Andrew Petry, founder of Makase, joined the Founder Spotlight Podcast to share his journey of transforming the home services industry with AI. Makase is an innovative AI-enabled agent that simplifies the process of finding, booking, and managing home services—all through a familiar interface: text messaging. Tackling a fragmented and friction-filled industry, Andrew’s vision of a seamless, tech-enabled solution is both timely and revolutionary. In today’s blog, we’ll explore Andrew’s entrepreneurial journey, the challenges he faced, and his vision for the future of Makase.
Andrew’s journey began with a personal pain point. Back in 2021, while moving to San Diego from New York City, he faced a chaotic process of getting his car shipped across the country. Frustrated, Andrew couldn’t help but dream of a better way to streamline service bookings and communication.
Fast forward to 2023, Andrew conducted an experiment by starting a property management business in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Cleaning services proved to be the most recurring demand among homeowners, and the inefficiencies he observed in communication—juggling texts, phone calls, and payments—became the foundation for Makase. The question was clear: How could technology eliminate this friction while offering a premium customer experience?
"Makase is like having one contact and one bill for all your home services. It saves you time to enjoy the life that you work hard to build." – Andrew Petry
The early days of Andrew’s property management business saw him filling the role of a one-person operations hub. His entire workflow—finding service providers, coordinating schedules, and managing payments—was run manually through his phone. While the business was profitable, Andrew quickly realized the limits of manual scalability.
Recognizing the need for automation, Andrew set out to build Makase. The focus was on communication friction—solving the "when" problem as much as the "who" problem. By building an AI that learns from user input and preferences, Makase began handling 95% of the communication workflow. Yet, Andrew emphasized keeping humans in the loop to ensure quality and reliability.
"AI isn’t replacing your job. A person who uses AI will." – Andrew Petry
At its heart, Makase is a remarkably simple solution with a low barrier to entry. Customers don’t need to download apps or remember passwords—they interact directly via SMS. Here’s the workflow in a nutshell:
"Makase sits invisibly behind your SMS, meeting users where they are." – Andrew Petry
Makase has made its mark in high-stakes, time-sensitive situations. From emergency plumbing needs to last-minute handyman services before the holidays, Makase delivers a "mind-blowing" first experience for homeowners in the $2M–$10M range. As trust builds during these moments, customers increasingly turn to Makase for ongoing needs.
Makase isn’t limited to standard home services. As relationships grow, homeowners have begun using the platform for unique requests including:
These organic expansions showcase the power of trust built through seamless service delivery.
As a first-time founder, Andrew admits that building a company is harder than he imagined. However, he’s deeply driven by the people around him—his team, partners, investors, and customers. Makase is more than a business; it’s a community of ambitious individuals rallying behind a shared vision.
"We try to surround ourselves with the most ambitious people in the world to build a multibillion-dollar company." – Andrew Petry
Andrew shared two key lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs:
"You have to fail fast to find product-market fit and scale your business." – Andrew Petry
Looking ahead, Andrew shared some exciting updates for Makase. While the company has primarily operated in San Diego, 2025 will see Makase expanding into Orange County, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. The long-term vision remains crystal clear: democratizing the white-glove concierge experience so that every homeowner can enjoy the time-saving benefits of Makase.
"Our mission is to bring the concierge experience into technology form and make it accessible to everyone." – Andrew Petry
Andrew Petry’s story is one of perseverance, innovation, and customer obsession. From a frustrating car-shipping experience to creating Makase, he’s turned a personal pain point into a groundbreaking solution for homeowners and service providers alike. Makase is not only simplifying home services but reimagining the way we interact with service providers altogether.
If Andrew’s journey and insights resonated with you, be sure to check out the full episode of the Founder Spotlight Podcast to dive deeper into the evolution of Makase. Don’t miss the chance to learn from someone who’s truly revolutionizing the industry!
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