Laurie Ainley

Laurie Ainley is a seasoned product and engineering leader with over 15 years of experience founding and leading teams in startups across various industries including video, AR, non-profit, and gaming.

Laurie's expertise lies in building platforms that leverage technology to create impactful and far-reaching augmented reality (AR) experiences, with a particular interest in AR technologies and their potential applications.

Currently serving as the Co-Founder & CTO at Poplar Studio, Laurie is instrumental in developing a platform that facilitates the creation of AR experiences by connecting brands with a community of over 1000 AR expert creators. Poplar's client portfolio includes renowned brands like BBC, Disney, Warner Brothers, L'Oreal, and more.

With a background as the Product Director at Level Up Media and the Founder of Donative, an innovative charity fundraising platform, Laurie has a proven track record of designing and launching successful products to drive business growth.

Having been the 1st employee at Rightster (now Brave Bison), Laurie played a pivotal role in the startup's expansion to a team of 250 across 13 cities, culminating in an IPO with a market cap of approximately £70m.

Laurie's educational background includes a BSc in Computer and Business Studies from the University of Warwick.

In addition to his current role at Poplar, Laurie actively advises startups, manages side projects such as Charity Catalogue and Covers for Others, and serves as a mentor to individuals of various ages, providing guidance on coding and startup development.