Carl Grimstad

Carl Grimstad is a veteran executive and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the fintech and private investment sectors. He currently serves as the CEO of Lydian, where he is focused on innovating the payment landscape by transforming the daily utility of cryptocurrency and digital assets for global commerce. Under his leadership, Lydian is bridging the gap between traditional finance and blockchain technology, providing the infrastructure necessary to integrate digital assets into mainstream merchant environments. Prior to Lydian, Mr. Grimstad co-founded iPayment Inc. in 1999, serving as President and later as Chairman and CEO until 2016. During his tenure, he led the company through its 2003 initial public offering and its subsequent transition back to a private entity in 2006. He grew iPayment into a dominant force in the SMB payments sector, managing a workforce of over 450 employees and overseeing a portfolio of 137,000 merchants with annual processing volumes exceeding $28 billion. The company’s robust sales channels and infrastructure served as the foundation for its acquisition by Paysafe in 2018. In addition to his operational leadership, Mr. Grimstad serves as the chief manager of C. Grimstad Associates, LLC, a private investment entity formed in 2006, and as the managing partner of GS Capital, LLC, an investment firm established in 1995. His career is defined by a consistent track record of navigating complex capital markets, executing large-scale M&A, and scaling financial technology platforms.