Illuma Secures Strategic Investments 202610

Illuma Secures Strategic Investments from Financial Plus Credit Union, Dort Financial Credit Union, and One Washington Financial

Investment will advance Voice Security innovation and expand access to stronger fraud protection and seamless member experiences

Illuma, the FinTech leader in Voice Security, today announced investments from Financial Plus Credit Union, Dort Financial Credit Union, and One Washington Financial, a subsidiary of WSECU. The investments will support continued innovation in deepfake detection, fraud prevention, and adaptive authentication, while expanding platform integrations and Illuma’s ability to serve more credit unions and banks.

Financial Plus and Dort Financial are existing Illuma clients whose investments build on their firsthand experience with IllumaSHIELD™. One Washington Financial brings an investment focus on innovations that advance the credit union industry. Together, their backing reflects confidence in Illuma’s ability to help financial institutions protect account holders, simplify voice interactions, and improve operational efficiency.

“Investment from institutions that use our technology every day is a powerful expression of confidence in what we are building,” said Dr. Milind Borkar, Founder and CEO of Illuma. “Financial Plus and Dort Financial understand the impact of making member interactions more secure and easier for everyone involved. Alongside One Washington Financial, they are helping us accelerate innovation and bring advanced Voice Security to more institutions as fraud threats continue to evolve.”

Client Experience Inspires Investment

For Financial Plus and Dort Financial, the investments extend relationships built around improving the member experience while strengthening security. Their published success stories describe how Illuma’s passive voice authentication reduces reliance on lengthy security questions, helps employees serve members more efficiently, and eases friction in the center.

Financial Plus has reported faster authentication, fewer escalations, and improved ability to identify fraudulent callers. Dort Financial has described a better experience for members and employees, with more opportunity for agents to focus on service and deeper member relationships.

“At Financial Plus, innovation starts with finding better ways to serve and protect our members,” said Jessica McNier, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of Financial Plus Credit Union. “Illuma has proven that its technology can simplify member interactions while strengthening security. Our investment supports continued innovation to address emerging fraud threats and bring more intuitive, secure experiences to the credit union industry.”

“We have seen how improving the start of a call can change the entire member interaction,” said Jeremy Zager, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dort Financial Credit Union. “Illuma helps our team spend less time navigating authentication and more time helping members. Our investment reflects our confidence in that approach and in the opportunity to extend those benefits across the industry.”

Advancing Voice Security for the Industry

The investment will support Illuma’s product roadmap and expansion across credit unions and banks, with priorities including:

Deepfake detection and fraud prevention: Advancing capabilities to identify AI-generated voices and other emerging threats.

Adaptive multi-factor authentication: Enhancing layered security that applies additional verification when risk warrants it.

Integrations and scalability: Supporting more platforms and strengthening enterprise reliability as adoption grows.

Broader market access: Expanding commercial reach and service capabilities to bring advanced Voice Security to more financial institutions.

These priorities address a shared industry challenge: protecting voice interactions while keeping service accessible and convenient. By expanding both its technology and the infrastructure supporting adoption, Illuma aims to help more institutions strengthen fraud defenses, reduce authentication friction, and give employees more time to address account holders’ needs.

“Credit unions need technology partners that understand both emerging threats and the realities of serving members,” said Scott Daukas, Chief Partnership Officer of One Washington Financial. “Illuma brings those priorities together through Voice Security that supports protection, convenience, and operational efficiency. We see an opportunity to help scale that impact across the credit union industry.”

Industry Recognitions

The investments follow a series of industry recognitions for Illuma’s innovation and growth. In 2026, Illuma won the Tech Titans Emerging Company Innovation Award and ranked No. 7 on the Fast Tech list of North Texas’s fastest-growing technology companies. Illuma was also named a finalist for Product Innovation — Advances in AI, and Founder and CEO Dr. Milind Borkar for Executive Leadership — Technology Vendor, in the Credit Union Partners segment of the 2026 Credit Union Times Luminaries Awards. These honors build on Illuma’s 2025 wins at The League of Credit Unions & Affiliates’ VISION Shark Tank Competition and FinovateSpring, where its voice deepfake detection technology earned Best of Show.

Financial Plus Credit Union

Since 1952, Financial Plus has been putting today’s needs and tomorrow’s dreams all within reach. Owned by over 83,000 members with more than $1.7 billion in assets, the credit union provides a full range of modern, easily accessible banking products and services to all throughout the state of Michigan. For more information, visit or call (800) 748-0451.

Dort Financial Credit Union

One Washington Financial

One Washington Financial (OWF) is a wholly owned subsidiary of WSECU, based in Olympia, WA. OWF exists to advance financial well-being and equity for credit union members and their communities by investing in innovative, early-stage partners driving the credit union industry forward. For more information, visit owfcuso.com .

Illuma is the FinTech leader in Voice Security and the only CUSO dedicated to securing voice interactions for financial institutions. IllumaSHIELD™ is a comprehensive Voice Security platform that combines real-time voice authentication, fraud prevention, adaptive multi-factor authentication (MFA), deepfake detection, and Human + AI collaborative intelligence to continuously verify identity and secure every conversation. Implemented in days, IllumaSHIELD™ helps organizations reduce fraud, streamline authentication, and deliver more secure, seamless account holder experiences across center and self-service channels.

Illuma’s leadership in Voice Security has been recognized through multiple Best in Show and innovation awards, including Finovate, VentureTech, the CreditUnions.com Innovation Series, NACUSO’s Big Idea Competition, and The League of Credit Unions & Affiliates Shark Tank. For more information, visit illuma.cx .