-long proof of concept in their stores, and within the first 90 minutes, their Chief Information and Supply Chain Officer wanted to expand Tally to their top three stores. From there, we quickly moved to their top 16 stores and then chain-wide, forming a strong development partnership.
Q: What surprised you the most during your early testing with Schnucks?
A (Brad): We were intrigued by what we referred to as the "size of the prize." The industry largely depended on self-reported data from store teams doing periodic counts and back-office data, which often didn’t match the actual store performance. Once we demonstrated this disconnect, it came down to the value and ROI case for the technology. We also discovered that 40-60% of out-of-stocks are addressable at the store level and learned more about challenges like tag error rates and how store teams quickly embraced the technology.
Q: How do shoppers and associates react to having robots like Tally in stores?
A (Brad): We've seen a generally positive reaction, particularly from younger generations who embrace the technology. In fact, recent research has shown that more than three out of four shoppers view in-store robots in a positive light. Tally's sleek design blends into the environment and clearly communicates its function, leading to good consumer feedback. Interestingly, we receive fan mail, especially from children who love Tally, which has encouraged us to consider Tally merchandise.
We’ve also seen how Tally creates better experiences for shoppers like Anna, a busy mother, and Kenneth, a father focused on healthy living, who have both experienced firsthand how robots improve their trips to the store by ensuring products are available and prices are accurate.
Q: What does the future look like for Simbe and retail robotics in general?
A (Brad): Simbe is expanding from pure-play grocery to other formats like club, wholesale, cash and carry, alcohol stores, and hardware environments. We're also evolving from a product to a platform approach, developing solutions for different store environments. We believe robotics and AI will become ubiquitous in retail, enhancing both employee and customer experiences. There will be scenarios where robots and fixed cameras work together, and we're building solutions for those as well.
Q: How can someone interested in Simbe learn more or get in touch?
A (Brad): The best way is to visit our website, simberobotics.com, where we have contact options for retailers, investors, and partners. You can also reach out to me directly on LinkedIn—I enjoy meeting people across the industry and learning from their experiences.
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