Jafar Owainati

Co-founder, Barley (acquired by Workleap, 2025), Barley

Enterprise softwareTorontoOn TechTO stages since 2017

Jafar Owainati co-founded Loopio, the Toronto software company that automates RFP and security-questionnaire responses, and by his 2017 TechTO talk had bootstrapped it to 35 staff and more than 250 customers with no outside funding. He later co-founded Barley, a compensation-management platform, which Workleap acquired in 2025.

On the TechTO stage ×1

TECHTO9:36

Jafar Owainati of Loopio presents Are we that superficial?

TechTO · July 2017

Watch on YouTube ↗

First seen on the TechTO stage in 2017. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Jafar ↗

In their words

start lupio with two of my amazing co-founders and this was in early 2014 uh we have actually bootstrapped our way to 35 Loopers and over 250 customers with absolutely no funding

TechTO, Jul 2017 · watch at 3:40 ↗

stereotyping People based on their educational backgrounds and we have to think about that in terms of the community

TechTO, Jul 2017 · watch at 4:38 ↗

A few quotes can’t cover everything Jafar said on the TechTO stage. 1,600+ talks are searchable.Ask about Jafar ↗

More from TechTO ×1

Newsletter

March 17, 2023: What do the Biggest Brands do to Succeed?The TechTO newsletter · mentions Jafar

2023

Around the web ×1

Article

HR platform Workleap adding compensation management features through acquisition of BarleyBetaKit

2025

Quick answers

What did Jafar Owainati co-found?

Loopio, a Toronto software company that automates RFP and security-questionnaire responses, which he bootstrapped to 35 staff and 250-plus customers before it raised venture funding.

What is he doing now?

He co-founded Barley, a compensation-management platform, which Workleap acquired in 2025.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Jul 23, 2026