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PEAK6 Investments
PEAK6 was founded in 1997 by Jenny Just and Matt Hulsizer, two former O'Connor and Associates traders who chose to stay in Chicago when their firm moved east.
PEAK6 Investments
PEAK6 was founded in 1997 by Jenny Just and Matt Hulsizer, two former O'Connor and Associates traders who chose to stay in Chicago when their firm moved east. They launched the firm with $1.5 million in seed capital as a proprietary equity options trading operation — a business PEAK6 Capital Management still runs. The pivotal shift came during the 2008 financial crisis, when the founders acquired the distressed custodian Penson Financial Services to save their retail broker-dealer OptionsHouse, transforming the acquired technology into Apex Fintech Solutions. PEAK6 deploys across public markets trading, growth equity, venture capital, and buyouts through distinct vehicles. PEAK6 Capital Management runs the liquid options and market-making strategies. PEAK6 Strategic Capital makes long-term, concentrated bets on transformative companies using the firm's permanent capital base. The portfolio spans fintech infrastructure (Apex Fintech Solutions), insurtech (We Insure, FOCUS), digital education (Zogo, with 2M+ users and 250+ partners), competitive esports (Evil Geniuses, a founding member of the VALORANT Champions Tour), and humanoid robotics (Apptronik, whose Apollo robot PEAK6 supported scaling production). The firm operates across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific from offices in Austin, Chicago, New York, Belfast, Budapest, and Manila. PEAK6 maintains a 12-office global footprint with its headquarters in Austin, Texas. The firm has created or turned around more than 200 companies over two decades. Its adjacent operations include Poker Power, a life-skills platform launched by Jenny Just and her daughter in 2020 that teaches decision-making and risk assessment through poker, and Bruce Markets, an overnight US equities trading venue built on Nasdaq technology. In a 2025 announcement, PEAK6 launched PEAK6 Trials, a first-of-its-kind founder residency program designed to forge the next generation of fintech founders. PEAK6's structural edge lies in its capital formation: it does not operate as a traditional fund manager subject to fundraising cycles or LP redemption pressure. The liquid trading engine generates cash that funds Strategic Capital investments, creating an internal recycling mechanism that lets the firm hold positions through volatility and across vintages — a hybrid architecture more common to proprietary trading firms that evolved into family offices.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
1997
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Austin
Corporate office
Austin, TX, United States
Additional offices
Chicago, IL · New York, NY · Los Angeles, CA · Dallas, TX · Omaha, NE · Portland, OR · Sunrise, FL · Bellevue, WA · Bridgewater, NJ · Belfast, N. Ireland · Budapest, Hungary · Manila, Philippines
Principals
Jenny Just
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Matt Hulsizer
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at PEAK6?
Co-founders Jenny Just and Matt Hulsizer serve as managing partners and hold ultimate investment authority. The firm is structured across two primary engines: PEAK6 Capital Management handles liquid options trading, while PEAK6 Strategic Capital executes long-term private investments with a permanent capital base. The founders have created, turned around, or invested in more than 200 companies since 1997.
How does PEAK6 source its private investment opportunities?
PEAK6 draws sourcing leverage from its operating companies, particularly Apex Fintech Solutions — the clearing and custody infrastructure firm that served disruptive brokerages including Robinhood and Wealthfront. This operating footprint gives the firm visibility into emerging fintech and technology companies at scale. In May 2025, PEAK6 formalized early-stage sourcing through PEAK6 Trials, a founder residency program targeting fintech founders.
Is PEAK6 a single-family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
PEAK6 is neither. It is a multi-billion-dollar holding company with a proprietary trading engine, a permanent capital investment arm (PEAK6 Strategic Capital), and a portfolio of operating businesses including Apex Fintech Solutions and Evil Geniuses. The trading profits generate deal capital rather than relying on external fundraising cycles — a structure closer to a proprietary trading firm that evolved into a hybrid investment company.
What is Apex Fintech Solutions, and how does it relate to PEAK6?
Apex Fintech Solutions is a clearing, custody, and execution infrastructure platform born from PEAK6's acquisition of the distressed Penson Financial Services during the 2008 financial crisis. PEAK6 rebuilt the technology stack into an API-first platform that now powers fintech companies, robo-advisors, and brokerages. Apex operates as a subsidiary within the PEAK6 holding company structure.
Does PEAK6 maintain philanthropic structures?
PEAK6 does not publicly disclose a formal philanthropic foundation. However, Jenny Just launched Poker Power in 2020, a venture that teaches strategic thinking and risk assessment to women and students — blurring the line between for-profit mission and educational access. The firm's founders also hold Tony Awards for co-producing the musical 'Memphis,' indicating a personal pattern of arts patronage.
What is PEAK6's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
PEAK6 Strategic Capital primarily invests off its own permanent capital base and does not publicly market co-investment opportunities to external allocators. The firm partners directly with founders and companies it believes in, without advertising a syndication or co-investment program. Its deal structure tends toward control or significant minority positions held directly.
What investment stages does PEAK6 typically target?
PEAK6 targets the full spectrum: early-stage venture (through strategic capital and the new PEAK6 Trials residency), growth equity, and buyouts. Its operating history includes seed-stage technology investments, building companies from scratch (Poker Power, Zogo), turnaround acquisitions (Apex Fintech Solutions), and mature operating businesses in insurance and esports.
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