#London #United Kingdom #Artificial Intelligence #SaaS #Paid

Paid Secures $21.6 Million Seed Funding

Paid, a company dedicated to establishing robust infrastructure for the burgeoning AI agent economy, recently declared a successful oversubscribed $21.6 million Seed funding round. The investment, primarily led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, saw contributions from new investor FUSE as well as existing investor EQT Ventures. This funding marks a significant milestone as it raises the total capital secured by Paid to $33.3 million, which the company intends to utilize to aid AI agent builders – ranging from startups to established SaaS enterprises – in scaling their operations through effective monetization strategies.

As we look towards 2030, predictions suggest that autonomous AI agents could contribute as much as $19.9 trillion to the global economy, fundamentally transforming numerous job functions and altering traditional workflows. These agents are already capable of replacing entire departments, automating intricate tasks, and delivering results that would have historically necessitated teams of human professionals. However, the current pricing model of enterprise software is proving inadequate for this agent-centered era. Without a proper economic framework in place, the potential of the AI agent movement may stagnate.

Manny Medina, CEO and Founder of Paid, stated, "We are witnessing the largest inflection point in Software as a Service (SaaS) since the shift from on-premises solutions to cloud-based platforms. Companies are increasingly adopting AI agents as a pathway to sustainable growth; however, the existing infrastructure is ill-equipped for an agent-first landscape. Our traditional 'per seat' payment model for software simply does not make sense when the software is removing seats through automation. Therefore, a completely new economic model is essential."

He further emphasized that the organization aims to construct the backbone that will propel the AI agent economy forward, navigating companies through this pivotal transition.

Alexander Schmitt, a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, echoed these sentiments stating, "The AI revolution necessitates a reexamination of how software generates and captures value. As AI agents emerge as a critical component of digital labor, Paid's infrastructure will become as vital as payment systems have been for e-commerce. They aren't merely creating tools; they are laying down the economic groundwork for the next evolution of work."

Paid stands out as the first fully integrated business system strategically crafted for AI agent functionalities. By providing the essential economic infrastructure necessary for the transition from traditional SaaS to AI agent operations, Paid addresses five primary requirements that typical business systems fail to manage:

1. Customer Value Visibility – The platform allows businesses to visualize AI productivity, creating branded ROI portals within minutes to enhance customer renewals.
2. Custom Pricing Models – Businesses can rapidly apply outcome-based and value-driven pricing methodologies, including success fees and shared revenues.
3. Dynamic Outcome-Based Pricing – Moving past fixed subscriptions enables companies to capture value more dynamically.
4. Real-Time Cost Analytics – Companies can accurately track agent costs and profit margins for well-informed scaling decisions.
5. AI Business Intelligence Tools – The platform integrates dashboards and scenario planning tools, providing comprehensive insights into an agent-centered operational world.

Companies using Paid's services—such as IFS and Artisan—have reportedly achieved substantial revenue growth, improved customer retention rates, and expedited sales processes through effective AI monetization strategies. Mark Moffat, CEO of IFS, highlighted how essential Paid has been for scaling their AI agent solutions rapidly across various sectors. Meanwhile, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, co-founder of Artisan, noted that Paid empowered them to quantify the outcomes of their efforts effectively, allowing them to transition commitments into concrete deals and long-term customer relationships.

The Paid platform is currently accessible to developers at no charge and integrates seamlessly with various systems such as Vercel, ElevenLabs, and leading frameworks including AI SDK, n8n, LangChain, and LlamaIndex.

Conclusion

As the AI agent economy flourishes, companies like Paid are at the forefront, establishing the necessary foundation to redefine how organizations function. By improving frameworks for AI agent activities and creating new economic models, Paid is set to play a pivotal role in revolutionizing the future of work and enterprise operations.