Chargeforwards

Company History and Founding Story

Chargeforwards started in 2024 as a chargeback prevention company, working directly with Mastercard and Visa dispute services. The founding team, led by engineer Billy Hopkinson-Wood, built a platform that initially focused solely on deflecting and managing chargebacks. However, close collaboration with merchants revealed that chargebacks rarely occur in isolation—they are often linked to fraud, poor onboarding, or account abuse. This insight drove the company to expand into a broader risk workflow platform that connects fraud prevention, chargeback management, and identity verification.

Business Model

Chargeforwards operates on a usage-based pricing model, eschewing long-term contracts and seat-based fees. This approach, combined with a transparent, consultative sales philosophy, is intended to appeal to growing merchants and PSPs that need flexibility. The platform is modular, allowing clients to deploy only the modules they need or integrate all three for a unified risk management solution.

Core Products

The platform is structured around three main product pillars: - Fraud Prevention: Real-time detection of abuse, fake accounts, and transactional risk using machine learning. The system stops fraudulent activity before it impacts the business. - Chargeback Management: Automated deflection and defence of disputes, with analytics to protect chargeback ratios. The platform integrates with Mastercard and Visa dispute services. - Identity & KYC: Risk-led verification and step-up checks designed to minimise customer friction while meeting compliance requirements (ID, KYC, AML).

These modules can be used independently or as part of the central platform, which provides a single, integrated workflow that adapts to each merchant’s operational needs.

Market Position and Competition

Chargeforwards targets high-volume verticals such as iGaming, subscription businesses, eCommerce, and digital businesses. The company differentiates itself by addressing the fragmentation typical in risk management, where merchants often use separate tools for fraud, chargebacks, and KYC. Competitors include larger established players like Ethoca (now part of Mastercard), Verisk, and Sift, as well as smaller niche vendors. Chargeforwards is still a small player, with a headcount of 2–10 employees, and has not publicly announced any funding rounds as of early 2026, suggesting organic growth driven by direct client relationships and partnerships with PSPs.

Leadership

Matthew Long assumed the role of CEO in 2025, bringing over a decade of experience from Mastercard’s Ethoca, where he gained scheme-level knowledge and firsthand insight into merchant operational challenges. Billy Hopkinson-Wood, the founding engineer, serves as Head of Product Engineering and built the platform from the ground up. No other C-level executives (CFO, COO, CTO, CCO) are currently listed publicly. The company is registered as Chargeforwards Limited (company number 15446179) at Companies House, headquartered in London, UK.