Craig Rismiller joins Baselayer | KYB Growth Leader
After nearly 20 years building and scaling fintech companies, Craig Rismiller is leading Baselayer’s next phase of growth
Baselayer has named Craig Rismiller as its new Head of Growth. Craig brings nearly two decades of experience building and scaling financial technology businesses, most recently leading strategy at Amount, which was acquired by FIS in 2025.
The hire signals Baselayer’s shift from early traction to aggressive scaling. Reaching a network of over 2,200 financial institutions and a product suite spanning business verification, portfolio monitoring, and risk intelligence, the company is entering its next phase of growth with the operational leadership to match.
About Craig Rismiller
Craig most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer and EVP of Strategic Initiatives at Amount, a digital lending and deposit originations platform that spun out of Avant. During his six years there, he built multiple revenue & marketing functions from the ground-up, scaled the sales & marketing teams, built a large partnerships business, and was the accountable executive on Amount’s acquisition by FIS, one of the world’s largest fintech infrastructure providers.
Before Amount, Craig spent 12 years at Capital One working across consumer and commercial banking, focusing largely on leading strategic initiatives and optimizing operations via analytics-based product investments.
It’s a rare combination: deep banking knowledge, fintech operating experience, and a track record of building through major inflection points. And it’s exactly the kind of operating experience that matters when you’re trying to scale a company quickly and responsibly.
Why Baselayer?
When asked why Baselayer, he’s been characteristically direct about it.
“My experience has taught me to spot when something’s real,” Craig said. “Baselayer is it. The product, the growth trajectory, the customers, the partners, and most importantly, the team. When I met Jonathan and Timothy, the decision was obvious. I couldn’t pass up the chance to help scale something this strong.”
After 20 years in financial technology, Craig has seen what separates companies that scale from those that stall. For him, Baselayer checked every box: a market-leading product already in production, strong customer retention, and a team that could keep up with demand.
Scaling Baselayer’s KYB and verification platform
Craig isn’t easing into the role. In his first 30 days, he’s already run Baselayer’s first-ever sales kickoff in New York, bringing the full growth team together to align on goals and operating rhythms. He overhauled the CRM, talked to over 150 prospects and customers, and started recruiting to build out the team.
His target for 2026 is ambitious: 3x ARR.
Each of those things might seem small on their own, but together, they create the foundation for a team that can blow past its goals. I'm building one of fintech's highest-performing growth organizations, and we're doing it with the kind of discipline that compounds over time.
The focus is on depth over breadth: earning trust across Baselayer’s core customer segments — from banks and credit unions to fintechs and marketplace platforms — and expanding relationships with the financial institutions already using Baselayer’s KYB and business verification tools.
With a product suite that spans identity verification, risk rating, AI-powered portfolio monitoring, Craig’s job is to bring those capabilities to the institutions that need them most.
The focus is on depth over breadth: earning trust across Baselayer’s core customer segments, expanding relationships with existing financial institutions, and bringing the company’s AI-powered verification and risk tools to the institutions that need them most.
A note from our CEO
Jonathan Awad, Baselayer’s CEO and co-founder, sees Craig’s arrival as a turning point.
We spent the past two years building a product that financial institutions actually trust with their compliance and verification decisions. Craig is exactly who you want leading growth at this stage. He's built fintech platforms, sold one to a Fortune 500 company, and led teams across multiple stages. He doesn't just understand what it takes to grow fast, but he understands what it takes to grow the right way. We're thrilled to have him.
What this means for Baselayer
Craig’s hiring comes at a time when demand for AI-powered business verification and KYB solutions is accelerating.
Financial institutions face growing pressure to verify businesses faster, monitor risk continuously, and stay ahead of evolving compliance requirements; all while reducing manual processes.
Baselayer’s platform addresses this head-on with tools like Business Verification, Business Pre.Fill, Risk Rating, Portfolio Monitoring, and more, powered by agentic AI that delivers explainable, auditable results. With Craig leading the growth team, the company is positioned to bring these capabilities to a much wider market.
