M13 vs SV Angel

What Is Agentic Identity? Meet Baselayer, the Identity Infrastructure for AI Agents

M13 announces fundraising for Baselayer, an identity infrastructure for AI agents, with a dedicated article published on September 22, 2026.

Investors Are Betting on AI Agents That Shop for You

Venture capitalists are increasingly funding startups building AI agents that can shop on behalf of consumers and handle payments. The article maps the emerging market for "agentic commerce," covering personal assistants like Instinct and Town, shopping search tools like Daydream, payment infrastructure startups like Catena Labs and Basis Theory, and marketing tech such as Profound. Major platforms are also moving: OpenAI and Stripe launched the Agentic Commerce Protocol, Google operates the Agent Payments Protocol, and Visa and Mastercard introduced Trusted Agent Protocol and Agent Pay. However, the space faces trust and fraud challenges, illustrated by Phia's cookie-stuffing scandal and an Instinct agent error that cost a user around $300. Investor interest remains strong, with millions raised across the sector, even as enterprise adoption lags due to compliance and security concerns.

• Adobe Analytics reported that 41% of respondents used AI for online shopping in June 2026.
• OpenAI and Stripe launched the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), while Google operates the Agent Payments Protocol.
• Profound raised $96 million in Series C funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.

AI Assistant Tab Launches with $300M Valuation

Personal AI assistant startup Tab has emerged from stealth with a $300 million valuation, according to an announcement on Tuesday. The company, founded by Brennan Erbz, Stafford Schlitt, and Ammar Amdani, offers a consumer AI assistant accessible via iMessage and WhatsApp. Users can text tasks like grocery ordering or gift finding, and Tab handles them by leveraging its own phone number, computer, and wallet. Investors include SV Angel, Valar Ventures, and American Spirit. The founders emphasize trust and privacy, stating that user data is never used to train AI and that the card details are stored in a vault inaccessible to Tab. The startup is growing via word of mouth and plans to launch a new product soon. Tab enters a competitive consumer AI market alongside Instinct and Meta's Muse.

• Tab emerged from stealth with a $300 million valuation.
• Tab is a personal AI assistant accessible via iMessage and WhatsApp.
• Investors include SV Angel, Valar Ventures, and American Spirit.

Vinyl Bar in Shibuya Raises $5.5M for Music Apps

A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya, a startup founded by former Spotify head of innovation Máuhan M. Zonoozy, has raised a $5.5 million pre-seed round. The company develops a series of small, interactive music apps that allow users to play with sounds and vocals, such as altering speed, creating mixes, and turning videos into samplers. Its flagship iOS app, bop, lets users create mixes by arranging instruments and effects on a grid, with easy export to TikTok and Instagram. The startup intentionally avoids heavily integrating AI, focusing on human interaction and participation in music creation. Investors include Mantis VC, SV Angel, BoxGroup, and others, with former Spotify executive Dawn Ostroff joining as an advisor.

• A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya raised $5.5 million in pre-seed funding.
• The round included investments from Mantis VC, SV Angel, BoxGroup, Quiet Capital, and others.
• Former Spotify chief content and advertising business officer Dawn Ostroff joined as an advisor.