Startup Natural has raised $30 million in Series A funding to build payment infrastructure designed specifically for autonomous AI agents, bringing its total funding to $40 million. The round was announced in 2026 and led by Kirsten Green, founder and managing partner at VC firm Forerunner.
Founded in 2025 by Kahlil Lalji, Eric Wang, and Walt Leung, Natural positions itself as an agent orchestration layer that enables AI agents to move and store funds autonomously. By integrating Natural’s infrastructure, companies can allow their agents to make payments, collect funds, and transact with both humans and other agents — without requiring human authorization at each step.
The core problem Natural is addressing is that today’s financial rails — the underlying infrastructure that moves money between banks, businesses, and consumers — were built for human-initiated transactions. Systems like credit cards and ACH require human authorization, which creates a bottleneck for AI agents designed to operate independently.
Lalji, who previously co-founded YC-backed fintech Ivella before it was sold to Earnin in 2023, told TechCrunch he couldn’t ignore the opportunity despite intending to move away from the finance sector. “It just feels obvious that agentic payments are going to be structurally the most important problem [in the] space,” he said.
Natural’s approach goes beyond checkout automation. The startup is also working to reinvent how disputed transactions are handled. While it plans to incorporate stablecoins into its architecture, it is also building support for traditional bank payments — distinguishing it from competitors like DCVC-backed Skyfire Systems, which focuses on USD-backed stablecoins.
Natural’s primary competitor is Stripe, which is also working to redesign payment rails for AI agents. The startup has drawn senior staff from Stripe, Ramp, and Square.
Lalji suggested the overall market could expand dramatically if transactions occur at machine speed. “The number of payments that may occur in the world may be two or three or four orders of magnitude greater than the number of payments that exist today,” he said.
Source: TechCrunch