About Acorn Finance
It’s time to improve home improvement financing
We get it.
For Customers
For Contractors
For Lenders
Our mission
Our Team
Giri Addanki
Chuck Horton
John Kastl
Giri knows finance. Inside out. After decades of experience in the banking and mortgage industry, working for heavyweights like Citibank and Barclays, Giri wanted to turn his attention to homeowners who were often left at the mercy of traditional lending systems which can be obnoxious, expensive and complicated. He knew he could make a difference and started Acorn Finance with the sole purpose of helping homeowners find the financial support to execute their beautiful projects.
Giri’s first home improvement project was building a bird feeder in his backyard. Rumour has it that birds still visit it every Tuesday.
Chuck is our residential Lord of Tech. Over the years, he has built, delivered and supported custom software applications for a variety of industries including construction. As the Chief Technology Officer at Acorn Finance, Chuck leads the IT Team on design, development and support of the Loan Platform, API, SDK and Contractor Portal. Chuck believes that while homes should be physical, financing home improvement projects should be paperless and digital, like so much of our lives.
Chuck’s first home improvement project was fixing the kitchen sink. After a visit to the local hardware store he decided to focus on software, instead.
John has worn many hats. A former prime time actor turned attorney and investment guru, John is a master of finding new avenues, and this hunger for growth–both personal and business–is what eggs him on. As Vice President of Business Development at Acorn Finance, John develops and executes sales and marketing strategies, while focusing on finding and developing right markets, developing and establishing rapport with potential clients and ultimately selling and distributing Acorn’s PoS platform.
John’s first home improvement project was repairing the fence. Some say the fence even outlived the house.
Tammy Peterson
Judy Thompson
Todd Walters
Tammy is a people person. Her effortless social skills have served her well in Construction Coordination and Project Management for years with a Luxury Custom Home Builder, a Framing Company and a Commercial Construction Company. As Director of Customer Success, her role combines the best of all worlds – the ability to partner with contractors to help grow their businesses, and to help customers turn their home improvement dreams into reality.
Never shy to roll up her sleeves, her most recent project was managing a pool build in her own backyard. The most frequent swimmer, her dog Molly, gave her a five-star paw-up.
Judy is passionate about building relationships and creating innovative experiences that drive growth. Her career spans business development, marketing and customer centric roles across financial services and technology which have unarguably equipped her for her current challenge at Acorn Finance. As the Vice President of Partnership, she’s focused on fostering success on all sides of the Acorn marketplace. She and her team help customers, clients and partners successfully achieve their goals. Judy believes that collaboration and mutual accountability are the key to driving shared success and the hallmark of any great partnership.
Judy’s first home improvement project was painting her bedroom walls. Or was it her friends’ walls? She can’t remember.
Todd turns the imaginable into tangible, having spearheaded several innovative consumer web applications over the past decade, with roles across operations, finance, compliance, technology and marketing. As Vice President of Product at Acorn Finance, he is furthering his career mission: making financial services easier to use and more wallet-friendly for everyone. Todd cherishes teamwork, and loves collaborating with strategic partners and receiving feedback from customers so he can tweak, refine and improve their experiences.
Todd’s first home improvement project was installing a water filtration system under his sink, which he not-so-secretly considers as one of his crowning achievements.
Ozer Elbeyli
Mike McGinley
Megan Edelman
Ozer Elbeyli is the VP of Data Science at Acorn Finance, leading the company’s data strategy and product innovation. With extensive experience in AI, machine learning, risk underwriting and financial technology, Ozer has a proven track record of building scalable, data-driven financial products that enhance product reach and utility. Prior to Acorn Finance, he held leadership roles at companies like JPM Chase, Barclays, Onemain and Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s international division, driving technological advancements in lending and financial services. In his previous role Ozer was the Chief Credit Officer at LendUp. Ozer is passionate about leveraging technology to simplify financing and empower businesses and consumers with smarter financial solutions. In his free time, he likes gardening, coaches FTC robotics teams and is an avid soccer player.
Mike McGinley is the VP of Lending Relationships at Acorn Finance, overseeing business development, partnerships, and growth strategy. With a strong background in consumer lending and financial services, Mike has held leadership roles at companies like Experian and Chase, where he spearheaded initiatives to expand market reach and drive revenue growth. His deep expertise in home improvement financing and customer-centric solutions helps Acorn Finance connect businesses and consumers with seamless, high-value lending options. He was drawn to Acorn Finance by his passion for engaging with financial institutions of all sizes to drive product development and growth.
Megan Edelman is the VP of Contractor Success at Acorn Finance, leading initiatives to empower contractors with seamless financing solutions that drive business growth. With a strong background in financial services and a deep understanding of contractor needs, Megan focuses on enhancing the financing experience for home improvement professionals. Prior to Acorn Finance, she held leadership roles at companies like GreenPath Financial and Summit Lending Group, where she specialized in consumer lending and financial partnerships. Her expertise helps Acorn Finance create innovative, contractor-friendly financing solutions that fuel success. She was drawn to work at Acorn Finance by her passion for making financial tools more accessible and impactful for small business owners.
Corey Sayers
Corey Sayers is the VP of Experience and Marketing team at Acorn Finance, where he focuses on building intuitive, high-converting customer journeys and driving growth through digital marketing, brand, and product innovation. With a background rooted in lending and financial services, Corey brings a data-driven approach to improving both homeowner and contractor experiences. Prior to joining Acorn Finance, he held key roles at Best Egg, Capital One, and Barclays, where he led initiatives across customer acquisition, user experience, and product strategy. Corey is passionate about simplifying complex financial products and creating experiences that empower customers to make confident decisions.
Giri Addanki
Founder & CEO
Read Bio
Giri knows finance. Inside out. After decades of experience in the banking and mortgage industry, working for heavyweights like Citibank and Barclays, Giri wanted to turn his attention to homeowners who were often left at the mercy of traditional lending systems which can be obnoxious, expensive and complicated. He knew he could make a difference and started Acorn Finance with the sole purpose of helping homeowners find the financial support to execute their beautiful projects.
Giri’s first home improvement project was building a bird feeder in his backyard. Rumour has it that birds still visit it every Tuesday.
Chuck Horton
Chief Technology Officer
Read Bio
Chuck is our residential Lord of Tech. Over the years, he has built, delivered and supported custom software applications for a variety of industries including construction. As the Chief Technology Officer at Acorn Finance, Chuck leads the IT Team on design, development and support of the Loan Platform, API, SDK and Contractor Portal. Chuck believes that while homes should be physical, financing home improvement projects should be paperless and digital, like so much of our lives.
Chuck’s first home improvement project was fixing the kitchen sink. After a visit to the local hardware store he decided to focus on software, instead.
John Kastl
VP, Business Development
Read Bio
John has worn many hats. A former prime time actor turned attorney and investment guru, John is a master of finding new avenues, and this hunger for growth–both personal and business–is what eggs him on. As Vice President of Business Development at Acorn Finance, John develops and executes sales and marketing strategies, while focusing on finding and developing right markets, developing and establishing rapport with potential clients and ultimately selling and distributing Acorn’s PoS platform.
John’s first home improvement project was repairing the fence. Some say the fence even outlived the house.
Tammy Peterson
Director, Customer Success
Read Bio
Tammy is a people person. Her effortless social skills have served her well in Construction Coordination and Project Management for years with a Luxury Custom Home Builder, a Framing Company and a Commercial Construction Company. As Director of Customer Success, her role combines the best of all worlds – the ability to partner with contractors to help grow their businesses, and to help customers turn their home improvement dreams into reality.
Never shy to roll up her sleeves, her most recent project was managing a pool build in her own backyard. The most frequent swimmer, her dog Molly, gave her a five-star paw-up.
Judy Thompson
VP, Strategic Partnerships
Read Bio
Judy is passionate about building relationships and creating innovative experiences that drive growth. Her career spans business development, marketing and customer centric roles across financial services and technology which have unarguably equipped her for her current challenge at Acorn Finance. As the Vice President of Partnership, she’s focused on fostering success on all sides of the Acorn marketplace. She and her team help customers, clients and partners successfully achieve their goals. Judy believes that collaboration and mutual accountability are the key to driving shared success and the hallmark of any great partnership.
Judy’s first home improvement project was painting her bedroom walls. Or was it her friends’ walls? She can’t remember.
Todd Walters
VP, Product
Read Bio
Todd turns the imaginable into tangible, having spearheaded several innovative consumer web applications over the past decade, with roles across operations, finance, compliance, technology and marketing. As Vice President of Product at Acorn Finance, he is furthering his career mission: making financial services easier to use and more wallet-friendly for everyone. Todd cherishes teamwork, and loves collaborating with strategic partners and receiving feedback from customers so he can tweak, refine and improve their experiences.
Todd’s first home improvement project was installing a water filtration system under his sink, which he not-so-secretly considers as one of his crowning achievements.
Ozer Elbeyli
VP, Decision Science
Read Bio
Ozer Elbeyli is the VP of Data Science at Acorn Finance, leading the company’s data strategy and product innovation. With extensive experience in AI, machine learning, risk underwriting and financial technology, Ozer has a proven track record of building scalable, data-driven financial products that enhance product reach and utility. Prior to Acorn Finance, he held leadership roles at companies like JPM Chase, Barclays, Onemain and Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s international division, driving technological advancements in lending and financial services. In his previous role Ozer was the Chief Credit Officer at LendUp. Ozer is passionate about leveraging technology to simplify financing and empower businesses and consumers with smarter financial solutions. In his free time, he likes gardening, coaches FTC robotics teams and is an avid soccer player.
Mike McGinley
VP, Lending Relationships
Read Bio
Mike McGinley is the VP of Lending Relationships at Acorn Finance, overseeing business development, partnerships, and growth strategy. With a strong background in consumer lending and financial services, Mike has held leadership roles at companies like Experian and Chase, where he spearheaded initiatives to expand market reach and drive revenue growth. His deep expertise in home improvement financing and customer-centric solutions helps Acorn Finance connect businesses and consumers with seamless, high-value lending options. He was drawn to Acorn Finance by his passion for engaging with financial institutions of all sizes to drive product development and growth.
Megan Edelman
VP, Contractor Success
Read Bio
Megan Edelman is the VP of Contractor Success at Acorn Finance, leading initiatives to empower contractors with seamless financing solutions that drive business growth. With a strong background in financial services and a deep understanding of contractor needs, Megan focuses on enhancing the financing experience for home improvement professionals. Prior to Acorn Finance, she held leadership roles at companies like GreenPath Financial and Summit Lending Group, where she specialized in consumer lending and financial partnerships. Her expertise helps Acorn Finance create innovative, contractor-friendly financing solutions that fuel success. She was drawn to work at Acorn Finance by her passion for making financial tools more accessible and impactful for small business owners.
Corey Sayers
VP, Experience and Marketing
Read Bio
Corey Sayers is the VP of Experience and Marketing team at Acorn Finance, where he focuses on building intuitive, high-converting customer journeys and driving growth through digital marketing, brand, and product innovation. With a background rooted in lending and financial services, Corey brings a data-driven approach to improving both homeowner and contractor experiences. Prior to joining Acorn Finance, he held key roles at Best Egg, Capital One, and Barclays, where he led initiatives across customer acquisition, user experience, and product strategy. Corey is passionate about simplifying complex financial products and creating experiences that empower customers to make confident decisions.
Our investors
