Lama
Founded 2022 · 52 employees on LinkedIn · 6 known investors
Lama AI provides agentic AI software for SMB and commercial lending, using modular AI agents to convert borrower documents into decision-ready credit memos and handle stages from intake through closing and servicing. It serves community and regional banks with integrations to core systems, risk models, and E-Tran.
Also known as Lama AI · Lama AI Inc.
Founders & leadership
Lama was founded in 2022 by Omri Yacubovich and Ran Magen.
Investors · 6
Also in the syndicate · 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Lama AI (Lama AI Inc.) develops an AI-native loan origination platform aimed at community and regional banks and credit unions. The platform automates and accelerates the full lending workflow, covering borrower intake and assistance, document collection, financial spreading, underwriting, decisioning, approval, closing and ongoing portfolio monitoring, using autonomous AI agents rather than requiring human oversight of each step. It is configured to run within each institution's own policies, credit standards, approval processes and compliance requirements, keeping human judgment in the loop.
The company's initial focus was the gap in small business and government-guaranteed (SBA) lending, where underwriting a small-dollar loan can cost as much as a much larger one, limiting how much of the segment community and regional banks can serve. Lama AI has since extended coverage across the loan lifecycle for additional SMB and commercial lending products, including commercial and industrial (C&I), commercial real estate (CRE), construction, and credit cards. The platform is modular, so banks running legacy origination systems can deploy it alongside existing infrastructure as an entry point for automation in the highest-friction workflows rather than undertaking a full replacement.
Business model
Lama AI supplies software to financial institutions, positioning its platform as either a replacement for or a modular addition alongside legacy loan origination systems used by community and regional banks.
Traction
The platform launched in late 2022 and is in production at dozens of community and regional banking organizations, including SouthState Bank, Colony Bank (Colony BankCorp), Capital Community Bank, First Bank & Trust, Gate City Bank and Luminate Bank. The company says it has processed billions of dollars in loan volume since launch and reports 3x (300%) year-over-year revenue growth as of June 2026.
Latest developments
In June 2026 Lama AI announced a Series A led by EJF Ventures, the fintech arm of EJF Capital, bringing total funding raised to more than $20 million. Proceeds are earmarked for go-to-market and customer success expansion and continued investment in AI capabilities for regulated financial institutions. The company also noted recognition including inclusion in the 2025 AIFinTech100 list and designation as a major player in corporate loan origination services.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
Lama AI competes with legacy loan origination systems that investors and the company characterize as designed for larger banks and larger loans, and with newer platforms that address narrower product lines. Its lead investor describes the platform as automating the full range of commercial lending from SBA to C&I to CRE while deploying alongside a lender's existing systems.
According to the company and its investors, Lama AI differs from legacy origination systems built on static forms, rigid workflows and services-heavy implementations, and from newer point solutions, by automating the full commercial lending range (SBA, C&I, CRE, construction and specialty products) and deploying alongside existing bank systems instead of requiring a rip-and-replace.
Technology
The platform is built on artificial intelligence infrastructure for credit-risk assessment and uses autonomous AI agents to handle intake, document collection, spreading, underwriting, decisioning, approvals, closing and portfolio monitoring. Agents can also assist borrowers directly by answering questions during the application process. The company reports reducing loan decisioning from weeks to minutes in targeted workflows, with configuration to each bank's policies, credit standards and compliance requirements.
Go-to-market
Lama AI sells directly to banks in the United States and said it would use its Series A proceeds to expand go-to-market, sales, marketing and customer success teams to meet demand from community and regional banks nationwide.
Community and regional banks and credit unions in the United States, which in turn serve small and medium-sized business borrowers seeking SMB, SBA and commercial credit.
Geography
Customers are community and regional banks across the United States; Lama AI is covered as an Israeli high-tech company by Israeli technology press.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsLama AI announced a Series A round led by EJF Ventures, the fintech arm of EJF Capital, with new investors Fin Capital and 1st & Main, banking industry veterans, and existing investors Viola Ventures, Hetz Ventures and SixThirty. Reported amounts were $12 million (Calcalist) and $10 million (SiliconANGLE); total funding raised exceeds $20 million. Proceeds fund go-to-market, sales, marketing and customer success expansion in the U.S.
$12M source ↗
Lama AI extended its platform beyond its original SMB and SBA focus to support the full lifecycle of commercial and industrial lending, commercial real estate, construction, credit cards and other specialty products.
Lama AI was named to the 2025 AIFinTech100 list for AI-native loan origination, and was also recognized as a major player in corporate loan origination services.
Lama AI's AI-native loan origination platform launched in late 2022 and has since processed billions of dollars in loan volume.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- Lama AI raises $12 million Series A to bring AI agents to banking | Ctechcalcalistech.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Lama do?
- Lama AI is an AI-native loan origination platform built for community and regional banks.
- Who founded Lama?
- Lama was founded by Omri Yacubovich, Ran Magen in 2022.
- Who are Lama's investors?
- Lama's investors include Hetz Ventures, Viola Ventures, EJF Ventures.