Blake Clifton

Blake Clifton currently serves as Vice President and Head of Corporate Development at Marqeta, Inc., specializing in corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, and investments since December 2021. Previously, Blake held the position of Vice President of Corporate Development at Cognizant from September 2019 to November 2021. Blake's extensive career includes roles at Wells Fargo Securities, where responsibilities included serving as COO of the Tech, Media & Telecom Group, and as a Coverage Officer for FinTech. Prior to that, Blake was a Principal at Abundant Power Group, managing investments in energy performance, and held similar principal roles at Hastings Funds Management, focusing on renewable energy investments. Earlier in the career, Blake gained experience as a Private Equity Associate at Liberty Partners, an M&A Analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners, and an Investment Banking Analyst at Stephens, Inc. Academically, Blake earned an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a BA in English with a minor in Applied Mathematics from Davidson College.