We are LendKey

See how we empower lenders every day

We founded our company in 2009 after the Great Recession, during a difficult time for financial institutions facing the triple threat of high capital requirements, increased regulatory scrutiny and nascent fintech companies focused on disrupting banks and credit unions.

We invested $30 million dollars to create and continually innovate a lending-as-a-service platform to help lenders—our customers—build and run a profitable digital lending business.

We had the foresight to recognize that financial services firms needed a reliable partner that could become integral to their business success. We have been steadfast in our commitment to provide a service that strengthens our partners that are focused on Main Street and our local communities nationwide.

Today we’re the end-to-end digital lending partner to hundreds of banks and credit unions, from delivering new customers and members to servicing throughout the life of a loan. Lenders now can offer credit products online in an efficient, secure way, and give borrowers a seamless digital lending experience.

We’ve deployed more than $3.1 billion in lending capital and serviced more than $2.0 billion in loans on behalf of hundreds of banks and credit unions. In all, more than 99,000 consumers have had their financing needs met through lenders that partner with LendKey.

Leadership Team

SVP, General Counsel & Head of Compliance
David Mark

SVP, Finance & Accounting
Stacey Rohrbaugh

VP, Infrastructure & Security
Keith Frank

VP, Account Management & Client Services
Ryan Giffin

CEO & Founder

Vince Passione

Vince is the founder and CEO of LendKey, the market’s most advanced lending platform and network, and a veteran technologist for financial services companies. Before LendKey, Vince was the COO of DealerTrack, the nation’s first and largest automotive credit portal. He has also been the President of Ameritrade’s Institutional Client Division, the CEO of OnMoney.com, the CTO of Citigroup’s US Consumer Bank and a Business Unit Executive at IBM. Vince received his B.S. from Polytechnic University.

COO & Co-Founder

Mike Stallmeyer

As COO, Mike is responsible for all financial management, lending operations, credit and risk analytics, and client service. He brings 20 years of experience across financial services. Previously, Mike worked for a number of global organizations in investment banking, fixed income structured finance, portfolio management, and capital markets—including UBS where he served as Executive Director of the Investment Bank and as Vice President at Credit Suisse. Mike began his career in banking at Fifth Third and received his BA in economics from Duke University.

Chief Revenue Officer

Christian Widhalm

Christian leads lender partnerships and works with clients to create profitable and successful digital lending programs. His tenure at LendKey began in 2010 and he has carried impactful leadership roles covering nearly every surface of the organization. Christian is an expert in digital lending and frequently speaks to bank executives on how to better attract the Millennial demographic. His career began working in partner sponsorships for Major League Baseball and he holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Syracuse University.

SVP, Credit Risk

Aditi Agrawal

As head of Credit Risk at LendKey, Aditi’s focus is driving credit risk recommendations – including underwriting policies, verifications strategies, fraud risk management, loan pricing, collections and recoveries strategy.

Aditi brings Risk Management experience from several Financial Services firms, including OnDeck, where she was Head of Pricing & Profitability. She was heavily involved in establishing portfolio profitability and pricing strategy as well as with customer acquisition and existing customer management. Prior to OnDeck, Aditi spent time at Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, as VP of Credit Cards, and at American Express where she played a lead role in collections strategies and portfolio analytics. Aditi holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science, in Indore, India.

SVP, Engineering

Michael Hawkins

Mike has decades of experience in software engineering and product management in the complex, and highly regulated markets, of finance and healthcare. He leads LendKey’s engineering team—creating a seamless experience that gives borrowers the experience they want and puts forward the best version of our lending partners. Before LendKey, Mike served as CTO of SoMoLend, a crowdfunded startup based in Cincinnati. He is the lead author of four patents in adaptive workflow, resource prioritization, and UX.

SVP, General Counsel & Head of Compliance

David Mark

David is responsible for managing all legal and regulatory affairs for LendKey, with an emphasis on consumer financial services. On the regulatory side, David’s focus is on compliance with consumer lending laws and regulations as they pertain to LendKey’s loan origination and servicing platform. David is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Consumer Financial Services Committee, Association of Corporate Counsel, and he serves as a Subject Matter Expert for the CUNA Councils Community (Regulatory/Legislative/Compliance Community). David is admitted to the New York Bar, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Administration from the University of Florida, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Florida International University College of Law.

SVP, Finance & Accounting

Stacey Rohrbaugh

Stacey is LendKey’s VP of finance and accounting. She leads corporate accounting, treasury management, financial reporting and forecasting for the organization. Before LendKey, Stacey managed the accounting arms of Unifund and Luxottica Retail Group. She received her BS in accounting from Miami University and is a CPA.

SVP, Infrastructure

Anoop Thyagarajan

Anoop is one of the founders of LendKey and oversees information and data security, data governance, and infrastructure. He began his career as a technology officer at KobeMail and a Software Engineer at Ewomp. He holds a degree from the College of Engineering Chengannur in Kerala.

VP, Product Operations

Meredith Baer

As head of Client Services, Meredith supports LendKey’s nearly 300 lenders that utilize our platform. From implementations to ongoing support, her role is focused on leveraging a deep knowledge of LendKey’s processes & systems to create solutions for our credit union and banking clients.

Prior to LendKey, Meredith worked in the virtual banking industry in Boston, MA, and she is a University of Dayton School of Business graduate (BA) with a degree in Business Administration.

VP, Software Engineering

Hank Birkdale

Hank is responsible for leading & managing LendKey’s Software Engineering teams across our Origination & Servicing platform. Hank brings over 30 years of experience in software development, having spent time at Fidelity Investments and Cox Automotive in leadership roles.

Hank is also a veteran of the armed services, having served in the United States Air Force and retiring as a Colonel. Hank holds a Master of Science in Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology, in Dayton, OH.

VP, Customer Service

Matthew Duffey

As VP of Customer Service, Matthew is responsible for leading our customer service efforts, for both Loan Originations and in-bound Loan Servicing. Matt also manages LendKey’s Servicing Administration team as well as the Loan Analyst & Processing team. Matt has a passion for coaching, training, and developing his teams, as well as implementing process improvements that impact the organization.

Prior to LendKey Matt worked as a Manager at Fifth Third in their Credit Card and Mortgages collections group, and he holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Shawnee State University.

VP, Loan Servicing

Ben Farmer

Ben leads LendKey’s loan servicing and collections efforts. Ben has over 20 years of experience managing customer support, servicing, and collections efforts for both student loans and unsecured consumer receivables. Before joining LendKey, Ben worked at Sallie Mae and most recently at TEMPOE in Cincinnati as the senior director of operations.

VP, Infrastructure & Security

Keith Frank

Keith leads information security program and data security, ensuring that the systems and information entrusted to LendKey are protected and secure. Keith has decades of experience in the information security field working for large multinational companies and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with a Bachelor of the Arts from Ohio State University.

VP, Account Management & Client Services

Ryan Giffin

Ryan leads the account management and client service teams at LendKey. These teams are responsible for the growth, development, and on-going support of our lending partners to ensure program success and profitability. Ryan has spent his career in financial services and was a credit union lending executive prior to joining LendKey. Ryan majored in finance at Indiana University, Bloomington, and received his Masters in Business Administration from Ohio State University.

VP, Business Development

Devin Hughes

Devin leads platform and distribution partnerships for LendKey. He is charged with identifying opportunities to expedite the scope of LendKey’s LaaS technology as well as bringing thousands of LendKey client loan products to consumers via brand partnerships with companies like Acorns, Intuit, NerdWallet, and more.

Prior to joining LendKey, Devin served as VP of Business Development and Marketing for Unigo.com where he oversaw the development of the largest content network focused on college admissions, as well as distribution partnerships with major publishers including USA Today, The Huffington Post, US News & World Report, and The Wall Street Journal.

He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.

VP, Human Resources

Sara Robertson

Sara is responsible for LendKey’s people strategy running point on strategic human resources initiatives that improve performance, growth and engagement. She has over 15 years of experience, most recently as a Global HR Business Partner with GE and Luxottica Retail. Sara received her Bachelor of the Arts in Personnel and Industrial Relations from the University of Cincinnati and is certified as a Sr. Professional in Human Recourses through HRCI.

VP, Product & Marketing

Broc Sleek

Broc is responsible for the end to end customer experience from the first visit to loan payoff. Broc also manages our direct customer acquisition channels, helping connect our lenders with new borrowers and serve their existing customers.

Prior to LendKey, Broc worked as Chief Digital Officer at CHROME Federal Credit Union and multiple start-ups focussed on fintech and consumer lending. He holds a business degree from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Salisbury University.

Vince Passione

CEO & Founder

Carter Griffin

Updata Partners

Carter Griffin is a General Partner and co-manages the firm’s operations. Carter has more than twenty years experience as an operator and investor in the software industry. Carter co-founded Brivo Systems and served as Chairman and CEO until selling the company to a strategic acquirer. Carter is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a M.B.A. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Danny Schultz

Gotham Ventures

Danny Schultz is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Gotham Ventures, established 14 years ago in the early days of the NYC tech boom. Over the last two decades he has worked closely with technology companies at all stages of growth with investments ranging from digital media and e-commerce to mobile tech and enterprise software startups. He is attracted to creative and energetic entrepreneurs that seek to disrupt the status quo and loves working with entrepreneurs to help them achieve success. Currently, he leads Gotham’s investments in LendKey, Yipit and Pickie. He was also responsible for a number of Gotham’s successful exits including XOsoft, acquired by CA, Pivot, acquired by the CME Group and Massive, acquired by Microsoft. Some of his other successful investments include SMARTS, acquired by EMC; Insulair, acquired by Georgia Pacific and Active Impulse Systems, acquired by Phillips. Danny ran Lehman Brothers equity private placement business just prior to co-founding his own start-up venture fund, Atlantic Venture Partners, the predecessor to Gotham Ventures. He began investing as an angel and was fortunate to get very early exposure to the Israeli tech scene going back to the mid-1980s. He is a frequent speaker at startup and tech events and also enjoys mentoring young VCs and entrepreneurs. Danny is active with the Kauffman Fellows Program and Endeavor Global and was Co-chair of INGENUITY 2012, New York’s premier startup venture conference. Danny studied Economics at Columbia University and resides with his family in Westchester, New York. In his spare time, he can frequently be found somewhere in Westchester playing hockey, or in nicer weather training for his next triathlon.

Josh Stein

DFJ

Josh is a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Josh’s background includes management consulting, strategic analysis, product management and founder level experience in various industries. In addition to serving on the board of multiple DFJ porftfolio companies, Josh serves on the board of directors of the Center for Venture Education and the Kauffman Fellows Program, the leading educational fellowship in venture capital.

W. Thomas Smith, Jr.

TTV Capital

Tom is a co-founder and a Managing Partner of TTV. He has more than 16 years of venture capital experience. Tom was one of the first venture investors to recognize the transformative impact technology would begin having on the constitution and delivery of financial services. Tom was one of the first to identify advances in stored value, money remittance, alternative and mobile payments, services for the underbanked, alternative loan origination and payments-as-a-service. Prior to founding TTV, Tom spent 30 years at IBM in marketing as well as selling and implementation of information technology projects. Throughout his career at IBM, Tom conducted significant business with all of the largest financial services companies throughout the southeastern United States, including the rapidly growing banking centers of Charlotte and Atlanta. His last four years at IBM he was Vice President, Small and Medium Business - IBM Americas, where he had revenue responsibility of approximately $12 billion. The previous decade, he was the IBM Southern Area General Manager, with responsibility for sales, marketing and services business for thirteen states, generating $7 billion in revenues with 6,000 employees. For TTV, he has served on the boards of 14 companies and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Apruve, eWise, Greenlight, and PayGo, and as an observer at LendKey, and MicroBilt. His community affiliations include the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Central Atlanta Progress, the Carter Center and the Woodruff Arts Center. He received the Armin Maier citizenship award from the Downtown Rotary Club in 1998. Tom earned a B.S. Degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and completed the executive program at Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School of Business.

Thatcher Bell

Managing Partner, Coventure

Thatcher is an investor and adviser with significant experience in financial technology. At Gotham, Thatcher led the firm’s investment in SinglePlatform through its acquisition by Constant Contact (NASDAQ: CTCT) and worked with portfolio companies Sailthru, AdStruc, EXPO, Lumeta, Verterra and Widetronix. Before joining Gotham, Thatcher was a Senior Analyst at North Hill Ventures, the venture capital affiliate of Capital One Financial, where he worked on the firm’s investments in DealerTrack (NASDAQ: TRAK) and Higher One (NYSE: ONE), among others. Prior to North Hill, Thatcher worked in business development roles for two different start-ups and as a consultant at Ernst & Young (now Cap Gemini Ernst & Young). Thatcher serves on the Board of Directors of the NY Tech MeetUp and the New York chapter of Wharton Private Equity Partners. He earned his undergraduate degree in Engineering from Cornell University and M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Eric Jacobs

EVP & Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, Dealertrack Technologies

Eric is Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of DealerTrack. Eric’s background includes general corporate and securities law, audit management and financial control. In addition to his role at DealerTrack, Eric is a Certified Public Accountant and serves on various boards.

Joe Proto

Chairman & CEO, Transactis

Joe Proto is Chairman and CEO of Transactis, part of his three decades in the billing and payments industry as a senior executive and successful entrepreneur. Prior to Transactis, he launched REMITCO, a payments company acquired in 2000 by First Data, as well as Financial Telesis (CashFlex) which was acquired in 1992 by CoreStates, now part of Wells Fargo. Joe co-founded Windham Ventures (an innovation leader in healthcare and med tech), and is a limited partner at Metamorphic Ventures (digital media and e-commerce), ff Venture Capital (technology), and Alpine Meridian Ventures. Joe is a director at SpendSmart Payments Company (SSPC: OTC) a fast growing mobile loyalty platform with 5 million digital subscribers. Joe is a member of various financial services organizations including the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), he is Co-Chair of the Consumer Payments Advisory Committee of the Payments Innovation Council as well as serving on the Board of Advisors at the National Automated Clearinghouse Association (NACHA), and is a frequent speaker at conferences in the financial technology industry.

Howard Tischler

Founder & CEO, EverSafe

Howard Tischler has served as a director of DealerTrack since March 2003, and as lead director since April 2006. He is the CEO of EverSafe. Prior to that he was CEO of Enfocel, and employed by First Advantage Corporation, where he served as Group President of First Advantage Dealer Services. Mr. Tischler currently serves on the Engineering Advisory Board at George Washington University.