Focus on Leadership: Pawel Rajszel’s Roomvo technology is changing the way consumers buy flooring – May 2025

Interview by Kemp Harr

Pawel Rajszel was born and raised in Canada by refugee parents who had emigrated from Poland. Pawel credits his immigrant parents with teaching him the value of hard work and instilling in him a strong sense of responsibility.

Carrying an intense interest in computers and the stock market from an early age, Rajszel attended the University of Waterloo studying engineering and finance and started his career with Veritas Technologies-an investment firm specializing in publicly traded companies-before launching Leap Tools, focused on the retail flooring business. Leap Tools, the maker of Roomvo, acquired QFloors in January.

Pawel and his wife live in Toronto with their twin daughters.

Q: What inspired you to attend the University of Waterloo and pursue an education in finance and engineering?
A: My early fascination with computers and the stock market, as well as my desire to create and build things, naturally led me to engineering and finance. I was particularly attracted to the University of Waterloo because it was recognized globally as a top school for computer science and engineering; it had an exceptional co-op program that would allow me to get real-world work experience before graduating, as well as the opportunity to learn alongside some of the brightest and most talented people in the world. It was really a no-brainer.

Q: How did you end up at Veritas, and how did that experience set you on track to become the founder of Leap Tools?
A: I was interested in the stock market and in investing from an early age, and I had outstanding internships at a leading investment firm during university, which further cemented my interest in finance. I also graduated during the financial crisis, when the investment industry and global economy were in turmoil, so it was a very interesting time to be in finance. Veritas was focused on conducting independent research on investments across North America, and it gave me an opportunity to do intellectually stimulating and interesting work while learning a ton about many different businesses, which was all incredibly appealing to me. The experience was rewarding on so many levels. However, the job was ultimately about predicting the future, and as time passed, I felt compelled to build something and create the future, which paved the way for Leap Tools.

Q: You started excelling at an early age. What is the driver for your intensity to succeed?
A: I always had a strong desire to build something, to create, and a sense of responsibility to achieve my full potential. I also felt an obligation to work hard and do well, given my parents had sacrificed so much for me to have a better life.

As a teenager, I started a small computer consulting venture, going around town making websites for local businesses as well as setting up networks and computers for them. I actually did pretty well and started to think that maybe I could do this forever and just stay in my hometown, maybe I didn’t need to leave home and go to school after all. It was a good thing my parents nudged me to go, because university really opened my eyes to the bigger world out there and the amazing people that could join me on life’s journey, such as my co-founder and other classmates, some of whom are also at Leap Tools.

Q: Why have you chosen flooring and other interior finishes as the focus point for the tools you are developing?
A: During university, we were always excited about what would be possible when computers could see. We somehow stumbled upon the idea of developing and applying this technology to interior decor. But we also needed to focus, and flooring was immediately appealing. For example, consumers really struggle with flooring – it’s the canvas for the room – and getting it wrong can be a very visible and expensive mistake.

And on the business side, it seemed like interior decor, and flooring in particular, were overlooked and underserved by technology companies. We knew we could make a big impact by developing cutting-edge technology for the industry. The funny thing is we actually thought we would move onto other areas of interior decor after just a few months, but here we are, eight years later, realizing that the flooring industry is much bigger than we ever thought, with many more opportunities than we ever imagined.

Q: What was the unmet need that you hoped to solve when you started Leap Tools? How has that evolved?
A: We learned that about half of home remodeling projects don’t happen because consumers cannot visualize what the end result will be, which makes sense: home remodeling projects are expensive and risky because, if the consumer doesn’t like what they end up with, they can’t just return it as they can an unwanted Amazon purchase. If we could help consumers visualize what the floor and home remodel would look like, then we knew we could have a big impact by helping consumers and unlocking a lot of new sales for the industry. So, Roomvo was born.

As we grew our clientele, things evolved substantially. We were constantly asked to create more products and services, because we were told the existing options were lacking. So, over time, we released more and more products, to the point where we are now a full-service one-stop-shop tech solution provider to the industry. In addition to the Roomvo visualizer, we also offer custom websites, tailored digital ad campaigns, AI chatbots that can be placed on any website, kiosks for outstanding showroom experiences, apps to empower sales reps, cost-saving merchant payment processing, electronic showroom tags, easy-to-use business management solutions, and so much more. Roomvo is not just a visualizer anymore.

Q: Software is a world dominated by private equity investment and yet you’ve funded Leap Tools with your own money. Why have you resisted getting help from outside investors?
A: Companies that take investment from private equity firms tend to jack up their prices without offering more value and cut their costs until service levels decline-all of which just ends up hurting customers. Maybe we have an old-school business philosophy, but we want to be in control of our own destiny and make decisions that are in the best interest of our customers and our people. While other private equity-backed companies have to answer to their investors, we answer to our customers. And that’s the way we like it.

Q: Success comes from having the right team. What do you look for in people when you are considering adding them to your team?
A: We look for people who are smart, hardworking and really care about customers. Building a strong company culture early on has paid off immensely. We have an absolutely phenomenal team, with multiple people who serve on industry boards and who have been recognized as “Top Leaders Under 40”-and, of course, we have great people over 40, as well!

Q: Being successful in your field requires vision. Where do you get your inspiration to develop the right solutions for the market?
A: Well, vision is literally our core business! It’s amazing what kinds of insights and inspiration you can get from simply speaking with customers. Their feedback has been invaluable in shaping our solutions.

Q: Who were your mentors, and what did they teach you?
A: I was blessed to have had outstanding teachers throughout my education. I’ve also read some amazing books that have had a profound impact on me. And as it pertains to Roomvo, some of our customers have been invaluable mentors. One in particular was Brady Page, who ran Metropolitan Floors years ago. As one of our first customers, Brady took me under his wing and taught me a lot about the industry. He was incredibly generous and kind and also super sharp and determined. He turned into a personal friend. I still think about many of our discussions to this day and miss him dearly.

Q: Building innovative tools requires you to navigate a jungle of patented prior art. How do you manage that process?
A: If you are truly innovative then you can leave that to your copycat competitors.

Q: Are you a fan of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?
A: I will avoid the controversy and place my vote for Jeff Bezos because I admire his long-term vision and customer-centric approach. Besides, Apple and Microsoft each have their harsh critics, but who doesn’t like Amazon?

Q: You are married and have twin daughters. How do you balance your time and energy between family and the business?
A: I’m very lucky to have a wonderful family; however, it’s hard to find balance, and there’s never enough time. I’ve had to learn to focus on the essentials and build a team at Leap Tools that can handle the scale and ever-increasing complexity of what we do. Scarcity also makes the time you do spend with your family that much more precious. You simply have to be more and more efficient with your time, whether you spend it with family or with the business-and there really isn’t much time for anything else.

Q: What do you and the family like to do for fun?
A: Ironically, my girls love drawing and creating “scenes,” similar to the ones you would find in the Roomvo visualizer. It’s a blast to participate in the creative process with them. Of course, we are much slower than Roomvo, and our renders are not as photorealistic, but it’s fun to see the world through their eyes.

Q: Your LinkedIn profile picture has a snow-covered mountaintop in the background. Are you passionate about the outdoors and the environment?
A: I do like adventures and majestic landscapes. The vastness of the mountains definitely puts things into perspective.

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