Startup Natural raises $30M to build payment infrastructure for AI agents
Natural has raised $30 million to develop a payment system that enables AI agents to conduct autonomous transactions, challenging incumbents like Stripe.
Natural, a startup building payment infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI) agents, has secured $30 million in Series A funding. The round was led by venture capital firm Forerunner, founded by Kirsten Green, bringing Natural's total funding to $40 million.
The current financial system is designed for human-initiated transactions, not autonomous AI agents. Traditional payment methods like credit cards and ACH require human authorization, slowing down agents engineered to work autonomously. Natural solves this by creating an "agent orchestration layer" that allows AI agents to autonomously move and store funds. Companies integrating Natural's infrastructure can enable their agents to make payments, collect funds, and transact with both humans and other agents.
Founded in 2025 by Kahlil Lalji (CEO), Eric Wang, and Walt Leung, Natural aims to disrupt the payment space. Lalji, who previously founded Ivella (sold in 2023), has a background in banking and finance but was initially reluctant to re-enter the sector after the end of the zero-interest-rate policy era. However, he saw a clear opportunity in agentic payments.
Natural views Stripe as its main competitor, but other startups like Skyfire Systems are also working on similar solutions using USD-backed stablecoins. Natural plans to incorporate both stablecoins and traditional bank payments. The company has attracted senior talent from Stripe, Ramp, and Square.
Lalji believes that if transactions occur at computer speed rather than human speed, the number of payments globally could increase by orders of magnitude. Natural's rapid development pace could allow it to outpace established giants and become the financial backbone for AI agents.
