WATCH: Co-founder of Fintech firm, Jenny Just, Talks With Michigan Ross Dean Scott DeRue

Michigan Ross alum Jenny Just, BBA '90, is co-founder and one of two managing members of Chicago-based PEAK6 Investments LLC. 

Just got her start in the industry working in the trading department of O'Connor & Associates and on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange. In 1997, she co-founded PEAK6, and it became one of the first firms to develop sophisticated, proprietary technology that efficiently manages risk in the options market.

Earlier this semester, Michigan Ross launched a new program in partnership with PEAK6 to prepare students for successful careers in the rapidly growing fintech sector. The primary goal of the Michigan Ross FinTech Initiative is to produce a robust pipeline of top talent well-versed in technology and finance.

Recently, Scott DeRue, the Edward J. Frey Dean of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, had the chance to sit down with Just at an alumni RossTalks event in Chicago.

The two discussed how PEAK6 came to be, the intersection of finance and tech, and the collaboration between PEAK6 and Michigan Ross on the FinTech Initiative.

Watch the interview below:

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On what inspired Just to co-create the FinTech Initiative at Ross: 

"As time has gone by, the financial world is not keeping up with the rest of the world. How do we keep up with technology that keeps changing? The large banks that are out there, they are really behind. The creation of this program benefits us as a firm and benefits finance as a larger ecosystem. We can give Michigan Ross students the opportunity to understand the data and tech that goes along with solving problems today."

On why fintech is cool now:

"Because it's possible! With the behemoth of financial organizations that exist, someone had to start to break down the walls, especially in the global advisory world. There were people like us (PEAK6) working on the back end, but now you see larger firms coming and really asking for fintech. It's becoming possible."