Meet Karl Gilbert, CEO and Co-Founder of Raylo

Tell us about Raylo

 
Our mission at Raylo is to bring circular consumption to the mainstream by changing how tech products are sold and enjoyed. We offer a wide range of the latest products, from phones to laptops.

Our Raylo Pay technology enables retailers to sell products via a ‘lease and reuse’ model. When customers return products we refurbish them and ensure they’re used by another customer as part of the circular economy. Together it means that customers can enjoy greater flexibility, lower pricing, and less waste.

We are backed by global investors including: Octopus Ventures, Macquarie Bank, Telefónica, NatWest and Quilam Capital.

Most importantly, our focus is always on the customer and that’s why we’re leading in the industry with exceptional TrustPilot and NPS scores.
 
 

 
 

What do you think makes this company unique?

 
Our circular economy-driven pricing means we maximise the reuse value of leased products and pass savings onto customers via low monthly subscription pricing. For example – a Raylo customer can get the latest phone and save over 50% compared to the RRP when buying with manufacturers directly. Customers can also ease their environmental conscience by knowing that when their lease is complete, the device will be automatically refurbished and reused, reducing electronic waste and promoting sustainability.

We have also developed proprietary AI and Machine Learning models that leverage open banking data and other alternative data sources. These give us a unique position to manage credit risk and improve customers’ accessibility to the best technology products.
 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 
After successful testing and optimisation via our direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel, we responded to market demands on two fronts: product and channel expansion.

We extended the range of consumer electronics from smartphones to include laptops, tablets, and wearable devices and launched our checkout integration tailored for third-party retailers. This integration empowers retailers to provide their customers with a unique “lease” payment option right at the point of sale. The benefits to retailers have been very compelling – zero fees and more sales by attracting and converting new audiences.

The company has also successfully raised financing from NatWest Bank – a great validation of our platform and the solution we’re delivering to retailers and consumers.

Finally, we’re incredibly proud that Raylo has become a certified B Corp and part of the movement for a more sustainable and inclusive economy.
 

What can we hope to see from Raylo in the future?

 
As a company that values innovation and our customers, we’re continuously striving to refine our service to meet evolving needs of merchants and consumers. We’re excited to continue to roll out our Raylo Pay service to a strong pipeline of retailers in the next year.

We’re also looking forward to forming more partnerships with great brands. Earlier this year we partnered with Uswitch, a UK-based price comparison service and switching website.

Our core vision for the future is incorporating any durable product with a natural upgrade cycle into the circular economy. As a result, you can expect to see Raylo’s partnership with retailers extend beyond the consumer electronics category, enabling an even wider range of products to be part of the circular consumption model.