Top Illinois Fintech Startup Investors (2026)

The top fintech investors in Illinois include Terry Kiwala, Christopher Stalcup, Howard Smith, Peter Liu, Justin Smollar and Bobby Mehta. They are a mix of individual angels and investors tied to Chicago firms such as First Analysis, Pritzker Group Venture Capital and Method Capital. The AngelMatch database lists 2,500+ investors in Illinois, and 35,000+ investors across the database are tagged to fintech.

Are there active investors who fund fintech startups in Illinois? Yes. Following is the list of top investors in Illinois with an interest in fintech.

Who Are the Top 6 Fintech Investors in Illinois?

Investor Name	Affiliation	Notable Investments
Terry Kiwala	First Analysis	Extraprise, Wimba, Netchex Online
Christopher Stalcup	Chicago Venture Partners	M1 Finance
Howard Smith	First Analysis	Movero Technology, CSA Medical, Wimba, Scale Computing, ViralGains, Extraprise
Peter Liu	Pritzker Group Venture Capital	Dollar Shave Club, Active Network, Zinch, TopSchool
Justin Smollar	Method Capital	Semantify, HighGround, Rippleshot, Singular
Bobby Mehta	Former President and CEO of TransUnion	Scienaptic AI

Terry Kiwala

• Reach Out: Terry Kiwala, CFA | LinkedIn
• Focused Sectors: Digital Marketing, E-Commerce, Computer, Robotics, SaaS, Banking, Financial Services, FinTech, Biotechnology, Health Care, Health Diagnostics, Medical Devices, Consumer
• Present In: Illinois
• Notable Investments: Extraprise, Wimba, Netchex Online

Terry Kiwala is an investor tied to First Analysis, a Chicago venture firm. AngelBacked lists him as a board observer at several First Analysis portfolio companies, including Extraprise, Wimba and Netchex Online. Check his LinkedIn profile for his current role before you reach out.

Christopher Stalcup

• Reach Out: Christopher Stalcup, MBA, CFA | LinkedIn
• Focused Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, Machine Learning, SaaS, Software Engineering, Hispanic / Latinx Founded, Hispanic / Latinx Led, Cannabis, E-Commerce, Financial Services, FinTech, Mobile Payments
• Present In: Illinois
• Notable Investments: M1 Finance

Foundersuite lists Christopher Stalcup as an angel investor in Illinois with a seed-stage focus and a Chicago Venture Partners affiliation. AngelBacked lists him among the backers of M1 Finance, a Chicago fintech company. He has a background in finance, so he can speak to the money side of a fintech business as well as the product.

Howard Smith

• Focused Sectors: Fintech, E-Commerce, Internet, Women Founded, Women Led, Artificial Intelligence, Crowdsourcing, Employment, Human Resources, Recruiting, Apps, Enterprise Software, Information Technology, Management Consulting, Cloud Computing, Restaurants, Cyber Security, Network Security
• Present In: Illinois
• Notable Investments: Movero Technology, CSA Medical, Wimba, Scale Computing, ViralGains, Extraprise

Howard Smith is Managing Director, Office of the President at First Analysis in Chicago, according to Round Funded. Round Funded lists his typical check at around $2 million, with stages from seed through late stage. That is closer to a venture investor than a small angel check, so plan your pitch accordingly.

Peter Liu

• Focused Sectors: Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Health Care, Machine Learning, 3D, E-Commerce, Grocery, Internet, Marketing, Retail Technology, Financial Services, FinTech, Mobile Payments, Payments, Environmental Consulting, Renewable Energy, Advanced Materials, Energy, Big Data, Information Technology, Blockchain, Computer
• Present In: Illinois
• Notable Investments: Dollar Shave Club, Active Network, Zinch, TopSchool

Peter Liu is Chairman at Pritzker Group Venture Capital in Chicago, according to Round Funded and AngelBacked. Seedtable lists him among the participants in Dollar Shave Club's 2015 Series D round. Round Funded puts his typical check at around $1 million, so expect a larger check than a typical angel writes.

Justin Smollar

• Reach Out: Justin Smollar | LinkedIn
• Focused Sectors: E-Commerce, Internet, Marketplace, Procurement, Real Estate, Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Mobile Payments, Payments, Transaction Processing, Advertising, Analytics, SaaS, Women Founded, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Electronics, Information Technology, Predictive Analytics
• Present In: Illinois
• Notable Investments: Semantify, ForeverCar, HighGround, Shiftgig, Rippleshot, OfficeLuv, Singular, CITYBASE

Justin Smollar is the Chief Financial Officer at Method Capital, where he has been Director of Finance since 2016, according to MarketScreener. Method Capital invests in early and growth-stage companies, primarily in the Midwest, with investment sizes of $1 million to $10 million. Before Method Capital, Justin spent nearly two decades in real estate, including time at Helix Funds and Equity Office.

Bobby Mehta

• Focused Sectors: Finance, Fintech, Fraud Detection, Security
• Notable Investments: Scienaptic AI

Bobby Mehta was President and CEO of TransUnion from 2007 to 2012. In January 2023, Scienaptic AI, an AI-powered credit decisioning company, announced that he had joined it as an investor and advisor. His background in credit data and risk management makes him most relevant to fintech founders working on credit, fraud or financial inclusion.

Wrap-Up:

In short, Illinois has plenty of investors with an interest in fintech, but finding the one who matches your business is the real deal!

To build a longer list, filter the AngelMatch database by Illinois, Chicago and fintech. When you are ready to write to someone, the investor outreach email generator gets a first draft down quickly. If you would rather skip the manual research, the AI Fundraising Agent matches your startup with investors from the database and drafts your first outreach emails.

We hope the list above eased your investor search and always remember,

A good startup founder always spends extra time researching his potential investors.

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