In 2009, Stephen Bohanon, Gary Nelson, and Sean McElroy founded Alkami Technology with a singular vision: to empower regional and community financial institutions to compete with the nation's largest banks. The founders recognized that while megabanks had sophisticated digital platforms, community banks and credit unions were being left behind, unable to offer their customers the seamless digital experiences they had come to expect. Starting with a cloud-native approach - a rarity in banking at the time - they built a unified digital banking platform that would level the playing field for these smaller institutions.
Today, Alkami has evolved from that initial insight into a publicly-traded company serving over 19.5 million users across hundreds of financial institutions. The platform has expanded beyond core digital banking to encompass onboarding, data analytics, marketing automation, and fraud prevention - all integrated into a single codebase that delivers continuous innovation. Alkami's commitment to excellence has been recognized by J.D. Power, which certified the company's Mobile App Platform for providing 'An Outstanding Mobile Banking Platform Experience' in both 2024 and 2025. Under CEO Alex Shootman, the company continues its mission to help financial institutions grow confidently, adapt quickly, and build thriving digital banking communities.