Take command of your bank's technical destiny.
The window is closing.
Increasingly rapid changes driven by AI, digital assets, open banking, and customer expectations are converging toward a critical inflection point for financial institutions. Those that control their technology with distinction will pull ahead, while those choosing the status quo find their very viability challenged. We partner with bank leadership to break free from third-party dependency and build the platform your vision demands.
The Problem
Legacy outsourced infrastructure dictates your bank's velocity.
Most banks today are operationally captured. A handful of core processors dominate the industry, delivering commoditized services through M&A-built conglomerates of siloed solutions. The result: banks cannot independently improve their customer experience, regardless of the data they hold or the vision they have.
Meanwhile, the pace of change is accelerating. AI-native competitors are emerging. Customer expectations are being reset by experiences outside banking. Regulatory frameworks are shifting. The banks that will lead the next era are those building proprietary capabilities today — not waiting for their vendors to innovate for them.
L1 Wolf Labs partners with bank leadership to chart a path forward: a methodical, step-by-step transformation that reduces third-party reliance, establishes command of your technology journey, and builds the banking platform your vision demands — one piece at a time.
How We Work
From vision to reality. One block at a time.
Like assembling LEGO, we help banks build modern, composable architecture piece by piece. Each component is designed for your specific needs, integrates with what you have, and becomes a foundation for what comes next.
Align
We start with your leadership team to understand your strategic vision, competitive position, and operational constraints. Together, we map your current technology landscape and identify where third-party dependency creates risk or limits growth.
Architect
We design a bespoke transformation roadmap — a modular, microservices-based architecture that can be built incrementally. No big-bang migrations. Each phase delivers value while laying groundwork for the next.
Build
We don't just advise — we build alongside your team. Our engineers embed with yours to develop AI-native, data-driven applications. We bring specialized talent for projects and help you identify and develop the people who will own these systems long-term.
What We Build
AI-native, data-driven banking. Your way.
Intelligent Customer Experiences
Personalized, AI-powered interfaces that anticipate customer needs, automate routine interactions, and deliver the seamless experiences your customers expect from the best digital products.
Automated Back-Office Operations
Machine learning systems that eliminate manual processes, accelerate credit decisions, streamline compliance workflows, and free your people to focus on relationships and growth.
Composable Core Infrastructure
Microservices architecture that replaces rigid, monolithic systems with modular components you control. Extend, replace, or enhance capabilities without vendor permission or multi-year migration projects.
Real-Time Data & Analytics
Unified data platforms that give you a single source of truth across your organization — powering better decisions, proactive risk management, and the insights to truly know your customers.
The Vision
What a bank rebuilt from the inside out looks like.
Imagine a bank where technology serves customers, not vendors. Where a single action — paying a supplier, funding payroll, extending credit — flows seamlessly without toggling between disconnected systems. Where AI agents handle routine operations while your team focuses on relationships and growth. Where you own the roadmap.
This isn't theoretical. We've designed this future through Starbright — a complete vision for next-generation community banking that eliminates fragmentation, substantially reduces operating costs, and delivers the personalized experiences that build lasting customer loyalty.
Your bank doesn't need to become Starbright. But the principles — composable architecture, AI-native operations, customer-outcome focus, step-by-step transformation — can guide your own journey to technical independence.
Leadership
Built by operators, not observers.
James Dunavant
Co-Founder & Managing Principal
- 20+ years across financial services as an operator, regulator, and investor
- Leading institutional blockchain adoption strategy for the Tezos ecosystem at TriliTech
- Led a cross-border neobank; scaled to 100k+ downloads
- Sourced, executed and consolidated control acquisitions of U.S. banks at the Ford Financial Fund ($1.8bn AUM)
- Federal Reserve Commissioned Bank Examiner, FIG investment banking and hedge fund analyst experience
- MBA, Columbia Business School
Nathan Biles
Co-Founder & CTO
- 20+ years building secure, scalable financial and enterprise systems
- Architected neobank infrastructure serving U.S. and Mexico markets
- Built classified applications for DARPA, NSA, and Fortune 500 enterprises
- Scaled engineering teams from 3 to 130+ engineers
- Deep expertise in cybersecurity, AI/ML, and behavior-driven development
- Multiple startups from zero to 100k+ active users
The Time Is Now
Your competitors are already moving.
Let's talk about your path forward.
info@l1wolflabs.com★ Austin, Texas ★