What does it really take to build, scale, and sell a fintech company for $1 billion — without losing your humility, your city, or your soul? 

In this episode of Inside the Spark, host Luke Tanen, CEO of Chicago Innovation, sits down with fintech trailblazer Kristi Ross to unpack her journey from Thinkorswim to Tastytrade and now U3 Coffee. Kristi shares how she navigated risk, why customer feedback is the #1 signal for when to pivot, and the mindset shift from “What can I achieve?” to “How many people can I uplift?” You’ll also hear why she calls Chicago the derivatives capital of the world, why “you always take the call,” and how storytelling became her most powerful leadership tool.