London-based Gradient Labs has doubled its Series A funding from $13 million to $26 million. The startup, founded by former Monzo engineers, builds vertical AI agents designed to automate complex financial operations. This fresh capital allows the company to scale its product strategy and push deeper into the US market.

Octopus Ventures and CommerzVentures led the new investment, while Redpoint Ventures and Exceptional Capital provided follow-on backing. The startup focuses on high-friction areas like lending, disputes, and KYC checks. This narrow focus differentiates them from generalist competitors like Sierra and Decagon, which target broad enterprise markets with much larger funding rounds.

Existing clients include Wise, Monzo, and Zego, proving the demand for specialized automation in fintech. CEO Dimitri Masin aims to create an autonomous agent layer for customer operations. This investment signals strong investor appetite for vertical AI solutions that solve specific regulatory and operational hurdles in the financial sector.

Gradient Labs is now competing in a crowded AI agent space where rivals have raised up to $950 million this year. By targeting finance specifically, the company avoids the broad battle for general enterprise AI. The firm uses its Monzo alumni roots to build tools tailored for digital banking and insurance.