"Every major shift in financial services feels obvious in hindsight. In real time, however, they are rarely obvious."
Over the past two decades, I have had the privilege of watching several waves of innovation form before they became mainstream — from zero-commission trading and robo-advice to embedded finance and intent-based prospecting. That vantage point has shaped how I think about innovation, and ultimately why Advintro exists.
I spent much of my career selling execution, clearing, and custody services to non-U.S. firms accessing U.S. markets. My roles included time at Penson (now Apex Clearing), Pershing, and ViewTrade, including nine years at Pershing as Director of European Sales. Clearing and custody are essential to capital markets — they are the infrastructure that makes everything else possible. Yet while the infrastructure remained steady, innovation accelerated around it.
What struck me most was not any single product, but the pattern beneath the noise. Innovation consistently emerged at the edges of the market, gained traction with forward-looking firms, and eventually forced broader change. The firms that benefited most were rarely the ones chasing headlines. They were the ones paying attention early and integrating new tools into a coherent strategy.
That perspective led to a simple but transformative question: what if, instead of selling one product, I could curate a portfolio of leading fintech solutions and align them with what firms genuinely needed? In the summer of 2019, I resigned and built Advintro around that premise — fractional fintech sales — a disruptive model designed to give firms access to technological innovation without forcing them into a single lane.
What to Expect from Wim's World
Through this column, I share what our team is observing from the field in each issue of AdvintroEdge Magazine:
- •Where momentum is building across wealthtech, banktech, insuretech, and fintech
- •Where expectations may exceed reality — and where they don't
- •Structural patterns emerging before they become conventional wisdom
- •How the convergence of technology and distribution is reshaping financial services
- •Where firms should be directing their attention for sustainable growth
The Advintro Perspective
What began as a belief has grown into a platform supporting 27 fintech clients and a team of ten full-time sales professionals working across RIAs and broker-dealers. We have expanded into insuretech, banktech, and Europe, and we continue exploring additional verticals such as asset management and crypto.
More important than the numbers, however, is the perspective we have developed. Through hundreds of conversations each year, we see patterns forming before they become conventional wisdom. That perspective is the reason this magazine exists.
Financial services will continue to evolve. The firms that thrive will be those that recognize emerging shifts early and integrate them thoughtfully, rather than reactively.
I look forward to continuing the conversation in each issue of AdvintroEdge Magazine.