OUR STORY
Founded in 2016, AppBrilliance is a leading Account-to-Account (A2A) Payments Platform revolutionizing digital transactions. Backed by technology covered by multiple issued US Patents, Money API enables seamless integration of real-time payment (RTP) systems and open banking protocols, allowing card-free, frictionless transactions.
C. Eric Smith, Founder/CEO
Eric is a software industry veteran with over 25 years of startup experience. As Founder and CEO of AppBrilliance, he drives the company’s strategic business and technology vision and is the principle architect and inventor of the company’s patented technologies. In his career, he has been responsible for many strategic relationships with companies like eBay, Inc., VeriSign, Nuance Corporation, Q2eBanking.
Sergio Ayestarán, Co-Founder/CTO
Sergio is an experienced software developer with over 17 years in the industry. He pioneered the implementation of the company’s patented technology. Sergio specializes in horizontally scalable distributed systems, big data technologies and machine learning. Previously, Sergio helped develop the Debit Card processing systems used by over half of all banks in Argentina.
Ben Benner, Co-CTO
Ben has over 25 years experience in software, focusing primarily on web-services APIs and the web applications that consume those APIs, having served in a variety of roles ranging from Senior Developer to Co-CTO. He has always been hands-on in his roles, ensuring a holistic understanding of the technologies that were being development and implemented. Ben has worked at early-stage startups and publicly traded companies like GoDaddy.
Steve Mott, Special Payments Advisor
Steve has spent four decades in electronic payments and security: in executive capacities at Cognitive Systems, Mastercard, and Priceline, as lead consultant at Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), SME with the Federal Reserve on mobile payments and security and with the Merchant Advisory Group, and served as a steering committee member of the Faster Payments Task Forces, and on the Board of the Faster Payments Council. He has consulted to just about every sector of the payments ecosystem–from startups to the biggest players–focused primarily on debit and real-time payments in online, mobile and digital venues.
Steve Vandegrift, Outside Director
Steve is responsible for business and investment strategy, strategic banking relationships and working with the management team on corporate governance. He is currently CEO and founder of Pipeline Success, Inc., an Internet marketing and lead-generation company. After the acquisition of his startup Activerse, Steve went on to become the Managing Director of an early-stage venture capital firm. The first 10 years of Steve’s career were with Chase Manhattan Bank, and he recently served 7 years on the Federal Reserve Bank Board of Directors (San Antonio branch), and as Chairman for the last 3 years.