Tom Brady Invests 18 Million in AI Crypto Startup Catena Labs

Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady is among the investors in a $18 million funding round for Catena Labs, a Boston-based startup aiming to build an AI-native financial institution for the emerging "agentic commerce" market. The round was led by a16z crypto, with participation from Breyer Capital, Circle Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and Brady himself.

What is Agentic Commerce?

Agentic commerce refers to the tech industry's vision of AI-driven shopping, where bots autonomously make purchases based on user-set goals. For example, a parent could task an AI agent to buy seasonal sports gear for their child, with the bot handling product selection and payment.

While still conceptual, Amazon is already testing a similar feature called "buy-for-me".

Crypto Connection

Catena Labs co-founder Sean Neville was also a co-founder of Circle, the company behind the USDC stablecoin. Catena plans to integrate regulated stablecoins with traditional banking systems to serve AI-driven commerce.

Brady’s Crypto History

Brady’s involvement comes after his high-profile endorsement of FTX, which collapsed in 2022 amid fraud allegations against founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Brady and other celebrities faced a class-action lawsuit over FTX promotions, but most charges were dropped earlier this month.

Brady also co-founded Autograph, an NFT platform that pivoted to digital collectibles after the NFT market cooled.

Crypto’s Sports Comeback

Despite FTX’s fallout, crypto is regaining traction in sports:

• Coinbase sponsors the NBA and WNBA.
• Crypto firms appear on Premier League kits and NHL rinks.

Brady’s exact stake in Catena Labs remains undisclosed.