In May 2025, Ahad Ali was a successful accountant, managing a team of 20 and overseeing over 2,000 tax returns annually. His work, however, became increasingly dictated by accounting software that wasn’t designed with actual accountants in mind. Frustrated, Ali decided to create Tabby, an AI-driven tool that automates real-time bookkeeping for small businesses.

Tabby uses Plaid to import live account data and AI to build a real-time dashboard for financial health. With just seven people, including Ali, his technical co-founder, and four engineers, the product has seen 5,500 small businesses sign up and generate $100,000 in annual recurring revenue. Tabby’s direct-to-end-user model aims to automate away the drudgery of bookkeeping, turning it into a monthly charge akin to internet access or payroll services.

The competition is fierce, with well-funded startups like Rillet and major tech labs’ finance tools vying for market share. However, Ali believes that by focusing on small to medium-sized firms, Tabby can carve out a niche. With 30 million more businesses to serve, the space is big and ripe for disruption.

Ali’s vision is to make small businesses more efficient and less reliant on traditional accounting software. Whether this means fewer jobs for accountants or a more streamlined business process, one thing is clear: the future of bookkeeping is here, and it’s AI-powered.