Featurespace CEO Martina King will exit the fraud prevention firm following its acquisition by Visa.
King, who ran the Cambridge-based company for over a decade since 2012, will step down as it begins operations as a Visa product.
Jason Blackhurst, a senior vice president for innovation and strategic partnerships at Visa will be tasked with running Featurespace’s operations as the SVP for acceptance risk solutions.
Blackhurst will relocate from San Francisco to Cambridge, saying the English city is “Featurespace’s innovation heartbeat”.
“Our continued presence here allows us to tap into the exceptional talent pool and collaborate closely with the University of Cambridge, ensuring we remain at the forefront of artificial intelligence’s advancement.
“This long-term lease demonstrates our dedication to the Cambridge community.”
Founded in 2008, Featurespace is an anti-financial crime business that analyses human behaviour using AI to detect dangerous transactions.
Visa completed its acquisition of the company in December to bolster its fraud protection capabilities, incorporating Featurespace’s product portfolio into the Californian giant’s offering.
Following the acquisition, Featurespace has been placed under Visa’s risk and identity solutions business unit.
Though the acquisition value was not disclosed, Featurespace was valued at more than $200m (£154.7m).
“We are thrilled to see Jason move to lead Featurespace and to have a Visa presence in Cambridge,” added James Mirfin, SVP, global head of risk and identity solutions at Visa.
“Jason’s vision will be invaluable as we continue to deliver cutting-edge fraud prevention solutions to our clients globally.”
Before joining Visa in 2015, Blackhurst held executive roles at Bank of America and Vesta.
Following her departure from Featurespace, King will join legal AI company Luminance as its chair.
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