Elena Ionenko – Co-Founder & COO, TurnKey Lender

• 20+ years in business development, sales, and management
• Serial entrepreneur
• Forbes Technology Council member

Elena Ionenko is a FinTech entrepreneur with over twenty years of experience in business development, sales, and management. As Co-Founder and COO of TurnKey Lender, she played a pivotal role in transforming the company from a promising startup into a global leader in lending automation that now operates in 50+ markets with offices on multiple continents.

Entrepreneurial Background

Before co-founding TurnKey Lender, Elena built, scaled, and successfully exited several FinTech companies. There she took on leadership roles across finance, sales, and marketing. She also worked on multiple successful products in Silicon Valley, gaining firsthand experience in scaling technology businesses in highly competitive environments.

In 2014, Elena and Dmytro Voronenko, Ph.D., identified a major gap in the lending market. There were no accessible, affordable, end-to-end lending automation solutions. Alternative and in-house lenders lacked the tools to compete with large financial institutions. Together, they founded TurnKey Lender to democratize access to intelligent lending technology.

Under Elena’s leadership, the company has:

• Entered 50+ global markets including complex and highly competitive regions.
• Launched multiple niche lending solutions such as auto financing, P2P lending, factoring, invoice financing, in-house financing, and more,
• Raised several funding rounds from leading FinTech investors, including Vertex Ventures, OSK Ventures, Majuven, and Western NIS.
• Established strategic partnerships with global technology leaders such as HP, EY, and Thomson Reuters.

Industry Recognition

Elena’s contributions to the FinTech industry have been recognized in numerous awards, nominations, and industry rankings:

• Top 100 Women in FinTech – Lattice80 (2018, 2019), recognized for two consecutive years among the industry’s most influential leaders.
• Credit Strategy Credit 500 Index – Selected in 2020 and 2021 for her impact on the lending industry and contribution to democratizing access to fair finance globally. 
• Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology – The Financial Technology Report (2020). 
• Innovator of the Year – Finovate (2020) – awarded for impact on the financial technology industry. 
• Lending Woman of the Year – Canadian Lenders Association (2020).
• Finalist, Women in Credit Awards (2019), a leading European credit industry recognition.
• Shortlisted, Women in IT Awards Asia – Information Age (2019).
• Finalist, Women in IT Awards (Woman of the Year) – selected from 250+ global candidates.
• Shortlisted, Tech Leader Award – Diversity in Tech Awards.
• Featured among 14 Inspiring Female Entrepreneurs – FinTech News.
• Recognized as a Leading Female Opinion Leader – Global FinTech Series.
• Featured in Austin Woman Magazine – Women to Watch.

Elena is also a proud member of the Forbes Technology Council and an active participant in the global FinTech community.

Thought Leadership & Speaking

Elena is a recognized industry voice and frequent speaker at leading global events. She regularly shares her insights on lending technology, financial inclusion, and digital transformation.Notable appearances include:

• Panelist at the Singapore Business Review’s 20 Hottest Startups Panel Briefing
• Speaker at the Money Experience Summit (MXS) – Women in Banking & FinTech (2021)
• Guest expert at the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN), led by IFC (World Bank Group) and the ASEAN Banking Association
• Through her work with AFIN, Elena actively advocates for financial inclusion, supporting small cooperatives and microfinance institutions across Southeast Asia.
• Elena has also appeared in media, including Singapore’s 938NOW radio, discussing topics ranging from KYC compliance to emerging lending models.

About TurnKey Lender

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Austin, TX, TurnKey Lender provides a cloud-based, AI-powered lending automation platform that enables lenders to digitize the entire loan lifecycle. The solution delivers decisioning, origination, servicing, collections, and reporting in one unified system, helping financial institutions and fintechs scale efficiently while staying compliant. 

Book an intro call with the TurnKey Lender team to start transforming your digital lending operations with the industry leader that serves a global customer base.