Axios coverage

Arva AI is proud to announce the successful completion of a $3 million funding round, led by Gradient, Google’s early-stage AI fund, with participation from Y Combinator, Amino Capital, Olive Tree Capital, and angels from prominent fintech organizations. This investment marks a pivotal moment in our journey to transform how financial institutions conduct business verification through the power of generative AI.

Automating KYB to Save Time and Enhance Compliance

Know Your Business (KYB) verification is a cornerstone of regulatory compliance for financial institutions, aimed at mitigating risks like fraud and money laundering. However, as regulations grow increasingly stringent, banks and fintechs face a mounting challenge: balancing robust compliance protocols with the need for efficient customer onboarding. Traditional KYB processes—heavily reliant on manual reviews by hundreds of compliance analysts—are slow, costly, and prone to bottlenecks.

Arva AI addresses this challenge head-on. Our generative AI-enabled platform automates the labor-intensive tasks of KYB, turning fragmented, unstructured data from registries, social media, websites, and documents into actionable risk assessments. This, combined with advanced AI document intelligence for fraud detection and data extraction, allows banks and fintechs to onboard businesses in seconds while maintaining the highest compliance standards.

Empowering Compliance Teams Through Innovation

“At Arva, our mission is to make business verification fast, accurate, and seamless,” said Rhim Shah, CEO and co-founder of Arva AI. “For financial institutions navigating rising costs and stricter regulations, efficient and secure KYB processes are no longer optional—they’re critical. Early adopters of Arva, including leading fintechs like Keep in Canada and Tola in the US, are already reaping the benefits of streamlined compliance. We’re thrilled to partner with Gradient and our other investors to scale our solution globally.”

Our vision is to develop a comprehensive suite of AI-enabled tools capable of handling all repetitive, low- to mid-risk compliance tasks, freeing compliance teams to focus on higher-level decision-making. By reducing manual review times from days to seconds, Arva ensures financial institutions can meet both operational and regulatory demands efficiently.

A Team with Proven Expertise

Arva’s founding team brings a wealth of experience in fintech and AI innovation. Rhim Shah, previously the financial crime product lead at Revolut Business, and Oli Wales, former lead product engineer at Seal, have firsthand knowledge of the compliance hurdles faced by fast-growing financial organizations. Their combined expertise has been instrumental in shaping Arva’s groundbreaking solutions.

“At Gradient, we see the transformative potential of AI in solving complex, real-world challenges,” said Eylul Kayin, Partner at Gradient. “Arva AI’s approach to automating business verification is exactly the kind of innovation the industry needs, and we’re excited to support their growth.”

Scaling to Meet Growing Demand

This seed funding will accelerate Arva AI’s product development and market expansion as we work to meet the increasing demand from banks and fintechs seeking to modernize compliance operations. With early adoption by industry leaders, Arva is poised to redefine what’s possible in business verification.

About Arva AI

Arva AI provides highly compliant, AI-powered business verification solutions for banks and fintechs. Our platform automates low- to mid-risk manual compliance tasks in real time, reducing onboarding times to seconds while strengthening compliance controls. Backed by leading investors including Gradient and Y Combinator, Arva is at the forefront of revolutionizing KYB processes. Learn more at arva.ai.

About Gradient

Gradient has been a leader in AI investment since 2017, supporting founders who push the boundaries of technology. Comprising technical experts and domain specialists, Gradient empowers startups tackling real-world challenges. Headquartered in San Francisco, Gradient is committed to advancing AI innovation. For more information, visit gradient.com.