January 8, 2025 · Entrepreneurs, Innovation, Program Impact, Stories
Former UAB Football Player Scales Tech Business through CARA
Jegil Dugger once scored touchdowns for his hometown UAB Blazers.
Today, he leads a tech company quickly scoring points in the restaurant and retail industries.
Dugger founded Hoover-based Pye, which is focused on developing automated payment technology. Pye makes kiosks and related tech that among other things, lets customers pay for meals at their tables and other similar point-of-purchase environments. Dugger saw a need to assist restaurant and retail owners with labor shortages, particularly during and after the COVID pandemic.
Pye is rapidly becoming the new standard for improving labor efficiency, reducing customer wait times, and enhancing payment security. At the heart of Pye’s success is the invaluable support from the Fairfield-based Central Alabama Redevelopment Alliance (CARA). Through education, access to financial experts, and connections to capital investors, CARA has provided the crucial resources that have propelled Pye’s remarkable growth which includes support from Innovate Alabama. CARA is part of Innovate Alabama’s Tax Credit Program, which offers tax credits to economic development organizations to create programs that aid in the growth of small businesses and accelerators throughout the state.
“Access to capital is everything for a tech startup,” Dugger says. “CARA’s connections and resources have been instrumental in helping us secure additional funding, which has allowed us to scale our operations effectively.” Since its founding in 2018, Pye has generated more than $4 million in total revenue, with $1.2 million in 2023 alone. The company’s innovative self-ordering kiosks, self-checkout systems, and biometric payment solutions, including facial recognition, are transforming how businesses interact with customers and address labor challenges.
Dugger credits CARA’s ecosystem with helping Pye overcome one of the most significant hurdles in tech entrepreneurship—financial backing. “CARA, along with Innovate Alabama, has created an ecosystem in Alabama that’s surprisingly conducive to startups,” he said. “For a smaller state…Alabama punches above its weight in fostering innovation and growth. I’m proud to be part of this ecosystem.”
Pye’s trajectory reflects the potential CARA unlocks for local businesses. By connecting Pye to key capital investors and business mentors, CARA has enabled the company to scale its workforce to 18 employees and expand its client base across the U.S. and Canada. The company has also secured high-profile partnerships, including a custom solution for Dunkin’ Donuts in New Jersey, while continuing to design and manufacture its cutting-edge technology in Alabama.
The challenges of building a tech company, particularly in a state newly recognized as a burgeoning technology hub, are not lost on Dugger. Born in Detroit and raised in Birmingham, he brings a unique perspective shaped by both adversity and resilience. As both a former collegiate and professional athlete, Jegil overcame personal setbacks early in his career, using those experiences to fuel his entrepreneurial vision. His first patent, earned in 2013, marked the beginning of his journey to develop technologies that solve real-world problems, particularly in industries like hospitality and retail that face mounting labor shortages.
Today, Pye’s innovative solutions are helping businesses across the country stay competitive by automating critical processes. “The great resignation following COVID-19 left many businesses struggling to find labor,” Jegil noted. “Our technology helps them stay in business and thrive.”
Looking ahead, Pye aims to expand further into biometric, artificial intelligence, and robotics technologies. For Dugger, the support from CARA and Alabama’s growing startup ecosystem is a testament to the state’s readiness to embrace innovation. “Alabama is open for business,” he emphasized. “It doesn’t matter where you’re located; what matters is what you can dream of. CARA has helped us turn those dreams into a reality.”
Get the Download
The latest stories of inspiration and innovation happening all around our state, right to your inbox.