Sapiom Raises $15 Million to Build Payment Infrastructure for AI Agents
Sapiom has secured $15 million in a funding round led by Accel to develop infrastructure enabling AI agents to conduct independent financial transactions. Founded by former Shopify payments director Ilan Zerbib, the startup aims to solve a critical challenge for autonomous systems in the digital economy.
Sapiom Secures $15 Million Funding to Revolutionize Finance in the Autonomous AI Ecosystem
The ability of artificial intelligence (AI) agents to conduct independent transactions is ushering in a new era in the technology world. Sapiom, a pioneering venture in this field, has successfully raised $15 million in a funding round led by Accel. The startup's founder, former Shopify payments director Ilan Zerbib, announced that these resources will be used to build a financial layer specifically designed for AI agents.
Sapiom's developing infrastructure aims to enable AI agents to purchase their own software, APIs, and computing resources without human intervention. This expands the operational capabilities of autonomous systems while paving the way for an entirely new class of actors in the digital economy.
Critical Infrastructure Gap for Autonomous Systems
While today's AI agents can work effectively in areas such as data analysis, content generation, or customer service, significant barriers remain to their independent execution of financial transactions. Since current payment systems and financial regulations are designed around human users, it becomes extremely difficult for autonomous entities to participate in this ecosystem. Sapiom aims to fill precisely this gap.
In a statement on the matter, Zerbib summarizes the problem: "When an AI agent needs to purchase a cloud computing service subscription, pay for an API key, or acquire a software license, the process typically gets stuck requiring human approval or intervention." Sapiom's solution is to provide a financial layer that grants these agents the authority to manage and spend digital assets in a secure, traceable, and regulation-compliant manner.
Strategic Investment Led by Accel
Accel, which led the $15 million investment round, is a venture capital firm with a strong track record of backing early-stage technology companies that define new categories. Their participation signals confidence in Sapiom's vision to become the foundational financial rails for the emerging autonomous economy. The funding will accelerate product development, expand the engineering team, and support initial go-to-market strategies with early adopters in the AI development community.
The startup's technology is positioned at the intersection of AI and fintech, creating what industry observers are calling "agentic finance"—financial systems built specifically for non-human actors. As AI agents become more sophisticated and autonomous, their need for independent economic agency grows correspondingly. Sapiom's platform could enable scenarios where AI agents hire other AI services, pay for computational resources based on real-time needs, or even engage in complex multi-party transactions without breaking regulatory frameworks.
