# Tommy Nicholas

> Tommy Nicholas is the New York-based co-founder and CEO of Alloy, the identity and fraud prevention platform he started with Laura Spiekerman and Charles Hearn in 2015. A University of Virginia graduate and former software developer who helped build Coffitivity, he focuses on making digital financial services safer and more accessible through better risk decisions.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Alloy
- **Organizations:** Alloy, Knox Payments, Coffitivity, Shockoe, The City Swig
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Alloy, an identity and fraud prevention platform for financial institutions and fintechs., Contributed to Coffitivity, included in TIME’s 50 Best Websites of 2013., Led Alloy through its September 2022 financing at a $1.55 billion company valuation.

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Graduated from the University of Virginia and founded The City Swig in Charlottesville.
- **2013** — Helped develop Coffitivity while working in the Richmond software community.
- **2014–2015** — Head of Product at Knox Payments.
- **2015** — Co-founded Alloy with Laura Spiekerman and Charles Hearn.
- **2019** — Alloy announced a $12 million Series A led by Bessemer Venture Partners.
- **2020** — Alloy raised a $40 million Series B led by Canapi Ventures.
- **2021** — Alloy raised a $100 million Series C at a $1.35 billion valuation.
- **2022** — Alloy raised another $52 million at a $1.55 billion valuation and expanded into 40 countries.
- **2025** — Alloy announced that it served more than 700 clients globally.
- **2026** — Published essays on AI in financial services, including governing the permissions of agentic users.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Alloy, an identity and fraud prevention platform for financial institutions and fintechs.
- Contributed to Coffitivity, included in TIME’s 50 Best Websites of 2013.
- Led Alloy through its September 2022 financing at a $1.55 billion company valuation.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published “Meeting the AI moment,” discussing accelerating fraud, agentic users, and pressure to automate risk operations; the article describes a network of 900+ clients.
- **2026-06** — Published an essay explaining Alloy’s approach to deploying AI within existing risk workflows.
- **2026-02** — Discussed AI fraud and scams on Tech Talks Daily.
- **2025-06** — Alloy reported more than 700 global clients, new executive appointments, and expanded partnerships.

## Links

- Website: https://blankslate.io/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommynicholas
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/tommyrva

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tommy-nicholas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16