Zalos raises $3.6M for AI finance agents

Zalos has raised $3.6 million to build AI-powered "Computer Agents" designed to automate complex finance operations. These agents mimic human interaction with existing financial software, bypassing the need for costly system overhauls.

Finance teams often grapple with fragmented systems like ERPs, CRMs, and spreadsheets that lack seamless integration. This forces teams to manually stitch data together, a process prone to errors and inefficiency.

Zalos was founded on the belief that AI's next major leap in productivity will come from software that can operate these disparate systems as humans do, understanding deep business context. The company positions its Computer Agents as the solution to this persistent challenge.

The rise of agentic AI

The $3.6 million seed round was led by 14 Peaks, with participation from Cohen Circle and 20VC. This funding underscores the growing interest in agentic AI, a field Zalos believes is defining 2026.

While generalist AI agents are emerging from major players like OpenAI and Anthropic, Zalos focuses specifically on finance operations. This specialization is crucial, as the company argues that finance requires near-perfect accuracy and auditable processes, unlike other sectors where 90% accuracy might suffice.

"Finance teams have the systems, but they are still doing the work manually because the stack is not connected," said William Fairbairn, CEO and co-founder of Zalos. "We want to start by sitting on top of what is already there."

Emulating human workflows

Zalos converts screen recordings of existing finance workflows into executable Computer Agents. These agents can log into systems, navigate interfaces, input data, and perform checks across various platforms, including NetSuite, Sage, and SAP S/4HANA.

Crucially, the platform requires no heavy integrations. Every agent action is logged in an auditable format, meeting enterprise security standards like SOC 2 Part II certification.

Current client use cases include automating billing across multiple systems, performing month-end reconciliations, and generating cross-system KPI reports. This approach allows finance teams to leverage AI without disrupting their established operational backbone.

Founders' vision

CEO William Fairbairn and CTO Hung Hoang founded Zalos after observing similar pain points. Fairbairn noted years of CFO frustration with lengthy and risky ERP implementations. Hoang, formerly of Apple Pay, focused on Computer Agents to overcome the API limitations that have hindered automation.

The company joined Y Combinator last October, concentrating on specialized agents that mirror how finance professionals actually work within their tools.

Hung Hoang, CTO and co-founder, stated, "Legacy ERPs’ speed of innovation has stalled, leading to growing manual work in the place of transformative automation." He added that Computer Agents offer a "third path: automation that sits on top of the existing stack and operates it as a human would."

Industry validation

Emanuele Larocca, Principal at 14 Peaks, highlighted Zalos's ability to sidestep the complexity of embedded systems, delivering AI transformation without requiring system rip-outs.

Nate Pontician, Vice President at Cohen Circle, described Zalos's agents not as assistants, but as "colleagues" that handle end-to-end workflows, freeing up finance professionals for higher-value tasks.

Zalos plans to expand its reach to enterprise ERPs and on-premise systems, building a comprehensive context graph across the finance stack to enable widespread agent deployment.