As co-founder and CEO of Toast, the cloud-based platform reshaping restaurant operations, Aman Narang understands the importance of articulating the "why" behind every decision, especially as the company has grown to more than 2,500 employees. Originally launched as a side project to speed up bill payments at restaurants, Toast evolved when Narang and his co-founders recognized a deeper gap: restaurants were still tethered to clunky, on-premise systems. Their insight? Restaurateurs didn’t need another gadget—they needed access, simplicity, and freedom. That vision now powers restaurants across the U.S., offering streamlined ordering, payment, and data tools all in the cloud.
Born in Assam, India, Narang spent part of his childhood in Nepal before relocating to upstate New York for high school. He later earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in computer science from MIT. It was at MIT and later at Endeca, a software company in Cambridge where he built the technical foundation and relationships that would lead to Toast. As CEO, he draws on his deep operational experience, having previously overseen Toast’s sales, marketing, customer success, and fintech. His leadership today centers on building strong teams, defining operational systems, and continuously adapting to meet the evolving needs of customers.
One of Narang’s most telling insights comes from how he hires: “I like to pick something in their resume and go deeper… to understand how they think and some of the challenges that they’ve faced working through something complex.” His approach, grounded in thoughtful listening and an openness to learning, has not only shaped Toast’s culture but helped it thrive through the inevitable chaos of growth. For Narang, success stems from being patient, building alignment, and staying close to the voices that matter most—those of his team and customers.