Can One Founder Launch A Million Dollar Product Brand With AI?

Forbes

3 days ago

Businesswoman laptop using , online shopping concept.Vintage concept
For years, creators have been encouraged to expand into product lines. Yet, the complexities of managing a brand often remain overlooked. Pietra, an e-commerce platform supporting a wide range of launches, recently introduced AI Assistants—a suite of specialized tools designed to help run an e-commerce business.
This new release aims to reduce the need for human teams. Pietra's AI handles many components of e-commerce, including supplier outreach, inventory tracking, marketing, fulfillment and data analysis.
'With this new launch, we're deploying a set of AI agents that you can think about as a digital army of workers,' said Ro (Ronak Trivedi), co-founder and CEO of Pietra. 'They can touch the real world and actually get things done.'
These agents are available 24/7, 365 days per year, no vacation.
The core goal behind Pietra's AI Assistants is to simplify operational tasks. Many founders spend the majority of their time on back-end logistics rather than activities that drive growth.
'E-commerce and direct-to-consumer brand building is highly operational,' said Tala Akhavan, Pietra's COO. 'It's a very tedious process. And most people are only exposed to the final step, like adding a product to a Shopify store. Everything before that? That's the hard part.'
Pietra's platform supports sourcing, negotiations, marketing and analytics. Founders use it to oversee functions that would otherwise require additional software or staff.
'You're not executing anymore,' Ro explained. 'You're the creative director and a decision maker. The agents are your workforce.'
Pietra's AI Assistants are designed to operate independently. They are programmed with specific business data and able to complete tasks based on that information.
'We don't need another AI that tells you to do your homework,' Ro said. 'We need an AI assistant that can actually do the homework for you.'
This functionality became especially relevant during recent supply chain disruptions related to tariffs. Businesses turned to Pietra's sourcing agent to manage the situation.
'We took a six-to-12-month process and reduced it to 48 hours,' Ro said. 'The agent contacted factories, got quotes, calculated landed costs with tariffs, and delivered a quote table and Zoom links to meet suppliers. A process that used to require an agency and several team members now takes one person, one prompt, and two days.'
Each brand on Pietra's platform is supported by a persistent information layer known as the brand vault. This component stores and updates business data over time.
'It knows everything—marketing insights, production cycles, sell-through rates,' Tala explained. 'It's like hiring someone who doesn't need to be onboarded. It saves time and money, and lets founders focus on what's actually unique about their business.'
The AI uses this repository to refine its decisions. As a result, it becomes increasingly efficient.
'We're at the intern phase,' Ro said. 'But like an intern who becomes a VP over time, these agents will eventually know your brand well enough to act with more autonomy.'
There are questions about how AI systems behave when tasks escalate or fail. Pietra's model is designed with approvals and checkpoints.
'You're still the CEO,' Tala said. 'Where you used to stay up late talking to a supplier, now the agent does that for you overnight and you wake up and approve the results.'
Ro and Tala describe AI as a tool that makes brand management less time-intensive. They also say it increases capacity without replacing core functions.
'People don't want a button that designs their logo for them,' Ro said. 'That's the fun part of building a brand. They want AI to handle the stuff they don't want to do—like finance, logistics, procurement. That's where the real value is.'
Pietra's customers include both established and emerging businesses. Ro cited companies such as Road Skin and Houseplant, and mentioned that some larger teams, including those at Everlane, have also used parts of the platform.
Creators and public figures have also launched products using Pietra. Paris Hilton is among those who have released new items through the system.
In one example, a former Pinterest employee used Pietra to launch Grip Baby, a brand selling grip-safe babywear.
'That's who we're building this for,' Ro said. 'She was able to leave her job and grow a successful small business. You can sit down with a cup of coffee and say, 'I want to launch a baby clothing brand,' and six hours later, you've got factories, fulfillment, packaging, and a go-to-market plan.'
Ro explained that this timeline would have previously taken months.
Pietra's leadership sees its AI Assistants as a way to standardize advanced business operations across many types of entrepreneurs.
'We believe every business in the world will eventually have a custom-trained AI working for them,' Ro said. 'Just like Microsoft once said they wanted a desktop on every desk, we want a brand-trained agent in every business.'
For new entrepreneurs, this can reduce initial complexity. For experienced teams, it offers efficiencies in execution.
'Humans go rogue too,' Tala said with a laugh. 'Sometimes AI actually gives you more control, not less.'
AI is reshaping how businesses launch, grow and operate. What was once limited to companies with large teams and budgets is now accessible to anyone with an idea and the willingness to experiment with new tools.
This article is based on an interview with Ro and Tala from my podcast, The Business of Creators.