How new age retailers gain an edge by leveraging AI without losing the human touch

Startup growth is often framed as a numbers game: optimize, automate, scale. But the real edge doesn’t come from choosing between human instinct or artificial intelligence—it comes from navigating the line between the two. Alignment, not automation, drives growth.

We spoke to Rob Gregg, the Founder and CEO of STAND+, a biomechanical health-focused footwear startup, about navigating growth by balancing machine precision with human judgment.

Clarity through AI: When it comes to data analysis, AI can be effective at reducing errors and uncovering new insights, Gregg explains. "With humans, there's always information bias. When you put AI in there, it removes the bias and helps you see things clearly."

For growth-focused startups, pinpointing and addressing opportunities for improvement is crucial. "Where we grow and learn as a business is where we find the things that we didn't get right. And that's a hard thing for a human being to do."

Tools can be tricky: While tools are integral to an optimized business, Gregg acknowledges that implementation is only as strong as the buy-in behind it. "I don't care how great the tool is, if my team doesn't want to use it, it's not getting in the tech stack," he says.

For a tool to really add value, it needs to do more than just save money or support decision-making—it has to be something the team actually wants to use. "You have to take care of your humans first. If a tool puts more on their plate, it's not the right solution."

Prioritizing relationships: For Gregg, no amount of automation replaces the nuance of a trusted relationship with product manufacturers. "When it comes to operations and supply chain, we're human relationships first, data second."

Openness and understanding are essential for long-term, fruitful partnerships, he adds. "As good as your model is, there are physical human beings responsible for planning, manufacturing, and shipping. We treat our manufacturers as human beings and as partners."

Startups move fast, but that doesn't mean rushing to decisions behind closed doors. For Gregg, early team input is essential. "In just spending 15 to 30 minutes with the team, we make significantly more informed decisions at a much earlier stage."

Ask the team: A single human is prone to error, but a well-aligned team is a powerful thing. "I can be wrong. I'm a human being," admits Gregg. "I don’t want to make decisions in a vacuum—I get buy-in from the individuals involved in executing the decisions, from production to finance to marketing."

"I will never replace a human being with full automation," he adds. "You need to have a human touch."