Cole Dermott

Cole Dermott is the Co-founder of Locus, a financial technology startup established in 2025 that develops payment infrastructure for artificial intelligence agents. He launched the two-person company alongside co-founder Eliot Lee as a participant in the Y Combinator Fall 2025 batch. The software platform enables developers to connect autonomous AI systems to financial accounts while maintaining strict budgets, access permissions, and comprehensive audit trails. Prior to establishing Locus, Dermott worked at Coinbase, where he focused on engineering B2B payment products for the broader enterprise software market. During his tenure at the cryptocurrency exchange, he developed specialized expertise in building financial infrastructure with a strong emphasis on institutional control and regulatory compliance. His current focus centers on bridging the gap between artificial intelligence and financial services by creating secure money movement protocols for automated software agents.