Central
AcquiredYC S24San Francisco, US · Founded 2023 · 15 employees · 3 known investors
Central provides a platform with security features including multi-factor authentication and fraud monitoring for user accounts and financial transactions.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechHR TechSaaSB2BPayrollAIUnited States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaPartly Remote
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S24)
Central was founded in 2023 by Josh Wymer, Pranav Kashyap, and Nilay Modi.
JW
Josh WymerinCo-founder & CEO2023–2026Josh Wymer served as a software engineer at Meta and held a product engineering role at Mixpanel during its early growth stage. He is a Virginia Tech baseball player and currently leads Central as CEO.
PK
Pranav KashyapinCo-FounderHe previously developed payment and tax products at Stripe, led product work on self-serve and messaging platforms at Mixpanel, and consulted for technology companies at McKinsey and Sequoia Capital. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from IIT Bombay and an MBA from Wharton.
NM
Nilay Modiin𝕏Co-Founder (Acquired by Mercury)2023–2026Founder of Central, a platform providing security features including multi-factor authentication and fraud monitoring for user accounts and financial transactions.
Investors · 3
Founder mafia
3 people who came through Central went on to found or lead other companies.
Competitors · 3
by search overlapEmployee Navigator16 shared keywordsEmployee Navigator provides a benefits administration, HR management, and compliance platform used by employers and insurance brokers to manage employee benefits, ACA reporting, payroll integrations, onboarding, and time-off tracking. The platform connects employers, brokers, and industry partners through 600+ integrations.
RingCentral13 shared keywordsRingCentral provides cloud-based unified communications and AI-powered contact center solutions for businesses, serving over 600,000 customers worldwide. The platform integrates voice, video, messaging, and conversation intelligence to enable secure, efficient enterprise communications.
Check13 shared keywordsCheck provides payroll infrastructure via an API and Partner Console that other companies embed to run payroll operations. As a licensed money transmitter across all 50 U.S. states and DC, it handles money movement, data security, and compliance on behalf of its partners.
Companies competing with Central for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
In the news
NYC Council gives itself an 18.2% raise — but Mamdani and Menin say no thanks | amNewYorkamny.com · Jul 2026
Proposed property tax changes spark concerns over public safety funding in Central Floridawftv.com · Jul 2026
Austin proposes more flood mitigation funding as heavy rains threaten Central Texascbsaustin.com · Jul 2026Frequently asked questions
- What does Central do?
- Central provides a platform with security features including multi-factor authentication and fraud monitoring for user accounts and financial transactions.
- Who founded Central?
- Central was founded by Josh Wymer, Pranav Kashyap, Nilay Modi in 2023.
- Who are Central's investors?
- Central's investors include Ritual Capital, Y Combinator, First Round Capital.
- Where is Central headquartered?
- Central is headquartered in San Francisco, US.