Gradient Labs doubles Series A to $26m to build AI agents for financial services

Gradient Labs Doubles Series A to $26 Million for Financial AI Agents

Gradient Labs, a startup founded by former Monzo employees, has raised $13 million in fresh funding to expand its suite of AI agents built for banks and financial services firms. The new capital, led by Octopus Ventures and CommerzVentures, doubles the company's Series A round to $26 million.

The company's agents handle specific financial operations: a lending agent automates the borrower lifecycle from missed payments to collections and repayment plans; a disputes agent manages intake through investigation to chargeback; and a KYB agent runs identity and document checks.

Gradient Labs reported 900% revenue growth over the past year. Its agents now process work for more than 32 million end users across customers including Wise, Monzo, Pockit, Current, and Stash.

The Autonomy Bet

Dimitri Masin, founder and former head of data at Monzo, said the industry has largely treated AI as a co-pilot tool rather than a fully autonomous system. "We've spent three years proving the opposite: that full autonomy is what delivers safer, more compliant, more delightful outcomes," he said.

The company's thesis centers on removing manual work from banking operations. Masin said: "Banks should run on auto-pilot. The customer operations, compliance, and back-office work that consume most of a bank's energy today should be handled by AI agents that are provably compliant at every step."

Gradient Labs was founded by Masin alongside chief scientist Danai Antoniou and Neal Lathia, who built Monzo's machine-learning infrastructure.

For finance professionals managing operations, compliance, or lending workflows, understanding how AI agents and automation are reshaping banking operations can help you anticipate shifts in your role and organization.