Meet Chicago’s FinTech leaders at TechNexus's Reinventing Industry: FinTech & Finance event

Chicago's financial institutions defined global markets, and now a new generation of fintech ventures is reimagining what comes next. TechNexus's Reinventing Industry event brought together the founders, operators, and investors shaping the future of trading, risk, payments, and capital.

Finance is one of Chicago’s most legacy-rich industries and the one that’s the most in flux. The institutions that defined global markets were born here, and they still set the pace for trading, risk, and capital today. But the future isn’t just about defending what was built. It’s about imagining what comes next. On Thursday November 6, TechNexus Venture Collaborative is bringing the financial-tech community together for Reinventing Industry: FinTech & Finance sponsored by NinjaTrader . This breakfast networking event and panel discussion, hosted at TeamWorking by TechNexus , will feature a conversation with leaders who are shaping the future of Chicago’s fintech ecosystem. Leaders from fast-growing startups, fintech-focused VC firms, innovative futures trading software, and established financial giants will describe the future of fintech as they see it. Register here to secure your spot at the event. Meet the panelists: Joe Sabatello, Ninja Trader Joe Sabatello is the Senior Director of Software Engineering at NinjaTrader, which was acquired earlier this year by Kraken for $1.5 billion. Sabatello leads teams delivering real-time trading, payments/treasury, and back-office integrations for the retail futures market. He began his career at Chicago HFT firm WH Trading, then moved to TransAct Futures in 2015 to lead engineering for retail futures trading. After NinjaTrader acquired TransAct in 2021, Joe shifted into engineering leadership and continues to scale the platform following NinjaTrader’s 2025 acquisition by Kraken. Joseph holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Purdue University (2010). Mark Daly, zerohash Mark Daly is the Chief Business Officer of zerohash. Daly is a founding team member and the Chief Business Officer at zerohash, the trusted infrastructure redefining how value moves onchain. Zerohash, which in September raised $104 million at a $1 billion valuation, powers digital asset and stablecoin products for companies including Stripe, Interactive

By Maya Benjamin at TechNexus Venture Collaborative