Cole Dermott
Cole Dermott
Co-Founder @Locus (YC F25), prev eng at Coinbase
Projects
Ideas brought to life. A look at the products, companies, and creative works built from the ground up.
Locus (PayWithLocus)
Payment infrastructure for AI agents: agent identities, budgets, permissions, and full audit trails. YC F25-backed startup co-founded by Cole and Eliot Lee.
Clawdbot integration / Pay Bills demo
Demo integration connecting Locus to an AI agent (Clawdbot) to discover overdue bills and pay them using USDC on Base; showcased as a proof-of-concept for agentic payments.
BaseZKCred (side project)
ZK identity verification prototype built on Base (ZK identity proof flows); listed as a high-visibility side project shipped while at Coinbase.
Claude Agent Manager (side project)
A system to run parallel AI instances/agent manager; noted as a side project during Coinbase internship.
Roadaroo (Founding Engineer)
Founding engineer on a B2B delivery platform: full-stack development, cross-platform mobile applications, routing/navigation optimization.
In the Spotlight
A collection of articles, interviews, and viral content where achievements have been shared.
Recognitions
Formal validation from the top. A showcase of official awards, grants, and government acknowledgements.
Y Combinator — Fall 2025 (F25) Acceptance
2025Selected to the Y Combinator Fall 2025 batch as co-founder of Locus.
Forbes Business Council Membership / Contributor
2026Contributor / member profile on Forbes Councils, published thought leadership on agentic payments.
Multiple Hackathon Wins (including AVAX / MARA events)
2024 - 2025Multiple hackathon awards and prizes (noted on public posts and profiles); includes AVAX Hackathon win at MBC 2025 and other event prizes during 2024–2025.
Work Experience
Key roles that defined the journey.
Co-Founder
Aug 2025 - PresentCo-founded Locus to build agentic payment infrastructure: wallets, policy engines, agent identities, budgets, permissions, and audit trails. Public-facing product demos and integrations (Clawdbot).
Software Engineering Intern
May 2025 - Aug 2025Shipped production code early in internship; optimized critical payment workflows (Temporal) to reduce latency, built CoinBiz notification system, merged 40+ PRs, and developed side projects (BaseZKCred and Claude Agent Manager). Won hackathons during internship.
Founding Engineer
Mar 2023 - Jun 2024Founding engineer on a B2B delivery platform: full-stack development, cross-platform mobile apps (Flutter), routing/navigation algorithms, and product launch work.
Dining Room Busser
Jul 2017 - Sep 2019Early work experience supporting service operations and customer-facing activities.
Computer Science and Business Student (dual-degree)
Sep 2021 - PresentPursuing a combined technical and business education prior to focusing on startup work full-time.
Membership
Affiliations and memberships in prestigious organizations and communities.
Selected founder in YC Fall 2025 batch for Locus; YC support, mentorship, and Launch exposure.
Forbes Councils contributor / member; published thought leadership piece on agentic payments.
Education
Academic foundation and learning journey.
Bachelor of Computer Science (BCs)
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Startup Accelerator (F25)
Secondary Education
Socials
Connect and explore.