Mattia Ciuni
Founder & CEO at Payle
I am building the money layer for AI agents at Payle. Payle. AI agents can already research, compare and execute entire tasks. Then they stop and ask for a credit card. Payle gives each agent scoped permissions, deterministic authorization and a verifiable receipt for every transaction.
What does Mattia Ciuni do? Before Payle, he built Celeste, an AI browser. Today his work sits at the intersection of AI agents, payments infrastructure, fintech and software engineering.
I ship code under strict acceptance tests and hire on artifacts, not titles. Reach me at ceo@usepayle.com.
Who is Mattia Ciuni?
Mattia Ciuni is an Italian founder and the founder and CEO of Payle, a company building the money layer for AI agents. He works on the rules, authorization and receipts that let software spend money safely on behalf of people.
What does Mattia Ciuni do? Before Payle, he built Celeste, an AI browser. Today his work sits at the intersection of AI agents, payments infrastructure, fintech and software engineering.
Principles
Build the hard part first.
Everyone ships the demo; the money path is where products die. I start where the risk lives.
Verification over vibes.
If a claim cannot survive an audit, a test, or a skeptical engineer, it does not go on the internet. Including this site.
Small teams, heavy leverage.
AI tools multiplied my output; discipline multiplied the AI. Two people with tests beat ten with meetings.
The best ideas survive attack.
I post my architecture before I have a pitch. What survives the comments is what gets built.
Now
Building the money layer for AI agents at Payle. Applying to YC, relocating to San Francisco.
Projects
Thoughts
Thoughts on AI agents and building Payle.
- Welcoming Raj Koli, Founding Engineer (Agent Experience): the interviewThoughts
- Welcoming Alex Mwaniki, Founding Engineer (Core): the interviewThoughts
- Finding Ghassen: the co-founder question, answered in three weeksThoughts
- Artifact-based hiring: ship code before titlesThoughts
- The money layer for AI agentsThoughts
Notes
All notesLonger, slower pieces on the systems, people and ideas behind the work.
Feedback
All feedbackEngineers attack Payle's architecture in public. I publish what their attacks changed, corrections included.
Newsletter
One email a week: what I shipped, what broke, what I decided and why.
Every Sunday I send one email: what I shipped, what broke, what I decided and why.
Building Payle in public, from Italy to San Francisco. No spam, no growth hacks. Just the log.
One email a week. Unsubscribe anytime. No data sharing, ever. privacy
Field notes
in progressSome things are better heard. Some are better seen. I am making room for both.