Skyfire lets your AI agent spend your money. We got an exclusive look at the pitch deck the startup used to raise $8.5 million.

• Skyfire Systems just launched out of stealth and raised $8.5 million in seed funding.
• The startup lets AI agents make autonomous purchases on behalf of their users.
• Check out an exclusive look at the pitch deck the startup used to raise its seed funding round.

AI agents are all the rage in Silicon Valley, and multiple companies have launched new tech to help people complete various tasks — such as sending an email or scheduling a coffee date — via voice commands and generative AI.

A new startup is now tackling the next frontier in the space: using AI to make purchases on a user’s behalf.

The startup, Skyfire Systems, just emerged from stealth with $8.5 million in seed funding from financial firms Neuberger Berman, DRW, and Brevan Howard Digital. Intersection Growth Partners, Arrington Capital, RedBeard Ventures, Sfermion, Circle, FBG, Crossbeam Venture Partners, Inception Capital, EveryRealm, Draper Associates, ARCA, and Ripple also participated in the funding round.

Developments in generative AI have led to the rise of so-called AI agents, which can autonomously collect data and then perform various tasks on behalf of their users. The tech is already being used within companies, including in human resources and customer service. And multiple companies have rolled out offerings for average consumers to use AI agents in their personal lives — including big tech companies like Google, Meta, and Apple’s forthcoming AI iPhone.

Some startups are getting in on the game too, including Humane and Rabbit, which both released wearable devices this year allowing users to interact with their AI agents without needing a smartphone. But reviews of the tech have been mixed, both in terms of hardware and the usefulness of AI agents.

Skyfire is aiming to solve a slice of this problem. The startup has created a payment network that AI agents can access to complete purchases independently, as well as a blockchain-based security system to ensure financial information stays safe.

For example, Skyfire’s technology could be used for the task of grocery shopping. Currently, AI models could consider a user’s dietary and health preferences to generate a meal plan, find recipes, and create a shopping list, which the user would then step in to shop with.

With Skyfire, however, AI could go so far as to shop for groceries online, complete payment, and have the order delivered to the users’ door — all without needing a human to take over.

Similarly, in a business setting, AI agents via Skyfire could autonomously restock office supplies or source manufacturing materials.

“Generative AI is creating a brand new consumer group: AI agents,” Skyfire co-founder Craig DeWitt told Business Insider. He said that his startup is creating opportunities for developers to sell their services and accept payments directly from AI agents, rather than just their human counterparts.

“AI monetization is at the top of everyone’s mind,” DeWitt said. “Payments have historically been ‘behind the scenes’ infrastructure, but with the advent of AI, many people are betting that a new monetization layer is required.”

Here’s an exclusive look at the 13-slide pitch deck Skyfire used to raise $8.5 million in seed funding.