# Maxwell Blumenfeld

> Maxwell Blumenfeld is the Co-Founder, COO, and Head of R&D at SentiLink, a San Francisco-based identity verification and fraud prevention company he co-founded in 2017 with Naftali Harris after both worked as risk leaders at Affirm. Discovering that synthetic identities with real 750+ credit scores were slipping through the financial system, they built SentiLink into a platform now serving 300+ financial institutions - including three of the top 10 US banks - having verified several hundred million applications. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020, Blumenfeld holds a mathematics and economics degree from the University of Chicago and operates from Austin, Texas.

- **Role:** Co-Founder, COO & Head of R&D at SentiLink
- **Organizations:** SentiLink, Affirm, Novantas
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor's, Mathematics and Economics, University of Chicago
- **Known for:** Co-founded SentiLink in 2017, which grew to serve 300+ financial institutions including three of the top 10 US banks, Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020, Led SentiLink to raise $85M total ($15M Series A from a16z, $70M Series B from Craft Ventures)

## Career timeline

- **2009-2013** — Studied Mathematics and Economics at the University of Chicago
- **2013-2015** — Lead Associate at Novantas (financial services consulting)
- **2015-2017** — Risk Operations and Fraud Data Science Lead at Affirm, Inc.
- **2017** — Co-founded SentiLink with Naftali Harris after discovering the scale of synthetic identity fraud at Affirm; received backing from Affirm CEO Max Levchin
- **2019** — SentiLink raised $15M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz
- **2020** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list
- **2021** — SentiLink raised $70M Series B led by Craft Ventures, with Felicis Ventures, a16z, and NYCA participating; total funding reaches $85M
- **2023** — SentiLink launched Facets, a new solution to enhance proprietary fraud models for financial institutions
- **2024** — SentiLink Intercept launched - precision tools for high-stakes fraud decisions; Blumenfeld spoke at Datos Insights Financial Crime and Cybersecurity Forum 2024
- **2026** — Published research on identity fraud rate trends for 2H 2025

## Achievements

- Co-founded SentiLink in 2017, which grew to serve 300+ financial institutions including three of the top 10 US banks
- Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020
- Led SentiLink to raise $85M total ($15M Series A from a16z, $70M Series B from Craft Ventures)
- Grew SentiLink's revenue 5x in the year preceding the Series B
- Built a platform that has verified several hundred million loan applications
- Published widely-read research on synthetic fraud, ID theft, tradelines, and PPP loan fraud
- Contributed thought leadership via American Banker on modernizing Customer Identification Program requirements

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Published research on identity fraud rate trends for the second half of 2025
- **2026-02** — Launched SentiLink Intercept - precision fraud tools for high-stakes decisions
- **2024-09** — Published research on ITINs vs SSNs in credit card and auto lending risk
- **2024** — Participated as speaker at Datos Insights Financial Crime and Cybersecurity Forum 2024
- **2023-09** — SentiLink launched Facets, a new solution for improving financial fraud detection and enhancing proprietary fraud models

## Links

- Website: https://sentilink.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwell-blumenfeld-6b546a2a

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/maxwell-blumenfeld
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-25