As a part of our DC Innovators series, we are profiling 75 of the most innovative people in D.C. Our 75 profile subjects will also be finalists for our 50 on Fire awards in December. Know some people we should include? Nominate them here.
Optoro founders Toby Moore and Adam Vitarello started working together in 2004 with the goal of connecting forgotten goods with people who wanted them online. The focus eventually shifted from unused items collecting dust in closets to helping retailers sell returned and excess inventory.
Moore said they saw an issue in the world where items with value were sitting unused while there were other people that wanted and had use for those items. Vitarello said after a few years of helping individuals move these products online, local businesses starting coming to the pair for help. Here’s what we learned about Moore and Vitarello from a short interview.
What values guide the way you do business?
Vitarello: Optoro has five company values—collaborative, resourceful, unconventional, sensible and hungry—that guide everything we do.
Moore: These values help us identify and hire people that will succeed at our company and help us grow the business.
In any industry, there is a pitfall of thinking too much like everyone else. How do you challenge yourselves to think differently?
Moore: We weren’t interested in making small improvements to a broken system, but we were interested in reinventing it so that it works. That means thinking about what is best for our clients and the environment in the long-term, even if that means less for us on a deal by deal basis.
Vitarello: Our technology quickly routes returned and excess inventory to its next best home, whether that be a business, individual, or charity. By cutting out that network of middlemen, we provide retailers with more financial value and reduce waste by cutting out shipping and keeping items from going to landfills.
What is an unlikely place that you find sources of inspiration?
Vitarello: As a history major who loves traveling, I am always inspired by how different groups of people across history come together to build something truly amazing. From the construction of beautiful temples at Angkor Wat to the landing on the moon nearly a thousand years later, it’s incredible what motivated, passionate, creative human beings can build. I'm always trying to see how I can harness some of that same magic in my own life and for Optoro.
What job have you had that has had the greatest impact on your career?
Moore: As a young kid, I used to wake up early after every snowstorm and go door to door in Georgetown for hours and hours shoveling snow for neighbors. I would be physically exhausted by the end of the day, but I learned many important lessons, including how to negotiate, how to put in the hard work yourself and how to make things happen.
How will your industry change the most in the next five years?
Moore: The retail market is quickly evolving. Technology is having a huge impact in retail. By creating seamless systems, retailers are finding more efficiencies in their supply chains and they are cutting out waste.
How is Washington, D.C., unique when it comes to innovation?
Vitarello: Our ability and strong desire to both solve problems, and make the world a better place. I hope that in building Optoro we help inspire people that otherwise would have worked in more traditional roles—government, consulting and lobbying —to break the mold and build something creative that they can feel good about. D.C. and the world need more creators, and I hope at Optoro we are inspiring others to take that leap.
What’s something you do every single day, no matter what you have going on ?
Vitarello: Read or watch something really funny. Sometimes life gets a little too serious, and I need to step back and just laugh.
Who is someone in D.C. you admire?
Moore: Ted Leonsis. When Ted survived a plane crash in the '80s, he made a list of all the things he wanted to accomplish in his life. I’m inspired by his drive and ambition to accomplish great things in life.
