Smart Money Circle: Rob LoCascio, Founder and CEO, of LivePerson ($LPSN)

Rob LoCascio, Founder and CEOof Live Person Inc. ($LPSN) and has
been its chief executive officer since its inception in 1995,
making him one of the longest-standing founding CEOs of a tech
company today.   


As the inventor of online chat for brands, Rob disrupted the way
people communicate with companies around the world, removing the
need for 1-800 numbers, long wait times, and endlessly scanning
websites for information.   


In 2016, Rob again led the company to the forefront of
conversational commerce by making it easy for consumers to
connect with brands on messaging via platforms including SMS,
WhatsApp, Apple BusinessChat, Facebook Messenger, and even brand
apps and websites.   


In 2018, Rob delivered on his vision for AI-powered
conversations, opening the doors for brands to message at massive
scale while still providing outstanding customer experiences. Now
in 2020, Rob is a leading voice on reforming the future of work,
helping cultivate innovative new systems that support the needs
of Live Person's global staff, and challenging the reliance on
physical office spaces.   


As someone who has been on the entrepreneurial journey for over
two decades, Rob's mission is to inspire and help others who are
on that same path. Live Person has come a long way since its
early years, having survived the dot-com crash and grown to
become the leader in Conversational AI and automation solutions,
currently serving over 18,000clients, with 1,200 employees
worldwide.   


Beyond his decades of work at Live Person, Rob's interests extend
past his business and reflect his close ties to New York City and
his journey as an entrepreneur and humanitarian. He is a founding
member of EqualAI, which works with companies, policy makers, and
experts to reduce bias in AI, and the NYC Entrepreneurs Council
of the Partnership for New York City. In 2001, he started the
Dream Big Foundation with its first program, FeedingNYC, which
gives families in need a Thanksgiving dinner. To date, FeedingNYC
has donated more than 85,000 meals. Its second program, the Dream
Big Entrepreneurship Initiative, launched in 2014 to fund,
mentor, coach, and empower local entrepreneurs in underserved
communities.  Learn more on LivePerson.com