A new Seattle-based startup called Peasy has raised a $2 million pre-seed round to challenge the status quo for independent consumer-goods brands — and it’s doing it by giving software away for free.

The company, founded this year by former Shelf Engine execs Ryan Conti and Bryan Mitchiner, has built an operating system that centralizes inventory and operations for independent food, beverage, and beauty companies that traditionally have relied on spreadsheets. 

The company said it’s helping brands reduce manual data entry by around 60%. The software can also forecast low stock, new manufacturing needs, and changes in demand.

Conti and Mitchiner met at Shelf Engine, the Seattle startup that helped grocers optimize ordering and was acquired earlier this year. Mitchiner also previously founded and sold a CPG brand, Mustard & Co.

Peasy’s most unusual strategic element is its pricing: the core inventory management software is completely free.

The decision to forgo a traditional subscription fee came from a simple realization: “We’re competing with spreadsheets… and spreadsheets are free,” the company noted in a recent post.

Peasy plans to monetize by charging standard payment processing fees on transactions that run through the system, such as payments to suppliers and invoices to customers. This creates a “harmonic business model,” according to Aviel Ginzburg, general partner at Founders’ Co-op, which co-led the round with Bread and Butter Ventures.

“It’s not a business built around software that you pay for — it’s mutually aligned outcomes where both the customer and the vendor share in the upside as they scale,” Ginzburg said.

Peasy’s unique pricing model comes amid growing discussion among tech leaders about how companies will pay for software in the age of AI. Some argue that AI-native businesses are shifting away from traditional seat-based subscription fees toward consumption- or outcome-based pricing.

Conti described the company’s fundraising journey in a LinkedIn post: “Free is a hell of a wedge.”

Peasy is working with eight design partners, including Seattle ice cream company Frankie & Jo’s, and has another 30 brands on its waitlist.

Founders’ Co-op previously invested Row Zero, another Seattle startup rethinking spreadsheets. Ginzburg said the firm is “obsessed with businesses that compete with spreadsheets.”