Jenny Just

Jenny Just is a self-made female billionaire in the United States who built a multibillion-dollar fintech business through decades of risk-taking and innovation in financial services and technology. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Just began her career in Chicago at O'Connor and Associates, where she worked on the trading floor and contributed to an over-the-counter equity derivative business for a Swiss Bank and O'Connor partnership. This experience, alongside risk manager Clay Struve, shaped her approach to business and risk management.

When O'Connor and Associates relocated to the East Coast, Just chose to pursue entrepreneurship. She co-founded PEAK6 as a proprietary options trading firm with $1.5 million in seed capital, growing it into a financial services and technology company that includes PEAK6 Capital Management, PEAK6 Strategic Capital, Apex Fintech Solutions, Team Focus Insurance Group, We Insure, Evil Geniuses, and Zogo. Apex Fintech Solutions provides trading and technology infrastructure for fintech companies such as SoFi, Ally, eToro, and Webull. Just led Apex Fintech Solutions through a significant transformation, modernizing its technology and business model to establish it as a leader in fintech infrastructure. She has also made numerous private investments in companies including Webull, Stash, QuantumScape, and Thrasio.

Just and her daughter Juliette founded Poker Power, a company that teaches poker to women and those who identify as female, emphasizing strategic thinking, capital allocation, and decision-making. Poker Power has held sessions at more than 300 companies and organizations in 60 countries. The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern partnered with Poker Power to enhance leadership skills among female managers. Just has spoken about the value of risk assessment, patience, and decision-making under pressure—skills she applies in finance and technology. Within PEAK6, she created the Women's Trading Experience and Women's Technology Experience, and she serves on the Women and Public Policy Program Board at Harvard Kennedy School.

Just has received recognition including selection as a CNBC Changemaker, inclusion on Forbes' list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, Forbes 50 Over 50, and Worth's Groundbreaking Women. She received the Women's Poker Association's Industry Innovation Recognition Award and a Tony Award for her involvement in the musical "Memphis." Illinois Institute of Technology awarded Just an Honorary Doctor of Business for her contributions as an entrepreneur in finance and technology. Just is a frequent speaker on topics such as entrepreneurship, leadership, and advancing women in finance and technology.