AI keeps getting sold to small businesses as a way to save time and cut costs. Today's guest says that is backwards. The real opportunity is using AI to bring in more customers and more revenue. My next guest spent nearly nine years inside Square and Toast watching small business commerce up close. He is now CEO of a company that just landed a strategic investment from Amex Ventures, weeks after a $19.5 million Series A led by Lightspeed. Joining me now is Syed Ali, co-founder and CEO of Pie. Syed, thanks so much for joining us.
It is going well. Happy to be here. Thank you Johnny.
Everyone talks about AI saving a small business time and money. What do you think is the bigger win — actually making them more money?
The number one thing — and this is from my learnings at Square and Toast — is that day in and day out, the number one thing small businesses care about is revenue growth. They want new customers in the door. So we started Pie to take whatever data we can get and then go find them customers across different platforms.
What did your time at Square and Toast really teach you about how small business owners decide to try new technology?
There has to be a level of trust. But instead of giving them another back office solution, what if you can give them a tool that can find them customers and grow their top line revenue? Day in and day out, when I talk to a mom and pop, they just want more people in the door. That is the bloodline of their business.
Why are small businesses a great test case for AI specifically?
They need it — they just do not have a lot of margins, so they need affordable and accessible solutions. They are also more adaptable. A large enterprise has a lot of checks and approvals needed before they can roll out AI. But a mom and pop makes their own decisions. They can move faster. And they need it because they are running lean.
Why do small businesses still not fully trust AI?
If you look at mainstream America, there are Hollywood movies about how scary robots can be. There is a stigma around whether AI will replace a job. The way we think about it is bringing AI very methodically and doing it in a way where they can test it, try it out, with no heavy lift — because they have spent their entire life building their brand and their company. Trust is really important.
What makes a tool actually stick?
When they can see the results. If we can show them — here is a new customer we brought into your hair salon, here is a new patient to your dental office, and your revenue is growing — that makes it stick. When you can see those actionable results, it becomes more trustworthy and they are more likely to roll it out.
What is Pie's price and what does it include?
They can try Pie for free — no commitment. Once they are ready, it is $99 a month. If you are paying a receptionist a couple thousand dollars a month, or an agency thousands of dollars a month, this is 95% cheaper. The mission of Pie was to use AI to bring affordable and accessible tools to local businesses. Pie has three products today — a growth agent that runs campaigns on Instagram, Google Maps, and Nextdoor using their point-of-sale and CRM data; a voice agent that answers calls and takes bookings; and an AI search tool that helps businesses get discovered when customers ask Gemini or another AI assistant for recommendations.
How do you see AI revolutionising what Pie is doing for small businesses?
We want to supercharge small businesses. We are already talking to businesses that say they are saving money, growing revenue, and are ready to open a second or third location. At the end of the day we want more money in their pockets and more time back for the business operator. When they open more locations, they hire more people. That is more jobs.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Awesome. Thank you for having me.
