Justin Kelly: Vice President at PeakSpan

Justin Kelly

Vice President

In their words:

My aspiration is that when founders reflect on our partnership, they remember us as no-nonsense professionals who did everything in their power to help the company win.

Sector Expertise

Investments

About Justin

Justin joined PeakSpan Capital in 2022 and has made investments across the firm’s Digital Health, FinTech & Payments, and Customer Experience Management themes. Today, he leads PeakSpan’s Digital Health practice and co-leads the firm’s FinTech & Payments coverage. Prior to joining PeakSpan, Justin invested in early- and growth-stage businesses across healthcare, insurtech, and vertical software at AXA Venture Partners. Justin started his career as an investment banker at Houlihan Lokey, where he worked on M&A and private financing transactions in software and tech-enabled services. Justin graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science. Outside of work, he enjoys playing tennis, hiking national parks with his brothers, and rooting for the New York Knicks.

What makes you excited to come to work each day at this stage of your career?

Our management teams and my fellow PeakSpanners fire me up the most to come into work each day. These individuals are whip-smart, hungry, and pursuing something bigger than themselves. It's a privilege to tackle challenges with such high-caliber teammates.

What’s a project or moment at PeakSpan where your involvement changed a company’s trajectory?

The “climb to Peak 1” won't be without missteps; what matters most is how teams work together to recover. During a turbulent and chaotic period for a portfolio company, the deal team and I stepped in alongside management, working tirelessly for several consecutive weeks to understand what went wrong, how to stabilize, and how to chart a path toward long-term enterprise value creation. The company is back on that path today, and it couldn't have happened without the intense commitment of every single person on the deal and executive teams.

Before PeakSpan, what did you learn the hard way that you now bring into every partnership?

Greatness is in the agency of others. One of the most powerful things a founder can do is empower employees to operate like owners. At the early and emerging-growth stage, founders may feel the impulse to play "king/queen"—approving every decision across every function. Scaling requires enabling ownership: hire extremely talented leaders, define priorities and decision rights, and trust them to deliver against agreed expectations. Founder magic will always matter, but scale and durable value come from putting the right team in place and empowering them to run.

At the end of a multi-year partnership, what do you hope founders say you were known for?

My aspiration is that when founders reflect on our partnership, they feel that the PeakSpan team was always proactive ("How can we help?"), solution-oriented, and honest. In short, no-nonsense professionals who did everything in their power to help the company win (and were game to celebrate at board dinners when we did).

Personal side: