Chloe Smith

This transcript has been edited for clarity, readability, and flow. Minor adjustments have been made to remove filler words and improve structure while preserving the original meaning and intent of the conversation.

Henry Harrison:
Well hello, Chloe. Thank you for coming on the show, Entrepreneurs, Business and Finance. We’re very happy to have you here.

Your name is Chloe Smith, and you founded a company called Mercator AI. A lot of people are interested in how AI can help them in their businesses, and they’re also interested in the entrepreneurial journey. For people in construction, they’ll be especially interested in what you can do for them.

So we have a lot of good things to talk about. How does that sound?

Chloe Smith:
That sounds awesome. Let’s get into it.

Henry Harrison:
Why don’t we start with a little introduction? Since you’re an expert in AI, I’ll call it demystifying AI for business professionals and helping them understand how it could help their businesses.

Chloe Smith:
Absolutely.

AI feels very magical right now, and one of the reasons we talk about demystifying it is to help people think about it in a more practical way.

If you understand the fundamentals, you’re much more likely to implement AI in a way that actually solves problems instead of just saying, “Let’s throw AI at it.”

At a high level, AI is really about mass pattern recognition. We’re either:

• Recognizing patterns to predict outcomes

• Recognizing patterns to generate something new

That applies across numbers, images, and language—whether it’s machine learning, computer vision, or natural language processing.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that we already have general AI that understands everything the way humans do. That’s not really the case.

For example, when you ask a tool like ChatGPT to do math, it’s not inherently a math system—it’s recognizing language patterns.

So one of the most helpful things we can do is take AI out of the “magic” category and make it more tangible.

Henry Harrison:
That’s a great explanation.

Let’s talk about your background. What led you to starting Mercator AI?

Chloe Smith:
My path has been pretty meandering.

I have a degree in public relations, but I started building websites and learning to code after university. That led into analytics, then into building analytics departments for marketing agencies.

From there, I moved into data science, data strategy, and eventually became a head of innovation.

Over time, all of those experiences came together and led me to start my own company.

Henry Harrison:
That’s something I hear often—people build experience over time before launching a business.

So what exactly does Mercator AI do?

Chloe Smith:
We provide AI-powered business development for mid-sized general contractors in the commercial and industrial construction space.

Our platform helps users identify:

• The types of projects they want

• The stage at which they want to enter those projects

For example, early-stage opportunities are incredibly valuable because contractors can influence outcomes and build relationships early.

Our system delivers real-time project opportunities directly to users. They can see:

• Project details

• Who is involved

• Historical data on the site

• Company insights and contacts

Traditionally, finding this information might take six to eight weeks of networking and research.

We reduce that to about five minutes.

Henry Harrison:
That’s a massive improvement.

And you’re expanding geographically as well?

Chloe Smith:
Yes.

We started in Canada and are now live in Austin, Texas. We’re pre-selling into:

• Dallas

• Houston

• San Antonio

And we’re planning to expand further across North America.

Henry Harrison:
And this isn’t something a contractor could easily build themselves.

Chloe Smith:
Exactly.

The biggest challenge is the data layer. Much of the data we use doesn’t exist in one place—we have to build it.

We aggregate data from:

• Government sources

• Regulatory bodies

• Vendors

• Proprietary systems

We also standardize construction data across different regions, which is a huge effort.

Beyond that, the cost and expertise required to build something like this internally would be very high for most companies.

Henry Harrison:
That makes sense. It’s far more than simple lead generation.

Tell us about your team.

Chloe Smith:
We’re about 15 people today, mostly developers:

• Data scientists

• Data engineers

• Frontend developers

We’re now starting to build out:

• Sales

• Marketing

• Customer success

We’re transitioning from a development-heavy phase into a growth phase.

Henry Harrison:
And you’re based in Austin?

Chloe Smith:
Yes, I’m in Austin now.

Henry Harrison:
Welcome to Texas.

Let’s wrap up with two things: challenges you’ve faced, and advice for entrepreneurs.

Chloe Smith:
Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster. The goal isn’t to avoid it—it’s to learn how to ride it better.

A quote that really resonated with me is:
“It doesn’t get easier. You just get stronger.”

One of the biggest challenges has been learning that building a company is really about building a people organization.

As you grow, it becomes less about technology and more about:

• Culture

• Leadership

• Communication

Going from a team of 4–5 to 15 people was a major shift.

I’ve leaned heavily on peer-to-peer mentorship—talking with founders who are slightly ahead of me and helping those slightly behind me.

That has been incredibly valuable.

Henry Harrison:
That’s great insight—balancing the tech side and the people side.

Anything you’d like to close with?

Chloe Smith:
If anyone is interested in using AI to improve business development—especially in construction—I’d love to connect.

Our company is Mercator AI, and our website is mercator.ai.

We’re live in Austin and expanding into Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. We’d love to show people what we’re building.

Henry Harrison:
Thank you very much for coming on. Chloe Smith, Mercator AI—a fantastic business in a growing field that will help many people moving forward.

Have a great rest of your day.

Chloe Smith:
Thanks, Henry. I appreciate it.