Kite AI
Kite AI provides Layer-1 blockchain infrastructure purpose-built for autonomous AI agent payments, combining cryptographic identity (Agent Passport), programmable spending governance, and stablecoin-native micropayments. It targets AI agent developers, enterprises deploying agent fleets, and merchants accepting automated machine-initiated payments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2025
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Kite AI does
Kite AI is building programmable trust infrastructure for the autonomous AI agent economy, anchored on Kite Chain — a Layer-1 Proof-of-Stake blockchain built on Avalanche Layer-1 technology and optimized for agent payments. The platform combines a four-layer architecture (Base Layer with EVM-compatible L1 and stablecoin-denominated gas, Platform Layer for agent-ready APIs covering identity, authorization, payments, and SLA enforcement, Programmable Trust Layer with the Kite Passport, Agent SLAs, and A2A/MCP/OAuth 2.1 bridges, and an Ecosystem Layer for marketplace and agent ecosystem services). Its flagship product, Kite Agent Passport, implements a three-layer identity hierarchy (user→agent→session) using BIP-32 derivation and ephemeral session keys, providing a mathematical bounded-loss guarantee through a Standing Intent/Delegation Token/Session Signature triple-verification chain. State-channel micropayment infrastructure enables sub-$0.000001 per interaction cost with sub-100ms latency, making pay-per-request economics viable for autonomous agent workflows. The company targets three customer segments: AI agent developers and frameworks (Sentient, Sahara AI, Fraction AI, B3) as primary users, enterprises deploying agent fleets that need mathematically enforced spending controls, and merchants and service providers accepting agent-initiated payments.
Revenue is protocol-native rather than SaaS-based, drawn from stablecoin-denominated transaction/gas fees on Kite Chain, a staking economy where module owners stake 30M KITE, validators stake 1M KITE, and delegators stake 166,667 KITE for ~4% APY rewards, and proportional protocol reward distribution to network participants. Go-to-market is product-led through self-service developer portals (docs.gokite.ai), the Agent Passport issuance flow (agentpassport.ai), and SDK-based integration with major agent frameworks, with distribution amplified through strategic partnerships with Coinbase (x402), PayPal (PYUSD), Google (AP2), Avalanche, LayerZero, and Banxa (fiat on-ramp across 180+ countries). Total disclosed funding is approximately $33-35 million from a $18 million Series A co-led by PayPal Ventures and General Catalyst (September 2025) with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Samsung Next, and 8VC, plus a strategic extension investment from Coinbase Ventures in October 2025. The x402 protocol ecosystem in which Kite is a founding implementation partner had processed over $600 million in transaction volume and supported nearly 500,000 active AI wallets by early 2026.
Kite AI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kite AI
- Legal name
- Kite AI Ltd.
- Website
- https://gokite.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2025
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kite AI provides Layer-1 blockchain infrastructure purpose-built for autonomous AI agent payments, combining cryptographic identity (Agent Passport), programmable spending governance, and stablecoin-native micropayments. It targets AI agent developers, enterprises deploying agent fleets, and merchants accepting automated machine-initiated payments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kite AI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agentic Payments Blockchain Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Settlement, Clearing & Reconciliation for Tokenized Assets (DvP, PvP, netting, post-trade) (FSAPAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Compliance, Risk & RegTech for Tokenized Assets (KYC/AML, sanctions, travel rule, reporting) (FSAPAIAH), Interoperability & Cross-Chain Infrastructure (Bridges, Messaging, Atomic Swaps) (FSAGAMAI), Regulatory Reporting, Tax & Audit Trails (reconciliation, provenance) (FSAPAJAI)
Keywords
Where Kite AI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kite AI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Transaction/Gas Fees: Transaction fees (gas) on Kite Chain are denominated and paid exclusively in whitelisted stablecoins. Fee stability ensures predictable cost exposure for agents and merchants, eliminating volatile token-denominated fee models.
- Staking Economy: KITE token serves as the staking and coordination asset for network participation. Module owners stake 30M KITE, validators stake 1M KITE, and delegators stake 166,667 KITE. Protocol rewards (~4% APY) are distributed initially in KITE with gradual transition to stablecoins. Staking yields create demand for token accumulation.
- Protocol Reward Distribution: Validators, delegators, and module operators receive protocol rewards in proportion to their performance and contribution to network security and throughput. Slashing mechanisms penalize misbehavior, aligning economic incentives with protocol health.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Kite AI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kite AI builds a Layer-1 blockchain (Kite Chain) purpose-built for autonomous AI agent payments and a companion cryptographic identity system (Kite Agent Passport) that gives agents their own wallets, programmable spending controls, and verifiable receipts. The platform enables AI agents to execute stablecoin-denominated micropayments, operate within mathematically enforced spending limits, and natively interoperate with the x402, Google AP2, A2A, MCP, and OAuth 2.1 protocols. Core revenue is generated through on-chain gas/transaction fees and the KITE staking and coordination economy.
Product overview
Kite AI is a unified programmable trust infrastructure platform combining three core products: Kite Chain (Layer-1 blockchain), Kite Agent Passport (cryptographic identity and payment wallet system), and the KITE token (network utility token). The platform enables AI agents to conduct financial transactions autonomously without human intervention, addressing gaps in current payment systems that require manual signing. Built on Avalanche Layer-1 technology, it provides verifiable identity, automated settlement, transaction monitoring, and multi-chain compatibility. The ecosystem includes Agent Store marketplace, developer SDK/CLI tools, and support for x402 protocol and A2A/MCP/OAuth 2.1 standards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kite Agent Passport: A cryptographic identity system that gives autonomous AI agents their own identity, a funded payment wallet, programmable governance (spending rules), and verifiable receipts for every action. It enables AI agents to pay for services on behalf of users with traceable and accountable transactions.
- Kite Chain
Products and services
- Kite Chain A high-throughput Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for AI agents to transact autonomously, with sub-second deterministic finality, full EVM compatibility, low transaction fees, dedicated agent pay lanes, and native cross-chain messaging via LayerZero. Built for developers and enterprises deploying autonomous agent economies.
- Kite Agent Passport A cryptographic identity system that gives autonomous AI agents their own verifiable identity, a funded payment wallet, programmable governance with user-defined spending rules, and verifiable receipts for every action. Self-serve issuance at agentpassport.ai with EIP-712 signed transaction authorization.
- Agent Store Application marketplace for AI services connected through standard protocols. Registered services become discoverable by AI agents operating on Kite Chain, facilitating machine-to-machine commerce across data APIs, GPU compute, SaaS applications, and other agent frameworks.
- KITE Token Native utility token of the Kite AI network with a total supply of 10 billion. Used for staking (validator 1M KITE, module owner 30M KITE, delegator 166,667 KITE), protocol rewards, and network coordination. Target staking yield of approximately 4% APY, transitioned from KITE-denominated to stablecoin rewards.
Quantifiable outcome
- Sub-$0.000001 per message interaction via state channels (vs. $0.30+ per credit card transaction)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Kite AI
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kite AI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability5 records
Feature8 records
Kite AI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DatalinecoreDataline launched its Data Launch Partner Program with Kite AI as a founding member, providing structured, cross-market, and verifiable financial data to AI agents operating in crypto and financial markets. Kite AI benefits from real-time data aggregation from major exchanges (Binance, Coinbase, OKX, Hyperliquid, dYdX, Polymarket, Kalshi) with confidence-scored outputs and source-level traceability.
- BanxacoreBanxa joined as a launch partner for Kite mainnet, providing regulated fiat on-ramp infrastructure enabling users to convert fiat into digital assets using credit cards, bank transfers, and local payment methods in over 180 countries. The collaboration simplifies blockchain onboarding, ensures regulatory compliance from day one, and addresses usability barriers that have slowed crypto adoption.
- Google (AP2 Community Partner)coreKite AI joined Google's Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) as a community partner alongside 100+ industry giants including Mastercard, PayPal, Shopify, Adobe, Walmart, Accenture, and Cloudflare. The collaboration marks an important milestone in building trusted payment infrastructure for the agentic economy and advancing secure, trustworthy agent payment solutions.
- AvalanchecoreKite Chain is built as a Layer-1 blockchain on Avalanche Layer-1 technology. Avalanche's L1 architecture provides the consensus and infrastructure foundation for Kite's agent payment blockchain, providing sub-second finality and EVM compatibility.
- LayerZerocoreLayerZero provides cross-chain messaging infrastructure integrated into Kite Chain, enabling native cross-chain interoperability for the Kite payment ecosystem and supporting multi-chain agent operations.
- PYUSD (PayPal)corePayPal's PYUSD stablecoin is integrated as a native payment instrument within the Kite ecosystem, supporting the stablecoin-first payment model of Kite Chain.
- x402 (Coinbase/Cloudflare)coreKite AI is a founding implementation partner for the x402 protocol, the native on-chain payment standard developed by Coinbase and Cloudflare. x402 embeds payment logic into HTTP for machine-to-machine transactions, with Kite serving as a key facilitator and base layer for the protocol.
- OKX WalletminorOKX Wallet is listed as an ecosystem partner providing wallet integration for Kite Chain users.
- Bitget WalletminorBitget Wallet is listed as an ecosystem partner providing wallet integration for Kite Chain users.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kite AI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PayPal: PayPal is both a strategic investor and a payments incumbent building native AI agent commerce capabilities (including via PYUSD) — directly comparable in addressing AI-driven payments, though from a much larger traditional-finance base.
- Stripe: Stripe is building agent payment infrastructure (e.g., Stripe Agent Toolkit, stablecoin support) targeting the same AI agent developer market as Kite, with vastly greater scale and merchant distribution.
- Circle: Circle issues USDC, the dominant stablecoin used across the agent economy, and is launching its own L1 (Arc) targeting similar stablecoin-native payment use cases — a direct infrastructure competitor and potential distribution partner for Kite.
- Ava Labs (Avalanche): Avalanche provides the L1 technology foundation on which Kite Chain is built, but Ava Labs also supports other custom L1s competing for AI agent workloads — a foundational partner and adjacent competitor.
- Solana Foundation: Solana is a high-throughput L1 increasingly used for stablecoin settlement and micropayments, positioning itself as an alternative agent payment rail — competes with Kite for the same developer mindshare and liquidity.
Direct peers
- Coinbase: Coinbase co-developed the x402 protocol with Cloudflare and operates Base L2 — the most direct competitor for agent payment rails. Coinbase Ventures is also a strategic investor in Kite, illustrating the co-opetitive dynamic where Coinbase could either elevate or sideline Kite.
Emerging players
- LayerZero: LayerZero provides the cross-chain messaging integrated into Kite Chain and is a direct investor — comparable as interop infrastructure but represents a technology partner more than a direct competitor.
- Crossmint: Crossmint provides wallet and payment infrastructure for AI agents and is an ecosystem partner of Kite — comparable in targeting agent payment orchestration, with overlapping developer audience.
- Privy: Privy provides embedded wallet and authentication infrastructure used by AI agent platforms — overlaps with Kite's Agent Passport identity layer, addressing adjacent parts of the same agent onboarding stack.
- Sentient: Sentient is one of the AI agent frameworks integrated as a Kite customer — comparable as an emerging AI agent infrastructure project, though focused on agent frameworks rather than payments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kite AI social profiles
Digital presenceKite AI compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Kite AI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kite AI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Kite AI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors23 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kite AI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kite AI
What does Kite AI do?
Kite AI builds a Layer-1 blockchain (Kite Chain) purpose-built for autonomous AI agent payments and a companion cryptographic identity system (Kite Agent Passport) that gives agents their own wallets, programmable spending controls, and verifiable receipts. The platform enables AI agents to execute stablecoin-denominated micropayments, operate within mathematically enforced spending limits, and natively interoperate with the x402, Google AP2, A2A, MCP, and OAuth 2.1 protocols. Core revenue is generated through on-chain gas/transaction fees and the KITE staking and coordination economy.
Is Kite AI a public or private company?
Kite AI is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Kite AI founded?
Kite AI was founded in 2025. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kite AI based?
Kite AI is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kite AI make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Transaction/Gas Fees are the primary driver. The others are staking Economy and protocol Reward Distribution.
Who are Kite AI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PayPal, Stripe, Circle, Ava Labs (Avalanche) and Solana Foundation. Coinbase is listed as a direct peer. Emerging players are LayerZero, Crossmint, Privy and Sentient.
Does Kite AI have an API?
Yes. Kite AI provides developer APIs for integrating AI agent payment capabilities. The platform offers Agent Passport APIs for identity, authorization, payments, and SLA enforcement. Documentation available at docs.gokite.ai with SDK methods including signPayment(), signBatch(), simulatePayment(), watchPaymentReceipt(), and exportReconciliation(). EIP-712 structured signing standard used for transaction authorization. Developer documentation is at docs.gokite.ai.
What industry is Kite AI in?
Kite AI's product category is Agentic Payments Blockchain Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAIAI, Settlement, Clearing & Reconciliation for Tokenized Assets (DvP, PvP, netting, post-trade), with a secondary code of FSAPAIAH, Compliance, Risk & RegTech for Tokenized Assets (KYC/AML, sanctions, travel rule, reporting). Its NAICS code is 52321 and its SIC code is 6200.