Merchants Eye — Payments & Ecommerce News

Amex Ventures Backs Pie to Scale AI-Powered Growth Platform for Small Businesses

By Lauren Towner · 4 August 2026

Press Release: Amex Ventures Backs Pie to Scale AI-Powered Growth Platform for Small Businesses | Featured Image by FF News

Quick Summary

Pie is an AI-powered growth platform that helps small businesses acquire customers and drive revenue. Following a $19.5 million Series A, Amex Ventures has made a strategic investment to accelerate Pie's expansion into new platform partnerships and AI-driven product suites for local merchants.

How Does Pie Solve Customer Acquisition for Small Businesses?

AI-powered growth platform Pie addresses the critical challenge of digital discovery for local merchants who lack the time for complex marketing. By focusing on a revenue-first approach, the platform automates visibility across high-intent channels. Small business owners can now manage their presence without needing deep technical expertise.

  • AI Search Optimization: Improves visibility on platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
  • Local Channel Growth: Targets customers on Google Maps, Yelp, and Nextdoor.
  • Automated Front Desk: Uses voice AI to handle bookings and customer inquiries.

What Results Has Pie's AI Technology Delivered?

The platform has already demonstrated significant measurable business outcomes during its stealth phase and initial rollouts. By integrating with vertical software providers, Pie delivers sophisticated AI capabilities directly into existing workflows. The focus remains on converting digital demand into physical calls and bookings.

  • 15x Return on ad spend for early participating businesses.
  • 100,000 phone calls driven to client businesses during the stealth period.
  • 20% sales growth achieved year-over-year by many early adopters.
  • 10,000 pet care businesses reached through the MoeGo partnership.

How Does the Amex Ventures Investment Move the Needle?

The backing from Amex Ventures provides Pie with the institutional capital and strategic network needed to scale its platform partnerships. This investment validates Pie's mission to simplify customer discovery evolution for the millions of businesses powering local economies. The funding will specifically support product suite expansion and team growth.

FF NEWS TAKE:

This investment is a significant signal that the next frontier of fintech isn't just about payments, but about revenue enablement. By backing founders from Square and Toast, Amex Ventures is betting on a team that understands the merchant pain points deeply. Pie’s ability to turn AI search into tangible sales growth moves the needle from simple automation to genuine business intelligence for the underserved SMB sector.

Companies in this story: TOAST, Commerce Ventures, MoeGo, WEX Venture Capital, Capital One Ventures, PIE, American Express, Amex Ventures, SciFi VC, F-Prime, Lightspeed Venture Partners

People in this story: Akhil Mantripragada, Margaret Lim, Emma Chen, Syed Ali

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