Paid, a startup revolutionizing financial infrastructure for AI agents, has raised €10 million in funding led by EQT and Sequoia Capital, with participation from GTM Fund, Exceptional Capital, and prominent angel investors.
As AI agents become more sophisticated, replacing entire teams and performing complex tasks, existing SaaS-based billing models have become obsolete. Paid addresses this gap by offering a comprehensive business engine that automates pricing, subscriptions, billing, and renewals, allowing AI agent builders to monetize their technology effectively.
By integrating flexible pricing models that align with the value delivered by AI agents, Paid enables businesses to transition away from outdated billing practices and adopt more scalable monetization strategies.
Founded by industry veterans with deep expertise in AI, billing systems, and enterprise software, Paid is already being adopted by AI-driven companies such as Logic, Artisan, Vidlab7, and HappyRobot.
The company provides advanced tools like a pricing simulator for optimizing margins and a client portal that translates AI work into tangible ROI metrics. With the AI agent market projected to reach $47 billion by 2030, Paid aims to establish itself as the backbone of financial operations in this emerging industry.
As someone who’s been covering the tech beat for years, I can tell you, this isn’t just another funding story. It’s a glimpse into how the world of artificial intelligence is about to get a serious upgrade.
Let’s break it down. Paid, a fintech startup based in London, isn’t here to mess around. They’ve raised €10 million to create what they call a “business engine” for AI agents—those clever bits of software that don’t just assist humans but take on entire jobs by themselves.
Think of an AI agent booking meetings, drafting reports, or even editing videos without someone hovering over its digital shoulder. The funding news dropped on Paid’s blog yesterday, and it’s already rippling through the tech world.
Why does this matter?
Well, AI agents are hot right now. They’re transforming how businesses run, and experts say this market could hit $47 billion by 2030, more on that later. But here’s the catch: the way companies charge for these agents is stuck in the past.
Most are still using old-school billing tricks designed for regular software, like charging per user or per click. Paid says that’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, and they’re stepping in to fix it with a platform that handles pricing, billing, and profits in a way that actually makes sense for AI.
The team at Paid isn’t your average startup crew. Leading the charge is Manny Medina, a name you might recognize if you’ve followed the sales tech scene. He built Outreach from the ground up into a powerhouse with over 6,000 customers and $250 million in annual revenue.
Then there’s Manoj Ganapathy, who created InvoiceIT, a billing system snapped up by Steelbrick and later folded into Salesforce. Add in Arnon Shimoni, a monetization whiz from Pleo and Storytel, and Raj Dosanjh, a Y Combinator grad who cut his teeth at Palantir, and you’ve got a squad with serious credentials.
So, what’s their big idea?
Paid’s platform is like a Swiss Army knife for AI agent companies. With just a few lines of code, it lets them set up flexible pricing, like charging based on what the AI actually does, not how many people use it.
It also tracks costs (those pricey AI models don’t run on goodwill) and spits out profit margins so companies know they’re not losing money. Plus, there’s a slick client portal that shows customers exactly what they’re getting, making it easier to justify renewals.
Early adopters like Logic, Artisan, Vidlab7, and HappyRobot are already on board, tweaking how they make money off their AI creations.
Let’s talk about why this is such a big deal. Traditional software billing, like $10 per user per month, works fine when humans are in the driver’s seat. But AI agents? They’re a different beast.
Imagine an AI that replaces a whole marketing team, churning out campaigns while guzzling computing power. Charging per “seat” doesn’t cut it when there’s no one sitting there. Or picture an AI editing a video worth thousands of dollars, billing per transaction feels like selling a Picasso for pocket change.
Research backs this up. A report from MarketsandMarkets predicts the AI agent market will soar to $47.1 billion by 2030, growing at a wild 44.8% per year. Another study from Roots Analysis goes even bigger, pegging it at $216.8 billion by 2035.
That’s a lot of money on the table, and companies building these agents need tools to cash in. Paid’s bet is that their platform will be the go-to fix, helping firms price their AI smarts in a way that matches the value they deliver.
Now, €10 million might sound like a fortune, and it is, but in the startup world, it’s just the start. This pre-seed round, led by EQT and Sequoia Capital, is a vote of confidence from two of the biggest names in tech investing.
EQT’s got a knack for spotting European winners, while Sequoia’s track record includes giants like Apple and Google. Toss in GTM Fund, Exceptional Capital, and some savvy angel investors, and Paid’s got a war chest and a brain trust to push their vision forward.
“A platform like Paid could bridge that gap.” No direct quotes from the founders yet, they’re busy, I’m told, but their blog post radiates excitement: “The playbook for running an agentic company doesn’t exist yet. We’re writing it together.”
Companies like Logic (think AI for logistics) and Vidlab7 (video editing AI) are already using the platform. HappyRobot’s another one, its name alone makes me smile, and they’re figuring out how to charge for AI that handles customer support. These early wins show Paid’s not just dreaming; it’s delivering.
Next up, they’re opening a beta program, you can sign up at paid.ai if you’re curious. They’re also hiring and scaling fast, aiming to support more AI builders with trickier business needs. The tech world’s watching closely, because if Paid nails this, it could set the tone for how AI agent companies make money in the years ahead.
The AI agent market is young, and betting big on it comes with risks. What if businesses don’t adopt agents as fast as everyone hopes? Or what if competitors pop up with cheaper, flashier tools? Paid’s got a head start, but the road’s long.
On the flip side, if they succeed, they could be the unsung heroes powering an AI revolution, think of them as the folks who built the railroads while everyone else was chasing gold.
So, there you have it. Paid’s €10 million haul is more than just cash, it’s a signal that AI agents are ready to step out of the lab and into the real world, and they need a new way to pay the bills. With a crack team, big-name backers, and a platform that’s already turning heads, Paid’s got a shot at rewriting the rules.
As someone who’s seen plenty of startups come and go, I’ll be keeping an eye on this one. The future of AI might just run on their engine.
