ISC CEO Matt Grossberg commented on the new appointment: “We are excited to have Matt join our team. His extensive experience and deep understanding of the transportation industry will be invaluable as we continue to expand our capabilities and deliver innovative solutions to our clients.”

“I am thrilled to join ISC Transportation at such an exciting time,” said Matt. “I look forward to leveraging my experience in transportation underwriting to help elevate Paramount’s offerings and continue the company’s tradition of excellence. The opportunity to work with a best-in-class team and contribute to the company’s growth aligns perfectly with my professional goals.”

With over 25 years of experience in transportation insurance management, including a decade in private law practice specializing in personal injury cases involving the trucking industry, Matt brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to ISC and Paramount, positioning the company for continued growth and success. Matt’s extensive career in the transportation insurance industry includes leadership roles at several prominent organizations. Most recently, he served as President of Greenwich Transportation Underwriters, Inc., where Matt was responsible for the operations, profitability, and growth of the transportation managing general agency and program administrator specializing in truck insurance and a leading provider of products and services to the logistics industry.

Before his tenure at Greenwich, Matt was the President of Vanliner Insurance Company, overseeing the company’s operations and leading initiatives that strengthened its position in the moving and storage insurance market. He began his transportation insurance career at Great West Casualty Company, initially serving as a Claims Attorney before advancing to Underwriting Manager for the Southeast Region.

Throughout Matt’s career, many major industry associations have sought his subject matter expertise, including the American Trucking Association, the American Bus Association, the American Moving and Storage Association (now part of the ATA), and the National Home Delivery Association.

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CEO of Wealth Access, David Benskin, said, “I have known Drew for more than a decade, and his unparalleled industry knowledge and technological and domain expertise, as well as his leadership skills, are reflected in every aspect of his work. In his previous positions, he has been extremely successful in developing client relationships that drove overall company growth. We are thrilled to have him join our already strong leadership team, where he will play a crucial role in shaping our future business acumen.”

DiMarino joins Wealth Access having worked with many prominent companies in the financial and wealth industries including Riskalyze, now Nitrogen Wealth, Chief Growth officer where he led revenue efforts driving the company to serve thousands of customers. DiMarino also held executive positions at Apiture as EVP of Sales and Marketing, and eMoney Advisor as EVP of Sales where he was instrumental in helping with the subsequent acquisition by Fidelity.

DiMarino said, “Wealth Access, by unifying data, empowers banks to break down the traditional silos between Wealth, Trust and Brokerage to offer a more personalized experience that drives deeper relationships and unlocks cross-sell opportunities with existing clients to win a larger share of wallet. I am excited to be part of such a dynamic company that is revolutionizing the way banks can unleash untapped potential to now handle wealth management within their own four walls.”

Benskin added, “Drew joins us at a perfect time. Our Wealth Access Annual Executive Summit is next week, where we will have leadership from 22 firms representing more than $1.3 trillion in bank assets and over $11 trillion in wealth management. Drew’s extensive knowledge and past experiences will undoubtedly provide invaluable insights to everyone in attendance.”

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Ninth Wave serves over 2,000 financial institution clients including 7 of the top 10 US banks and 8 of the top 10 wealth management firms, providing secure connectivity for over 120 million accounts, enabling them to connect seamlessly to the fintech ecosystem. Ninth Wave’s SaaS platform allows financial institutions of all sizes to provide their clients with real-time, secure, reliable, and privacy-compliant data connectivity to a vast ecosystem of fintech providers.

“We chose to partner with Level Structured Capital not only for their financial backing, creative structuring, depth of knowledge of the B2B SaaS sector, and collaborative approach but for the invaluable operational support provided to Ninth Wave through their NextLevel Operations team. Their group of industry experts brings a depth of knowledge across key business areas like finance, technology, and marketing, empowering us to ‘level up’ every facet of our business. This funding arrives at a pivotal moment for Ninth Wave as the financial industry accelerates toward open banking regulations. Our platform is essential for financial institutions navigating the complexities of data connectivity and APIs, and this partnership will allow us to deliver even greater value and cutting-edge solutions that drive meaningful ROI for our customers and partners,” said George Anderson, Founder & CEO of Ninth Wave.

“Since our launch in 2019, Ninth Wave has grown efficiently and sustainably, adding some of the premier names in the industry. We are excited to partner with a firm of Level Equity’s caliber as we focus on expanding our proven platform to financial institutions across North America,” said Thomas Fast, Ninth Wave CFO. The capital will be used to add key team members primarily in sales, marketing, and client support. Additionally, the company will aggressively recruit top talent that can help accelerate product innovation and technical excellence.

“Ninth Wave is exactly the kind of company we seek to partner with—proven technology, a high-caliber team, strong customer relationships, and a scalable business model. We are thrilled to support the team as they continue to roll out their platform to solve this critical industry need,” said Barry Osherow of Level Structured Capital.

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“Tadgh is a proven, highly regarded executive within the financial services industry,” said Chris Aliotta, CEO and co-founder of Quantalytix. “He is joining Quantalytix at a pivotal time in the company’s evolution as we prepare to further expand our platform and continue to build on the momentum we’ve gained within the community banking and credit union markets. His unique ability to help financial institutions identify challenges and areas of improvement including opportunities to generate efficiencies, automate operations and workflow, as well as create new sources of revenue will be key as we roll out the latest version of our Enterprise Data Management platform. We welcome Tadgh and are honored to have someone with his caliber of financial experience join our team.”

With more than 25 years of executive sales experience, Spradlin has a proven track record of selling complex software solutions to the financial services industry and Fortune 500 firms. In his most recent position, he was responsible for sales and client success of enterprise practice management solutions for many of the top 300 CPA firms.

“While guiding professional services firms through the software buying process was an honor, my passion is helping financial services to unlock their performance,” Spradlin said. “Joining Quantalytix at this point of market inflection is a tremendous opportunity. Financial institutions recognize how vital data analytics are to their future success and Quantalytix has developed a powerful platform that eclipses the first-generation dashboard platforms, yet is user-friendly, intuitive and easily deployed. This truly levels the playing field for community banks and credit unions that until now, have lacked the resources or teams of data scientists to fully capitalize on the volumes of proprietary data accessible across the institution. Founded by former bankers, Quantalytix has such a passion for helping financial institutions and I am pleased to join such a client-focused and driven organization.”

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Illuma founder and CEO, Milind Borkar, recognized the significance of the latest additions to the list of investors committed to the company’s growth. “While we are excited about the capital infusion to accelerate our development of fraud prevention and deep fake detection tools, we are equally excited about bringing in new partners to fuel Illuma’s continued commercial growth. LiveOak Ventures and Forefront Venture Partners bring invaluable operating expertise and industry connections to help Illuma scale to the next level. And we are deeply appreciative of the continued support from Curql Fund, UsNet, Capital Factory, Connexus, and TDECU.”

With a diverse career that stretches over 27 years, Jeremy Whittington, CTO, has excelled in roles ranging from developer and architect to journalist, advisor, and serial entrepreneur. Under Jeremy’s leadership, the Illuma team has successfully converted innovations in voice biometric authentication into state-of-the-art products that are easy for financial institutions of all sizes to operationalize. “My career started in customer service, and that has been a primary driver for the past 20 years. It’s exciting to work on technology that can reduce fraud and improve the customer experience at the same time. A rare achievement.”

Venu Shamapant, Founding Partner at LiveOak Ventures, offered his perspective on the benefits of partnering with Illuma. “With Illuma’s position in the Fintech sector as a provider that delivers state-of-the-art voice biometrics accessible for financial institutions of all sizes, there is a clear growth path to becoming the preferred provider of voice authentication and fraud prevention solutions in this space.”

TDECU and Connexus Credit Unions were early adopters of Illuma’s Fintech solution. Both are continuing their support in this latest round of funding. Chad Rogers, Executive VP and COO at Connexus, spoke about the long-term benefits of having voice authentication in place. “Too often, adoption of increased security measures results in less convenient, less pleasant member service interactions. That said, our collaborative four-year Illuma partnership and our strong track record with their innovative Illuma Shield voice biometric technology have proven just the opposite. Not only are we doing more to mitigate fraud while ensuring the safety of our members’ data and assets, but we’ve streamlined their member service experience by eliminating traditional, often burdensome, out-of-wallet authentication questions. With Illuma Shield, we’ve shortened individual call times by one minute on average, significantly reducing our operational expenses, and affording our members and employees a much more engaging, efficient, and secure experience.”

The Illuma team was celebrated in 2024 for Innovations in Fraud, winning the CreditUnions.com award in the fraud category. This accolade was followed by recognition of the company’s leadership in the inaugural list of AI 75 by Dallas Innovates for pioneering work in artificial intelligence.

The latest addition to the Illuma team, Amy Travers, is another significant win for the organization. Travers, formerly Regional VP of Security and Biometrics at Nuance, joined Illuma this year to systemize and scale the sales effort across the U.S. “It’s an exciting move to be embedded with a team that is innovating so rapidly to address emerging threats in fraud, and making voice biometric technology affordable for community banks and credit unions,” said Travers.

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As digital transactions surge and cyber threats evolve, these tools offer fintechs, financial institutions and businesses advanced real-time fraud detection and risk management capabilities, addressing an industry in which 63% of financial firms reported an increase in fraud, with digital channels contributing to half of the total fraud losses.

Galileo Instant Verification Engine

Galileo Instant Verification Engine (GIVE) provides real-time verification of external bank accounts and ownership. Whether used as a standalone product or integrated with the Galileo Payment Risk Platform (PRP), GIVE delivers real-time insights that help businesses prevent fraud by quickly verifying account existence, status, and ownership before processing transactions.

GIVE is further enhanced by its integration with the Galileo Payment Risk Platform, which uses a sophisticated Transaction Decision Rules Engine. This engine applies customizable models, rules and profiles to each transaction, allowing for real-time, automated fraud prevention decisions tailored to the specific needs and risk appetite of each business.

The key benefits of GIVE are:

• Instant Account Verification: GIVE instantly verifies external bank account information, confirming its existence, status, and risk signals. This enables Galileo clients to make informed decisions when linking accounts or processing transactions, such as determining account status and risk associated with the account.
• Instant Identity Verification: GIVE ensures that only authorized individuals can transact by verifying the ownership of external bank accounts. It matches the account holder’s name and personal information — such as social security number (SSN), date of birth, and address — against the provided owner details, which is particularly useful for preventing identity fraud.
• Account Risk Profiling: By leveraging machine learning, the Galileo Instant Verification Engine generates risk scores that assess the probability of ACH returns and non-sufficient funds (NSF) issues, providing a comprehensive view of account reliability. This enables businesses to predict funding issues and take proactive measures to prevent them.
• Seamless User Experience: GIVE supports “me-to-anyone” and “anyone-to-me” use cases without requiring customers to input their credentials for external accounts, ensuring a frictionless and secure transaction process.

The Galileo Instant Verification Engine significantly reduces the risk of fraud by providing real-time verification of external bank accounts and ownership, cutting verification times from days to seconds. This minimizes customer drop-offs — reducing abandonment rates from nearly 50% based on a traditional method such as MDA (Micro-deposit Authentication) to as low as 1% — and delivers a smoother, more reliable customer experience across multiple channels, including ACH, FedNow, Wires and check deposits.

Transaction Risk GScore

Transaction Risk GScore is a machine-learning-based risk score that assesses the risk of card transactions in real time. By analyzing multiple data points, such as user behavior and transaction patterns, GScore enables financial institutions, fintechs and businesses to detect and respond swiftly to potential fraud, reducing losses and ensuring more efficient operations.

GScore supplements the existing enhanced capabilities in Payment Risk Platform by adding a layer of fraud signals while allowing the client to determine the risk appetite based on the multiple model responses. GIVE and GScore are designed with scalability in mind, ensuring they can grow alongside your business.

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A seasoned entrepreneur and executive with a proven track record in leading and scaling companies in the financial technology sector, Ben-Zvi is currently the general manager and COO of Surety at Tinubu, the global insurance software development firm. Previously, Ben-Zvi was the co-founder and CEO of Haven Life, the groundbreaking life insurance company backed by MassMutual, where he played a pivotal role in transforming the life insurance landscape by leveraging technology to offer a seamless and customer-centric experience.

“Yaron’s deep expertise in financial services and his passion for leveraging technology to deliver experiences that consumers love make him an excellent addition to our board,” said Jim Morgan, president and chief executive officer of SBLI. “We are confident that his insights and leadership will contribute significantly to SBLI’s ongoing efforts to innovate and expand our offerings while maintaining our commitment to providing reliable and affordable life insurance solutions.”

In addition to his entrepreneurial achievements, Ben-Zvi has held leadership positions at several other financial institutions and technology companies, where he has consistently driven growth and innovation. His forward-thinking approach will be invaluable as SBLI continues to navigate the evolving insurance landscape and seeks to better serve its policyholders.

“I am honored to join SBLI’s Board of Directors at such a dynamic time for the company and the industry,” said Ben-Zvi. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members and the executive team to help guide SBLI’s strategic initiatives and to contribute to the company’s continued success.”

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Thomas Vandeville brings over 25 years of experience driving strategic business outcomes, large transformations, operational excellence, and innovation within the banking, insurance, and asset management industries, most recently as Deputy CEO of Groupe CCF and previously of HSBC France, where he successfully led the retail banking, insurance, and wealth management activities in France since 2016. Thomas started his career at Exane, focusing on research in London and Paris. He then worked as an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group (“FIG”) at Merrill Lynch in New York and London, before working as a consultant at McKinsey in their FIG practice in Europe. Thomas subsequently transitioned to leadership roles at Groupama, as Head of Group Strategy, CEO of various life and P&C insurance companies in France and Italy, and finally as Head of Distribution and Digital Transformation. Thomas Vandeville is a graduate of ESSEC and holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Thomas Vandeville succeeds Guillaume Autier, who is stepping down after having served as CEO for the past four years. During his tenure, Autier has played an instrumental role in the continued growth trajectory and development of Meilleurtaux. He will remain involved with the company as a strategic advisor in support of a smooth transition.

Thomas Vandeville commented: “For many years, I have been impressed by Meilleurtaux’s clear leadership on its markets, historical growth, real spirit of avant-garde and innovation, strategic insight, entrepreneurial spirit and clear value proposition for its customers supported by a very strong brand name. I am thrilled to be joining Meilleurtaux for the next phase of development, as a central player in the French financial services and technology industries, and leverage its exceptional potential across its core verticals (credit, insurance, savings, etc.). I can’t wait to start working with its impressive teams, networks, and all of its partners to help the Company accelerate its next phase of growth.”

Christian Lucas, Meilleurtaux Chairman and Managing Partner at Silver Lake, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with Thomas Vandeville, a dynamic leader and accomplished executive who brings extensive leadership experience to the Company. His proven success in driving growth and transformation in digital financial services businesses makes him the perfect fit as we continue to invest in accelerating our growth. We also extend our gratitude to Guillaume for his significant contributions to Meilleurtaux and for helping establish the strong leadership position we have today.”

Hervé Hatt, Meilleurtaux Board Member and former CEO, commented: “Having led Meilleurtaux from 2011 until Guillaume was appointed CEO in 2020, and having remained involved both as an investor and as Board Member since, I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together. It has been a remarkable journey under Guillaume’s leadership, and I am confident that Thomas Vandeville will continue and further accelerate this trajectory of success.”

Guillaume Autier, CEO of Meilleurtaux, commented: “Leading Meilleurtaux over the past four years has been a privilege. We achieved strong growth and built a world-class team dedicated to helping our customers make better decisions every day. I warmly thank all the Meilleurtaux teams for their commitment, as well as our clients and partners for their trust. I would also like to thank our majority shareholder, Silver Lake, for their exceptional partnership during my tenure. I wish Thomas Vandeville the best in his new role and Meilleurtaux continued success.”

Thomas Kienzi, Meilleurtaux’s CFO, will also leave his position as of September 15 for a new professional opportunity following five years of strengthening the Company’s financial function to enable its next stage of growth. The Board has already significantly progressed a search to replace him and will be announcing the Company’s new CFO in the near future. The Board wishes Thomas Kienzi success in his new responsibilities.

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“We are thrilled to have Nate become a key addition to our executive team and bring his wide range of experience to help grow our business,” said Dru Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer of AffiniPay. “This has been a year of growth for AffiniPay and Nate’s expertise will be vital as we continue to innovate forward, enhancing our brand awareness and engagement with customers. AffiniPay has always taken a customer-first approach, and we are excited about the opportunity to help professionals across multiple industries achieve their business goals. I know Nate will hold a critical role in turning our vision into a reality.”

Skinner comes to AffiniPay from Onfido, where he served as the Chief Marketing Officer helping businesses verify, onboard, and authenticate their customers. Skinner has also contributed to the B2B marketing strategy and customer experience in senior positions at Oracle, Salesforce, and more. In 2020, Business Insider named Skinner as one of the 20 most important executives shaping the future of marketing technology.

“I’m honored to join Dru and the entire AffiniPay team for this next chapter in the company’s journey,” said Nate Skinner, Chief Marketing Officer of AffiniPay. “AffiniPay’s focus on professionals has been key to its remarkable success to date. As my father, an attorney, once told me: attorneys, architects, accountants, and engineers are great at practicing their profession, but not always great at managing their business. Helping these professionals focus on their practice while AffiniPay’s software and payment services help them run their business is something that really resonated with me and excites me about the company.”

This announcement follows AffiniPay’s recent news that TA and Genstar have made a significant investment for the next chapter of the company. AffiniPay was also recently named to Inc. 5000’s Fastest Growing Companies List for the 13th year in a row and a Top 25 Payment Technology company in 2024 by The Financial Technology Report. For more information about AffiniPay’s executive team please visit affinipay.com.

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With the addition of Xactus to ACES’ network of integrated third-party verification service providers, lenders can order, track and receive Xactus re-verification documents directly within the ACES Quality Management & Control platform to streamline the quality control (QC) audit process and eliminate errors from manual data re-entry. Xactus verification reports now available within ACES include Employment Verification, Credit Report, and Tax Transcripts.

“We’re thrilled about this integration. We’re giving ACES’ users access to our top-tier verifications enhancing their ability to support their loan quality and risk management initiatives,” said Michael Crockett, Chief Operating Officer of Xactus.

“This integration represents a significant advancement for our clients, providing them with streamlined access to critical, best-of-breed verification services directly within ACES,” said Trevor Gauthier, CEO of ACES Quality Management. “By incorporating Xactus’ comprehensive verification services into our existing network, we’re empowering lenders to enhance the efficiency of their quality control processes while maintaining the highest standards of loan quality and mitigating potential risks.”

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