Sapiom raises $15M to help AI agents buy their own tech tools

Empowering Non-Coders to Build Custom Apps with Vibe Coding

Individuals with no coding background are now realizing that they have the ability to create their own personalized applications using vibe coding technology. Platforms like Lovable are revolutionizing the way people approach coding by transforming simple, plain-language descriptions into functional code.

While these prompt-to-code tools are exceptional for generating prototypes, transitioning them into fully operational applications can be challenging, especially when it comes to integrating the app with external technical services. Tasks like sending text messages via SMS, processing email notifications, or handling Stripe payments require a deeper understanding of backend infrastructure.

Recognizing this gap, Ilan Zerbib, a former director of engineering for payments at Shopify, has embarked on a mission to streamline these complexities for non-technical creators.

Last year, Zerbib introduced Sapiom, a startup dedicated to developing a financial layer that enables AI agents to securely purchase and access various software, APIs, data, and computational resources. Essentially, Sapiom is creating a payment system that empowers AI to autonomously procure the services it requires.

When an AI agent connects to an external tool such as Twilio for SMS capabilities, it necessitates authentication and micro-payments. Sapiom’s ultimate objective is to simplify this entire process, allowing AI agents to autonomously make purchasing decisions without human intervention.

“In the future, applications will heavily rely on services that demand payments. Currently, there isn’t a straightforward method for agents to access these services,” explained Amit Kumar, a partner at Accel.

While the AI payments sector has seen numerous startups, Kumar believes that Zerbib’s emphasis on the financial infrastructure for enterprises, as opposed to consumers, is pivotal in advancing the functionality of AI agents. This conviction led Accel to spearhead Sapiom’s $15 million seed funding round, joined by Okta Ventures, Gradient Ventures, Array Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Anthropic, and Coinbase Ventures.

“Every API call essentially translates to a payment. Whether it’s sending a text message or provisioning a server on AWS, each action incurs a cost,” Kumar highlighted during a JS interview.

While Sapiom is still in its nascent stages, the startup envisions that its infrastructure solution will be embraced by vibe-coding companies and other enterprises developing AI agents tasked with autonomous operations.

For instance, individuals who have vibe-coded an application with SMS functionality will no longer need to manually sign up for Twilio, input credit card details, or embed API keys into their code. Sapiom handles these intricacies behind the scenes, with the app creator being billed for Twilio’s services through platforms like Lovable or Bolt.

Although Sapiom presently concentrates on B2B solutions, its technology could potentially empower personal AI agents to engage in consumer transactions down the line. The vision is for individuals to entrust their agents with independent financial decisions, like booking an Uber or making purchases on Amazon. While this future prospect is exhilarating, Zerbib believes that AI alone won’t stimulate increased consumer spending, underscoring the importance of establishing financial layers for businesses.