Kikoff Appoints Chief Financial Officer and Chief Legal Officer, Deepening Executive Bench Amid Rapid Growth

Kikoff, a leading consumer fintech platform helping millions build credit and improve financial health, announced the appointments of John Kaelle as Chief Financial Officer and Robert Mahnke as Chief Legal Officer.

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Kikoff enters this next chapter from a position of strength, following a record 2025 in which the company surpassed over $300 million in revenue, more than doubling year over year, while maintaining profitability. The company now serves millions of users across its platform, including Kikoff, Grant, and Catch, and continues to see strong unit economics at scale. With a growing product ecosystem and a disciplined operating model, Kikoff is well positioned to expand access to credit-building and financial tools for underserved consumers.

“John and Rob are exactly the caliber of leaders we need at this stage of Kikoff’s growth. John brings significant experience building finance organizations that support scale and accelerate growth, and Rob brings rare depth at the intersection of fintech, regulation, and technology law. Together, they strengthen our ability to execute and build on the momentum of our record 2025 results while continuing to serve our customers,” said Cynthia Chen, CEO of Kikoff.

John Kaelle, Chief Financial Officer

John Kaelle brings more than 25 years of finance leadership experience across high-growth consumer, marketplace, and SaaS businesses, including two successful IPOs. Most recently, he served as CFO of StockX, where he was the company’s first finance leader and built the financial infrastructure to support its rapid global expansion. Prior to StockX, he was the first CFO of Marin Software, leading the company through its 2013 IPO, and held senior finance leadership roles at Shutterfly, where he helped scale the business through its public offering and subsequent growth. Earlier in his career, he worked in technology investment banking and public accounting. He brings deep experience scaling finance organizations to support disciplined growth, operational complexity, and long-term public market readiness.

Robert Mahnke, Chief Legal Officer

Robert Mahnke brings nearly three decades of legal experience spanning complex litigation, DOJ enforcement, and financial services law. He spent nearly five years as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, leading investigations into major technology and financial markets mergers. He then moved into senior legal roles at eBay and PayPal before becoming the first Chief Legal Officer at a series of fintech companies — including Uplift and Plastiq — where he built legal and compliance organizations across payments, lending, and BNPL.

With profitability, sustained growth, and a strengthened leadership team, Kikoff is poised for continued expansion. The company continues to invest in the systems, products, and infrastructure needed to deliver consistent, meaningful outcomes for its customers, in service of its mission to empower everyone to achieve financial security.

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