Rye

What Rye does

Rye Worldwide, Inc. is a San Francisco-based commerce infrastructure company that provides APIs enabling AI agents and applications to complete purchases from any merchant. Founded in 2022 by Justin Kan (co-founder of Twitch) and Arjun Bhargava, Rye initially launched as a Web3 commerce platform before pivoting in 2023 to focus on agentic commerce infrastructure. The company's core product, the Universal Checkout API, solves the "checkout wall" problem — where merchant fraud detection systems block automated transactions — by using AI browser automation with fraud-mitigation techniques (residential IPs, deterministic workflow caching) to achieve 90%+ order reliability and sub-5-second checkout on major retailers.

The platform is built on a suite of complementary APIs and integrations: the Product Data API provides real-time product information from any URL, Affiliate Commissions routes orders through networks like Rakuten, CJ, Impact, Skimlinks, and Sovrn, and the x402 protocol enables HTTP-native USDC crypto payments across Base, Solana, and Tempo networks. Rye distributes through multiple channels including Stripe's Agentic Commerce Suite, ChatGPT via MCP, OpenClaw protocol for AI agents (GPT, Claude, Llama), the Shopify App Store, and a self-serve developer portal. The product surface has expanded recently with Rye for Rewards (a React component library for loyalty programs launched May 2026) and Returns API (programmatic returns for Shopify merchants launched June 2026).

Rye generates revenue primarily through affiliate commissions (14-17.5% on Shopify-connected merchants), merchant commission markups, and per-request x402 transaction fees ($0.02-$0.03 USDC). Pricing is quote-based for enterprise customers with free developer API access. The company serves a diverse customer base spanning enterprise fintech (Lithic), creator platforms (Throne with 300k+ creators), social commerce (Wally, a top 20 TikTok Shop store), corporate gifting (BILT, Thnks, Caroo), and rewards/loyalty programs. As of the latest data, Rye has 11-50 employees and has raised $14 million in seed funding from a16z Crypto and Solana Ventures in October 2022.

Name

Rye

Legal name

Rye Worldwide, Inc.

Website

https://rye.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rye provides Universal Checkout and Product Data APIs that enable AI agents and developers to complete purchases from any merchant. The platform solves merchant fraud-detection blocks on automated transactions, serving developers, AI agent builders, brands, and rewards programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agentic Commerce Infrastructure

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB), API Analytics, Monetization & Developer Experience Tooling (HDAEAIAJ)

Keywords

• Agentic commerce
• Checkout API
• Product data API
• AI agent infrastructure
• Affiliate commissions

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Affiliate Commissions: Rye routes eligible orders through affiliate networks (Skimlinks, Sovrn) so developers earn commissions on sales. Developer commissions of 14-17.5% on Shopify-connected merchants with Instant Payout at checkout. Standard 30-60 day payout cycles for affiliate network orders.
2. Merchant Commission Markup: Merchants set commission rates that Rye takes a cut from. Developers can also set markups on products. Shopify Sync API allows merchants to configure commission rates directly.
3. x402 Transaction Fees: USDC-based payment processing with per-request fees. $0.02 for checkout-intent creation, purchase total + $0.03 for order confirmation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rye provides a Universal Checkout API that enables AI agents and developers to complete purchases from any merchant URL by using AI browser automation with fraud-mitigation techniques to bypass merchant fraud detection systems. The platform also offers a Product Data API for real-time product information, Affiliate Commissions for automatic commission capture, and integrations with ChatGPT, OpenClaw agents, and crypto payment rails. Developers integrate through two API calls (product data lookup and checkout intent), with SDKs available in TypeScript, Python, Go, and Java.

Product overview

Rye is a commerce infrastructure platform providing APIs for agentic commerce. The core product is the Universal Checkout API, which enables AI agents to complete purchases from any merchant by solving the 'checkout wall' problem that blocks automated transactions. This core API is complemented by the Product Data API for real-time product information, and the Affiliate Commissions module for earning on sales. Additional modules include Rye for Rewards (React component library for loyalty programs), Rye in ChatGPT (shopping within AI conversations), Rye for OpenClaw (autonomous purchasing for AI agents), and Rye for AgentCash & x402 (crypto payments). The platform also offers Sync API for Shopify merchants seeking deeper integration with real-time inventory sync and direct commission capture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Universal Checkout API Core API that enables AI agents and developers to complete purchases from any merchant URL. Uses AI browser automation with fraud-mitigation techniques to bypass merchant fraud detection systems, returning real pricing, tax, shipping, and confirmed checkout. Achieves 90%+ order reliability with sub-35s offer resolution and under 5-second checkout on major retailers.
• Product Data API API providing real-time product data from any URL on the internet. Returns normalized JSON with price_subunits, availability enum (IN_STOCK, LOW_STOCK, OUT_OF_STOCK), is_purchasable boolean, variant IDs, and product metadata. Uses tiered retrieval with direct merchant API hits and browser-based headless rendering for JavaScript-heavy storefronts, achieving under 800ms response times and 91% API reliability compared to 55.5% for standard scrapers.
• Affiliate Commissions Infrastructure that routes eligible orders through affiliate networks (Skimlinks, Sovrn, Rakuten, CJ, Impact) enabling developers and merchants to earn commissions automatically on every order. Includes commission lifecycle management (pending, confirmed, finalized, payout) with monthly payouts via ACH or wire transfer. Developer commissions of 14-17.5% on Shopify-connected merchants with Instant Payout at checkout.
• Rye for Rewards Source-available React component library for rewards programs enabling native catalog redemption. Ships seven components for embedding full redemption flow inside rewards apps, including points-based payment and order tracking. Built on Universal Checkout API with partner acting as merchant of record. Supports 1M+ products and 260+ commissioned merchants with 14-17.5% developer commission and Instant Payout.
• Rye in ChatGPT Integration enabling shopping directly within ChatGPT conversations via Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Features include product search, real-time price comparison, universal checkout in-chat, wishlists, price-drop buy orders, automatic discount codes, and order tracking. Currently in beta with limited release for US shipping addresses.
• Rye for OpenClaw Buy-anything skill for OpenClaw agents (GPT, Claude, Llama) enabling autonomous Amazon and Shopify checkout without login. Agent discovers products via SERP or direct URL, executes headless checkout using tokenized payments with Merchant of Record passthrough, and tracks order status via automated polling. No login required, supports spending limits, and provides real-time webhook notifications.
• Rye for AgentCash & x402 Integration with AgentCash crypto wallet and x402 protocol for HTTP-native payments. AI agents can pay in USDC and Rye fulfills orders over HTTP. Supports Base, Solana, and Tempo networks with instant USDC settlement. Pricing: $0.02 USDC per checkout-intent creation, $0.03 USDC per confirmation. No API key required; pay-per-request model.
• Returns API Programmatic returns API for Shopify merchants. One API call creates a return and enables status polling. Handles filing with the merchant, prepaid return label generation, and tracks refund through settlement. First release covers Shopify merchants and whole-order returns. Generated SDKs available in TypeScript, Python, Go, and Java.
• Sync API Deeper integration for existing Shopify merchants that fetches live inventory data and enables direct commissions with white-label control. Includes webhook sync, accelerated commission capture, and real-time inventory and price synchronization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ order reliability on browser-automated flows
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationNative payment integration with Stripe tokenization. Developers use Stripe publishable keys with single or two-step authorization flows. Approved agent in Stripe's Agentic Commerce Suite.
• SkimlinkscoreTechnology or IntegrationAffiliate network integration for automatic commission routing and tracking across global affiliate networks.
• SovrncoreTechnology or IntegrationAffiliate network integration for commission capture and payout across publisher monetized content.
• AgentCashcoreTechnology or Integrationx402-native wallet provider handling USDC payments for AI agent checkout. Rye handles checkout fulfillment while AgentCash manages wallet operations.
• OpenClaw ProtocolcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenClaw agents (GPT-5.4, Claude 4.6, Llama 4) integrate Rye's buy-anything skill for autonomous checkout.
• Credit Card Rewards ProgramsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRewards programs building native catalog redemption using Rye for Rewards components, acting as merchant of record.
• Points-based Loyalty AppsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirline, hotel, retail, and grocery loyalty programs integrating Rye for native redemption.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Adyen: Adyen is a global payment platform serving enterprise merchants with tokenized checkout flows. As agentic commerce matures, Adyen's existing enterprise relationships and tokenization infrastructure position it as a likely competitor for AI-driven checkout at scale.
• Visa Intelligent Commerce: Visa's Intelligent Commerce initiative aggregates partners (including Rye, Skyfire, PayOS, Nekuda) to enable agentic payments at the network level. Represents both a major distribution channel and a competitive threat if Visa builds direct merchant relationships.
• Shopify (Shop Pay / Agentic Commerce): Shopify powers 1M+ merchants and has been expanding Shop Pay and agentic commerce capabilities. As Rye's primary integration partner and host of Sync API, Shopify is both an enabler and a competitive threat if it builds native agentic checkout.

Others

• Lithic: Lithic is a card-issuing API platform and a Rye enterprise customer, also building agentic checkout capabilities for its own cardholders. Represents both validation of the agentic commerce thesis and a potential partner-turned-competitor scenario.
• Forter: Forter provides enterprise fraud protection integrated into Rye's checkout flow. Adjacent infrastructure in the same agentic commerce stack with potential to expand into broader checkout enablement.

Emerging players

• Nekuda: Nekuda is a payment provider specifically targeting agentic commerce transactions, also part of Visa's Intelligent Commerce initiative. Competes with Rye for AI-driven checkout use cases across enterprise merchants.
• Skyfire: Skyfire is a crypto-native payment infrastructure company focused on AI agent commerce and is a fellow partner within Visa's Intelligent Commerce ecosystem. Competes with Rye on the x402/crypto agent payment rail.
• PayOS: PayOS is a payment infrastructure company in the agentic commerce space, partnering within the Visa Intelligent Commerce ecosystem. Targets the same AI agent checkout problem as Rye.

Direct peers

• AgentCash: AgentCash provides x402-native wallet infrastructure for AI agent payments, working closely with Rye on USDC settlement. Operates as a complementary partner today but represents adjacent infrastructure that could expand into full checkout competition.
• Stripe (Agentic Commerce Suite): Stripe launched its Agentic Commerce Suite in 2025-2026, directly competing with Rye's Universal Checkout API for AI agent payment flows. Stripe's existing merchant base and payment infrastructure make it the most strategically threatening direct competitor in agentic checkout.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rye
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rye

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rye