Pezzi Has A Plan To Get Rid Of Your Accounting Nightmares
Armed with a $120,000 pre-seed round, young Tampa entrepreneur Andres Hernandez is looking to take on the accounting software giants of the world.
Pezzi, a software startup that borrows its name from the Italian word for ‘piece,’ looks to provide real-time bookkeeping, tax adjustments, and financial reporting options in its all-in-one solution.
We asked Hernandez a few questions about his vision for Pezzi. Here is a look at that conversation:
Question: Take us back to the origin story of Pezzi.
Answer: The origin of Pezzi all started with a literal dream. I ran into a big building that apparently I owned in my dream and it was the biggest AI Accounting firm in the nation. This dream opened up a reality I could never think of, even the name "Pezzi". When I named the company, it was not hard at all. It all came from a big sign in my dream, while I was entering my building. It sounds crazy, but I call it signs of God and, ever since then, I started to get to work to find a way to turn this dream into reality.
Q: What about the accounting world made you want to build this type of company?
I was always a numbers guy, dating all the way back to middle school, so when I started to learn more about business and how to run one, accounting was the number one [thing] that I saw in my family business and the small businesses I ran. I saw how everyone needs it, especially in the United States, because it is so important to be in compliance with the IRS and, to do so, you need to [have] your finances in order. As I went to college and began taking these accounting classes, I realized how out of date some of these practices were and how there was a need for a solution to facilitate business owners and CPAs.
Q: What problems do small business bookkeepers typically face today?
A big problem many of these small bookkeepers face is the issue of managing so many clients at once. Firms manage hundreds of businesses, and their bookkeepers are managing 15-20 businesses [each month]. This takes a lot of their time, as well as the chance of human errors, missing a deduction, or misnaming a category.
Q: As you start out, who do you consider your target customers?
My customers are:
- Big CPA firms and tax advisors who want to partner with me, where I’m making their lives easier and managing their books for the business they manage
-The 1099 workers who have no idea how to keep their books in line, such as realtors, insurance agents, and small businesses that are s corps or c corps LLC.
That’s my audience, it’s a big one which is good but also tough because that means a lot of competition. However, I’m certain that once Pezzi is seen by the public, they will know it’s the only way to manage their books.
Q: Have you brought on any customers so far?
So far 150 clients are ready to go in the testing portal, trying out the product
Q: How has it been building this type of startup in Tampa?
It’s been amazing! The people and the growth in the tech community has been amazing, it’s the reason why I wanted to break ground in Tampa and I don’t regret it.
Q: What are your biggest needs right now?
My biggest need is for people to love the product. I want to cater to each individual client and make sure that their needs are covered in the finance section of their business. If I can do that for just one business, then my needs are already being covered.
Q: Can you talk us through more about how you are using AI? What does that look like on the backend and for the end users?
I have created an open AI, similar to chat gpt, teaching the AI from the ground up how to categorize transactions, giving client specific suggestions for tax purposes, and strategies on how to improve their business in the back end. It’s a lot of code, but it’s my team of developers and I ensuring that each compliance is met.
