Kate Bouchard, Founder of Loba.
Kate came onto our radar about one month ago and we are so happy she did. An inspiring entrepreneur in many facets, she is the CEO and Founder of Armature Collective, a marketing, branding and design company, the Co-Founder of Ripple of Change, an online community that inspires social action by sharing stories and most recently, she is the founder of Loba, a smart pill organizer with an app to help track your habits, set reminders and manage your pill schedule.
Loba was inspired from her own struggles in pill management when she wasn’t able to find something stylish and functional that would remind her to take her pills and fit in with her busy lifestyle. By infusing a pill box with smart technology, she will be able to help so many people with their daily pill management.
Read on to find out more about the story behind Loba, how she was able to navigate the world of smart technology, her best advice for women in business and more.
We love hearing stories of entrepreneurs that have created their business out of a personal need. Can you share with us your story behind creating Loba?
The idea for Loba was conceived when I was beginning my own health journey, which really started in my late twenties as I was dealing with hormonal and women's health issues. To complement traditional medical care, I started a naturopathic treatment plan that included tons of vitamins and supplements. When I went to look for a way to organize all these pills, there were no products that met my functional needs or matched the aesthetic of my home. I had the idea back then for a new type of beautiful, functional pill organizer. Fast forward 7 years or so, and Loba is now coming into fruition!
The design and aesthetic is beautiful that you created for Loba. Can you share with us the design process and how you came up with the final product?
The initial steps of the design phase included me getting thoughts on paper by sketching out my vision. I shared those early drawings with a girlfriend of mine who's a product designer for a furniture company and is a trained architect. We spent a few months working together to refine the design, consider materials and functionality before I took our wireframes and 3D renderings to the firm who would eventually become my product design and development team. We then went through another round of in-depth exploration, further iterations, refinement, and prototyping to develop Loba as you see it today!
We love that you have incorporated technology and an app into the pill box which can help so many people on a daily basis. How did you explore this technology and turn it into a reality?
Thank you! It's been a process, that's for sure. I did a lot of research around the 'Internet of Things', and how we can use smart, digital technologies and products to for healthy habit formation. Technology can be used for better or for worse, and so taking the power of tech and connecting it to daily rituals was my way of using it for good. To take my ideas and make them a reality I knew I had to bring on a product design and development team with deep knowledge and vast experience with electrical engineering, firmware and software development. I've invested a lot of resources and capital in the development of Loba. I hope Loba makes a positive difference for our customers and enables them to be well.
Can you share with us how Armature Collective came to be?
I founded Armature Collective when I wanted to embrace a more remote, flexible way of work. This was years before the pandemic when being chained to a desk and the hours of 9-5 were the norm. Armature came to be because I wanted to be able to support a more freelance, entrepreneurial lifestyle for creatives and strategists more in-line with the future of work.
Congrats on being featured in BC Business on International Women's Day! How do you feel women can help inspire and support each other?
Thanks so much! That was a lovely surprise to be listed among a group of truly powerhouse women. Honestly I think just sharing our stories from a place of transparency and openness, setting the ego aside. There's no reason to keep "secrets" of success to ourselves or to hide our failures and struggles. We need to lift each other up while also providing useful information and resources.
What is the best part of being an entrepreneur? What do you find the most challenging?
I see entrepreneurship as an investment in self and love being in charge of my own destiny. The thing that's most challenging is giving up the perks of being employed by others, such as being able to shut off work for the day, take vacation, have paid sick days, and generally not being up at night worrying about where the next project is coming from or how much cashflow the business has available.
Who is a business women who you admire?
What Payal Kadakia did with ClassPass and Whitney Wolfe Herd's success with Bumble have very much inspired me.
Do you have any advice for the next generation of business women?
Surround yourself with experienced, seasoned mentors who have been through it all before and are looking to support the next generation. I've been very fortunate to have successful, exited founders reach out and be incredibly generous with their time and insights - being able to hop on a call and ask for their advice, or connect to their network is invaluable.
Learn More About Loba Here:
Loba Website: shoploba.com
Armature Collective Website: armaturecollective.com
Loba Instagram: @shop.loba
Kate Instagram: @mskathrynanne