Why Leaders from Competitors Chose Simbe: A Conversation with Barbra Chase, Brian Hughes, and Paul Warren

Q (Lynn): You’ve each led major retail technology programs and worked with some of the world’s biggest retailers. Can you give us the quick version of your journey and what excites you most about joining Simbe right now?

Barbra Chase: I bet my career on shelf digitization and AI in 2018. I started at Bossa Nova. I then joined Brain Corp, where I worked closely with Brian, and later moved to Focal and SymphonyAI. Across those experiences, I saw the limitations of single solutions. What excites me most about Simbe is the multimodal approach. It’s consultative, adaptable to different store formats, and it finally feels like the solution retailers have been waiting for.

Brian Hughes: I’ve been in the retail grocery space my entire career, from manual to autonomous solutions. Watching Simbe’s progress in autonomous data collection was impressive, and when the company added fixed cameras with Tally Spot, it created multiple ways to collect data from a single vendor. That flexibility showed me Simbe was building a platform, not just a product. Joining now felt like the right moment to contribute to that growth.

Paul Warren: I’ve spent 25 years bringing new technologies to market, from mobile email to mobile advertising. At Focal Systems, I saw the challenges of deploying fixed cameras at scale. What drew me to Simbe was seeing that an autonomous robot could quietly and consistently solve problems without adding new ones. It’s the right solution at the right time.

Q: Looking back, what’s one lesson from your past roles that shapes how you’re approaching things at Simbe?

Barbra Chase: Technology maturity is everything. Retailers don’t have time for experiments that don’t scale. At Simbe, the maturity of both the technology and the team is clear.

Brian Hughes: Consistency matters most. Retailers ask me all the time, “How do I get more consistent data, more consistent reporting?” That’s the power of our robot Tally — the same data, captured the same way, every day, across thousands of stores. That consistency builds trust and unlocks action.

Paul Warren: Retailers don’t want technology that creates new problems. Multimodal works because it puts the right tool in the right place, at the right frequency, without forcing retailers into tradeoffs.

“Too many companies build tech for its own sake. Simbe solves real retailer problems.” – Paul Warren

Q: Why is shelf intelligence so critical now, and why does multimodal matter?

Brian Hughes: RFID is finally ready for scale, with tag prices dropping dramatically. Tally’s ability to combine computer vision with RFID on a single platform is game-changing. Retailers want that flexibility to support omnichannel accuracy.

Paul Warren: No single approach works everywhere. Fresh areas need fixed cameras, apparel needs RFID, and the rest of the store can be covered with robots. Retailers want one source of truth across all of that, and only multimodal makes that possible.

Barbra Chase: It’s not just about collecting data, it’s about delivering insights that headquarters and store teams can act on. Price accuracy, consecutive outs, supply chain choke points, this is need-to-have intelligence, not a nice-to-have.

Q: You’ve all worked with or against other players in the category. What made Simbe stand out as the clear leader?

Barbra Chase: Culture, culture, culture. Simbe has built a team that’s smart, curious, and kind — and retailers feel that consultative approach. That’s why Simbe has earned more full-chain rollouts than anyone else in the category.

Brian Hughes: I’ve worked with companies where leadership didn’t show up for customers. At Simbe, the top brass jumps in, engages with clients, and supports sales directly. That level of commitment is rare.

Paul Warren: Simbe builds solutions around customer problems, not just cool technology. Too many companies try to force retailers to change their operations to fit the tech. Simbe listens, adapts, and solves real pain points.

“Culture, culture, culture. Simbe’s team is smart, curious, and kind and retailers feel that.”

– Barbra Chase

Q: What challenges are top of mind for retailers today, and how can Simbe help?

Paul Warren: Labor. Rising costs and high turnover mean retailers need to use their people more effectively. Simbe helps by automating the boring, repetitive tasks so associates can focus on customers.

Barbra Chase: Out-of-stocks, pricing accuracy, and razor-thin margins are constant pain points. I’ve seen retailers fined thousands of dollars a month for wrong pricing. Shelf intelligence solves that directly.

Brian Hughes: Retailers want standardization across thousands of stores. Simbe delivers consistency in data and reporting so they can make smarter decisions about labor, inventory, and investment.

“Consistency matters most. Retailers want the same data, captured the same way, every day.” – Brian Hughes

Q: Looking ahead, what impact are you most excited to make in your first year at Simbe?

Brian Hughes: I’m eager to lean into Fresh. It’s such a dynamic part of the store, and Simbe’s multimodal capabilities can make a huge difference there.

Barbra Chase: I want to open new go-to-markets like drug, discount, and convenience, bringing Simbe into channels that represent millions of stores worldwide.

Paul Warren: My focus is on Europe. Education is key, showing retailers that the technology has moved beyond pilots and is ready for scale. I want our robot Tally to become as standard in stores here as mobile email or mobile advertising became years ago.