# Shahid Hanif

> Shahid Hanif is the London-based CEO and co-founder of identity verification company Shufti. He co-founded the business in 2017 and led its technology as CTO before his CEO appointment was announced in January 2025. His background includes Programmers Force, Quickbit and Developers Studio, with AI studies at Hertfordshire and Edinburgh.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-founder at Shufti
- **Organizations:** Shufti, Programmers Force, Quickbit, Developers Studio
- **Education:** BSc (Honours), Computer Science with specialisation in Artificial Intelligence, University of Hertfordshire, MSc, Artificial Intelligence, The University of Edinburgh
- **Known for:** Co-founded Shufti and led its technology development from 2017., Helped build Shufti through its bootstrapped years and 2022 Series A., Previously served as CTO of Quickbit, with a role in technology development ahead of its IPO.

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Won a Satellite Applications Catapult hackathon with SmartGPS, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- **2015** — Completed undergraduate computer science studies at the University of Hertfordshire.
- **2016** — Completed AI master’s studies at Edinburgh; began his entrepreneurial career with Programmers Force.
- **2016** — His LinkedIn profile records speaking at a UNCTAD conference in Geneva in April.
- **2017** — Co-founded Shufti with Victor Fredung and led technology as CTO.
- **2020** — Started Developers Studio, according to his 2023 interview.
- **2022** — Shufti announced a $20 million Series A led by Updata Partners in March.
- **2025** — Shufti publicly announced his appointment as CEO in January.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Shufti and led its technology development from 2017.
- Helped build Shufti through its bootstrapped years and 2022 Series A.
- Previously served as CTO of Quickbit, with a role in technology development ahead of its IPO.
- SmartGPS hackathon winner in 2013, as recorded on his professional profile.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Shufti announced inclusion among leading vendors in Liminal’s 2026 banking KYC assessment; this is a company announcement.
- **2026-09** — Discussed onboarding friction and AI-generated identity fraud in The Fintech Times.
- **2026-08** — Shufti launched its three-part Built By Shufti podcast series.
- **2026-07** — Discussed identity assurance in a Unite.AI interview; Shufti announced its Glocal Platform.
- **2026-01** — Shufti announced historical identity and deepfake audit engines on AWS Marketplace.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahidhanif/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Shahid58732587

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shahid-hanif
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21