Iqbal Abdullah
CEO
🧭 About
Iqbal Abdullah is a technologist, entrepreneur, and long-time resident of Japan who has spent over two decades working at the intersection of software engineering, product development, and community building.
Originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Iqbal came to Japan in 1997 and graduated from the Faculty of Engineering of Saga University with a degree in Information Science. Before transitioning into entrepreneurship, his career spanned engineering and business roles at Yahoo! Japan and Amazon Japan. He is fluent in the natural languages of English, Japanese and Malay.
🏢 Founder of LaLoka Labs
Iqbal currently leads LaLoka Labs, based in Tokyo. The company develops customized AI-driven solutions, including its flagship product Kafkai, a business-intelligence-based content-generation platform, while actively exploring emerging technologies to create value and joy for its users.
The "Labs" in LaLoka Labs signify a space for experimentation, built on the belief that technology should serve people and generate happiness as an outcome.
🤖 AI, SEO & Content Strategy
Iqbal brings together engineering discipline, marketing insight, and AI expertise to address modern challenges in content creation and SEO. Kafkai, developed under his leadership, was built to empower small and medium businesses with business insights that lead to scalable, winnable content for organic and AI search.
As an SEO professional and drawing from his experience as Email Marketing Manager at Amazon Japan, Iqbal believes in evidence-based product development. Iqbal focuses on data-driven content strategy, where quality, speed, and contextual relevance are balanced using responsible AI practices.
He regularly engages with global AI, SEO, and marketing communities to advocate for transparent, high-impact AI adoption and localization-aware strategies, especially relevant for multilingual or Asian market SEO.
🧠 Tech & Open Source
Iqbal is a skilled engineer proficient in C and with deep expertise in Python and the Django framework, particularly in building LLM training pipelines and utilizing the Wagtail CMS.
He is also a leading advocate for the open-source community and a Fellow of the Python Software Foundation (PSF). Iqbal has been instrumental in shaping the Python ecosystem in Asia, co-founding PyCon JP and PyCon MY, and driving engagement across East and Southeast Asia through his work as a founder and representative of the Python Asia Organization.
His commitment to inclusivity is evident in his contributions to the PSF's Diversity & Inclusion and Trademarks Work Groups, recently recognized with the 2024 PSF Community Service Award for his contributions to the Python community in Asia.
Complementing his community involvement, Iqbal is also a successful inventor, holding six patents covering technologies from authentication to telephony systems.
🧩 Building Companies and Solving Problems
Iqbal previously founded and led Xoxzo Inc., a remote-first telephony SaaS platform with patented technologies in authentication and communication. The company was acquired by Accrete Inc. in 2021.
With LaLoka Labs, he continues to prototype and deliver tools that address real business needs, especially in content generation, automation, and insight-driven decision-making.
🌏 Vision and Values
Iqbal believes in using technology to close opportunity gaps and solve meaningful human problems. He advocates for sustainable innovation, transparent AI development, and entrepreneurship that prioritizes long-term user value.
From his Tokyo base, he remains committed to global-minded, community-anchored tech development.
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