Sean Neville Raises $18 Million to Build the First AI Native Bank

Sean Neville has long had a knack for identifying the next frontier in financial technology. More than a decade ago, at the height of the crypto boom, he co-founded Circle, a startup that would go on to become the world’s second-largest issuer of stablecoins, helping create the now-ubiquitous USDC. Today, Circle is on the verge of going public. Now Neville is turning his focus to artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, Neville announced an $18 million seed round for his new venture, Catena Labs, which aims to build what he calls the world’s first “AI-native bank.” The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm, with participation from Breyer Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Circle Ventures, CoinFund, and Pillar VC, alongside individual investors including NFL legend Tom Brady,