Company
About Us
With our open API, the Marqeta platform is designed for innovators who want a simplified way of managing payment programs so they can create world-class experiences and power new modes of commerce.
About Our People
We are a team of world-class industry experts who take a dynamic approach to solving challenging problems. Our open environment and collaborative culture allow us to focus on ideas and innovations that support our customers as they take their business to a new level.
Our Executive Team
Founder and CEO
Jason Gardner
Jason Gardner is the founder and chief executive officer of Marqeta, Inc. Under his leadership Marqeta has defined the global standard for modern card issuing, developing an industry-leading issuer processor platform that now powers the world’s most innovative companies.
The Marqeta culture is founded on innovation, ideas, delivery, and a strong motivation to stay ahead of the game.
Prior to Marqeta, Jason co-founded PropertyBridge, which became the leading rent and lease-related payment and transaction integration platform for multifamily real estate. PropertyBridge was acquired by MoneyGram International (MGI) in 2007. Before PropertyBridge he founded Vertical Think, an IT management company that worked with start-ups and larger organizations.
Jason grew up in New Jersey where he had numerous businesses that included making and selling tie-dyed T-shirts. He was a G.O. at Club Med in Paradise Island, Bahamas and a constituent liaison for Senator John McCain in Arizona, primarily working as a contact between McCain’s constituents and the Armed Services and IRS. After attending Arizona State University Jason made it to California where he began to pursue his passion for technology.
Jason holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the Arizona State University.
Chief Revenue Officer
Omri Dahan
Omri serves as Marqeta’s chief revenue officer and is accountable for the company’s growth and financial performance. After joining Marqeta’s early team, he helped pioneer the organization’s customer acquisition and growth strategies which, along with Marqeta’s award-winning technology, catapulted Marqeta’s modern card issuing platform into a global, industry-defining business.
The future of commerce will always have untold tangents, but one focal point: payments. We’re helping our customers accelerate bringing their vision of the future to market.
Omri began his career within the White House, eventually transitioning to the private sector, where he established a reputation for building world-class teams who develop transformational ideas into high-growth businesses. As a partner at The Trium Group, he advised CEOs and executive teams of multinational organizations including AXA, Barclays, and Virgin Atlantic, helping the firm to grow into a leading global strategy consultancy.
Omri is a frequent speaker at international and domestic conferences and is a featured guest lecturer at the Columbia Business School’s Institute for Personal Leadership. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Chief Technology Officer
Tony Ford
Tony Ford, Marqeta’s Chief Technology Officer, is responsible for the organization’s long-term technology strategy and vision.
Tony has more than 15 years of experience in leading high performing teams to deliver technology-differentiated solutions across different industries.
Innovation needs to speak for itself. It’s about looking at the world as it is and figuring out what else can be done — what else can be better. I don’t want to spend my time taking something someone else built and tweaking it or maintaining it. I want to create something new that solves a problem for someone where there’s significant new value on the other side. At Marqeta, I am grateful that we have been able to invent some really valuable products.
Prior to joining Marqeta, Tony spent several years building web applications and community-driven video game tools for IGN Entertainment and brands such as Rotten Tomatoes. Under Tony's leadership, the team at IGN built a modern, scalable, service-oriented platform and mobile team. Tony’s specialties include open source software, distributed computing, web development, service-oriented architecture (SOA), and agile and lean product development.
General Counsel
Gizelle Barany
As the General Counsel for Marqeta, Gizelle Barany oversees all aspects of Marqeta’s legal and regulatory affairs. A recognized expert in the prepaid card industry, Gizelle has partnered with companies and lobbyists to develop industry-leading compliance and regulation legislation.
The payments industry is a highly regulated one – state and federal laws, plus multiple regulatory bodies – and we are here to help Marqeta customers understand and address the regulatory hurdles they’re likely to face.
Before joining Marqeta Gizelle held positions at multiple companies including Blackhawk Network Inc., where as Senior Corporate Counsel she provided strategic solutions to a variety of complex regulatory, compliance, and commercial challenges, accelerating organizational growth.
Gizelle received her BA and her JD from U.C. Berkeley.
Chief Product Officer
Dave Matter
Dave Matter, Chief Product Officer at Marqeta, leads product strategy, design and execution keeping Marqeta at the leading edge of technology innovation.
Marqeta brings two things to our clients: speed and scale.
Dave possesses over 15 years of expertise in designing, architecting, and productizing large-scale financial technology platforms to create paradigm-shifting products for companies including ING DIRECT, where he was instrumental in creating a fully automated, direct-to-consumer loan origination platform, and Citadel Investment Group, where he led the development and engineering of an asset management platform, which was sold and integrated into Quicken Loans.
Dave received his BS in Business Computer Information Systems from St. Cloud State University.
VP of People
Penny DeFrank
As the Vice President of People, Penny DeFrank leads the performance and organizational effectiveness at Marqeta. Penny’s differentiated approach to talent has fostered a culture of engagement, agility and innovation, enabling Marqeta to rapidly scale and deliver on its vision.
Exceptional people are drawn to Marqeta to be a part of something truly unique: Redefining the payments industry. You can’t do that anywhere else.
Penny has over 15 years of experience leading organizational transformations across financial services, professional services, e-commerce, and technology industries for a number of companies including CIGNA and McKinsey & Company.
Penny holds a BS in Information Systems Management and a Master’s in Human Resources and Organization Development, both from the University of San Francisco.
VP of Payment Operations
Brian Kieley
As the Head of Payment Operations at Marqeta, Brian Kieley is responsible for customer implementation and global relationships with payment card networks, partner banks, and vendors.
Operations brings the power of Marqeta's solutions to our customers. We strive to make the complex simple so our customers are able to integrate modern card issuing quickly and predictably. We bring our experience - across payments, industries, and markets - to ensure customers get the most out of their relationship with Marqeta. We're here to help.
Prior to joining Marqeta, Brian was the COO at Rêv Worldwide, a prepaid card program manager and processor focusing on global travelers. Brian also spent a number of years at Visa in a variety of Customer Service, Operations, and Product Development roles, finishing as the Global Head of Client Support Services responsible for all bank and merchant customers globally and leading Visa's consumer-facing call center.
Brian grew up in Ottawa, Canada where he attended Carleton University.
Chief Compliance Officer
Mark Graves
As Marqeta’s Chief Compliance Officer, Mark Graves leads all governance, risk, compliance, and audit (GRCA) functions. He is responsible for the strategic GRCA vision and direction at Marqeta, the global standard for modern card issuing, as it globally expands its industry-leading issuer processor platform products and services.
Being the standard in Modern Card Issuing means that Marqeta makes all aspects of payments simple. Even the messy and complex world of risk and compliance. Our experts make onboarding clients' customers effortless and continually monitor payments to keep our clients and our clients' customers transactions secure.
Mark has over 23 years of risk, compliance, and financial crime expertise in the financial services industry. He has led and managed teams performing regulatory examinations, audits, and investigations in the private sector, and for governmental organizations at the state, federal and international levels. During that time, he also handled matters as the lead trial attorney.
Mark grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and has a B.B.A. in Accounting from Texas Christian University, a J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law, a CRCP (Certified Regulatory and Compliance Professional) from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist) from ACAMS (the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists), and is licensed by The Florida Bar and the State Bar of Texas.
Chief Financial Officer
Tripp Faix
Tripp serves as Marqeta’s Chief Financial Officer and leads the financial planning, accounting and settlement functions at the company. Tripp has over 15 years of experience in finance, restructuring, investment banking, and consulting including 5 years as a finance executive within both the FP&A and M&A divisions at Intuit.
At Marqeta, we are focused on delivering for our customers by setting the standard for modern card issuing. Finance delivers critical services to our customers and partners which enable them to accelerate new possibilities to the marketplace.
Prior to joining Marqeta, Tripp was the finance leader for Intuit’s Services Division that delivered Payments, Payroll, and Loans to small businesses and self-employed customers globally. In addition, within Intuit’s M&A division, he executed acquisitions, divestitures and minority investment transactions in a variety of industries including Payments. Prior to Intuit, Tripp worked at the Blackstone Group within the Restructuring division and executed a variety of transactions within the Financial Services, Oil & Gas, and Real Estate sectors including chapter 11, out-of-court restructurings, M&A, debt and equity. In addition, Tripp was an associate at Bear Stearns in their investment banking division and executed a number of M&A, debt and equity transactions. Prior to Bear Stearns, Tripp was an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton and was the recipient of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Professional Excellence Award.
Tripp holds a Bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and a MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
