Repeat Founders Drive Growth in Agentic Commerce Tech
As of September 2026, industry veterans are building infrastructure to enable AI agents to shop and make payments.
Updated on Oct. 23, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Fourteen repeat founders are spearheading the development of agentic commerce technology, with 12 joining the Mastercard Start Path program in September 2026. These innovators are creating shopping assistants and payment systems designed to facilitate automated AI transactions.
Why it matters
Experienced operators are building the essential digital rails that allow autonomous AI agents to browse, select, and purchase products securely. This shift aims to move AI from a passive recommendation tool to an active participant in the global economy.
COFE Tech recently reached a $178 million valuation in a Series C round, while ReFiBuy secured $13.6 million in seed funding during May 2026. These ventures join other developments like the Mastercard Agentic Token used in live payment tests.
The players
Mastercard
A global payments technology company that operates one of the world's fastest payments processing networks.
COFE Tech
A Kuwait-based technology company that supports over 1,000 businesses with digital commerce solutions.
Perplexity
An AI-powered search engine that provides conversational answers to complex questions by sourcing data from the internet.
Azoma
A London-based firm providing AI agent discovery and recommendation services to international brands.
Nevermined
A Zug-based company that facilitates payments for AI agents by utilizing stablecoins and card networks.
The details
The technology landscape for these firms spans various specialized niches, including checkout integrations used by Perplexity and recommendation services provided to brands like L'Oréal and Unilever. Companies such as Nevermined are further expanding functionality by routing agent payments across traditional card networks and stablecoins.
Timeline
In 2013, Scot Wingo took ChannelAdvisor public.
Perplexity integrated Firmly's checkout technology in March 2026.
ReFiBuy raised a $13.6 million seed round in May 2026.
Twelve founders joined the Mastercard Start Path program in September 2026.
COFE Tech targets a listing on the Saudi Exchange by 2029.
The Tech Race
The introduction of the Mastercard Agentic Token represents a shift from static online payments toward automated, tokenized infrastructure. This development mirrors the evolution of digital wallets, moving beyond simple user-led transactions to support autonomous AI-driven commerce.
Users will eventually link their payment cards once, allowing AI agents to handle routine purchases and product research autonomously. This change promises to streamline common shopping workflows, though it will require new security considerations for automated spending.
The takeaway
Agentic commerce is transitioning from theoretical research to tangible financial infrastructure that bridges traditional card networks with AI systems. Consumers should monitor how these automated tools handle data privacy as they begin to execute financial transactions on behalf of users.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest innovations in Artificial Intelligence.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CB Insights.
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