Sunil Madhu founded Socure in 2012 and was its first CEO. He reportedly got the idea after moving to the US from Europe and struggling to get approved for services without a credit history.
Socure sells machine-learning scores that decide in real time whether an applicant is who they claim to be. Banks and fintechs use it for identity checks and fraud prevention.
Tom Thimot, a former Oracle sales executive, became CEO in spring 2018. Madhu left in February 2019. Johnny Ayers, another co-founder, took over as CEO on 17 November 2020.
Madhu founded Instnt in 2019. Socure reached a $4.5B valuation in November 2021 and was reported at $5.2B in August 2026.