Andy Dunn, founder of the online fashion retailer Bonobos, has shifted his focus from fashion to social connection with his latest venture, Pie, a social app centered around real-life interactions. With $11.5 million in Series A funding, Pie boasts over 130,000 monthly active users, although it currently operates only in San Francisco and Chicago. However, with its growing user base, Pie faces a new challenge: how to manage the large number of participants in offline events and facilitate effective socializing.
To tackle this issue, Pie acquired the founders, Samir Mahafzah and Sam Stubbs, and their AI-powered quiz tool, Sparked Connections. This tool uses personality tests to predict which participants will connect best in specific social events, grouping them into teams of six and allowing them to get to know each other beforehand in Pie's group chat.
For instance, in Pie's "Coffee with Strangers" event, participants answer a series of personality questions about emotional intelligence. The AI algorithm then uses these results to group them. Dunn states that through ChatGPT and user feedback, they've gained a better understanding of what makes people click, suggesting that without AI, this would be a nearly insurmountable problem.
With growing concerns about loneliness in the US, using AI to help people connect seems to be an emerging trend. Many people are already incorporating AI into their social lives through platforms like Instagram or Bumble. Pie aims to leverage the power of AI to help people build genuine social connections more efficiently.