Tom Brady Backs Catena Labs in Return to Crypto With AI-Fintech Vision

NFL legend Tom Brady is making a calculated return to the crypto space, this time aligning with Boston-based startup Catena Labs. The company, co-founded by Circle’s Sean Neville, aims to build the world’s first AI-native financial institution. Catena is focused on enabling autonomous AI agents to conduct financial transactions on behalf of users—a concept it calls "agentic commerce."

Catena recently emerged from stealth with $18 million in seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz’s a16zcrypto. Other key backers include Circle Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Stanford Engineering Venture Fund, and Breyer Capital. High-profile angel investors like Balaji Srinivasan, Bradley Horowitz, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin also participated.

Neville emphasized that Catena’s platform is built to help AI agents, businesses, and consumers transact safely using stablecoins like USDC alongside traditional payment systems. As part of its launch, Catena released the Agent Commerce Kit—an open-source toolkit designed to help AI systems verify identity and execute payments independently.

Brady’s involvement follows his prior experience with the now-defunct crypto exchange FTX, where he served as a brand ambassador. FTX’s 2022 collapse left Brady facing legal backlash and financial losses, but he was recently cleared of most claims in a class-action lawsuit. Before Catena, he co-founded NFT platform Autograph, which raised $200 million before shifting focus to digital collectibles.

With strong venture backing and Brady’s star power, Catena Labs is positioning itself at the intersection of AI, finance, and blockchain infrastructure. The firm claims that today’s financial systems are not equipped for AI-native transactions and is aiming to lead the transition into this emerging space.