Ask JBH #69: Taking Risks, Embracing Failure, and Playing Poker – Advice From Jenny Just

Ask JBH

Jenny Just is a visionary, powerhouse, and one of the few self-made female billionaires in the United States. From her days of cutting her teeth on the trading floor in Chicago to now running a fintech empire, she has started and/or turned around more than 15 operating companies and made 100s of private investments, including in such companies as Webull, Stash, QuantumScape, and Thrasio.

Jenny co-founded PEAK6 in 1997 with $1.5M in seed capital as a proprietary options trading firm. Since then, she has grown the firm into a multibillion-dollar financial services and technology firm housing the next generation of products and service brands — including PEAK6 Capital Management, PEAK6 Strategic Capital, Apex Fintech Solutions, PEAK6 InsurTech, Evil Geniuses. Poker Power, and Zogo.

With a true knack for unearthing talent and opportunities, Jenny looks for underfunded sectors to transform limited access opportunities into high-growth businesses. Her passion specifically lies in finding opportunities for women to succeed at every table — from the classroom, to the conference room, to the poker room, to the board room.

Which is why she launched Poker Power in 2020, a woman-led company that teaches poker to all who identify as female, and by extension, teaches women strategic thinking, capital allocation, and decision-making skills. Additionally, Jenny has created programs to help women advance their careers in trading, fintech, and technology. She founded the Women’s Trading Experience and Women’s Technology Experience programs for PEAK6 employees in order to create a path for more women in fintech.