Fintech Advisory
Market research. Insights. Go-to-market strategies.
Helping Fintechs Navigate the Banking Landscape
The rapid growth of the financial technology (fintech) industry has disrupted the entire financial services ecosystem. Navigating the threats and opportunities is challenging. Fintech leaders may know their product—but Cornerstone Advisors knows the target markets. Cornerstone’s Fintech Advisory works together with fintech leaders to make strong, strategic decisions for competitive growth.
Experience & Results You Can Trust
350+
Consulting engagements annually
100+
Fintechs and advisors served in the last 5 years
200+
Research reports published
We Know Your Challenges
We get it. We were there in the trenches with you at one time or another. This is what we find are some of the top fintech challenges:
• No intel on who’s winning deals and why
• Boring pitchy content that doesn’t drive leads
• Fuzzy market sizing
• Eroded client trust resulting from undelivered roadmap promises
• Cluttery, over-complicated messaging
We can help. Our subject matter experts have held top leadership positions with nearly every major core, digital, payments, lending, and other banking vendors. They have led marketing and analytics teams. They have also led fintech start-ups to wildly successful growth and exit strategies. This experience is the edge that will enable you to better serve your banking clients, while driving bottom-line revenue faster and more efficiently than ever before.
Services
Proven Services to Accelerate
Fintech Success
Fintech providers have a unique set of challenges, from a lack of intel on who is winning deals and why, to overly complex messaging that doesn’t resonate with bank and credit union executives, to a lack of expertise on proper market sizing. Cornerstone can help. We work with fintech vendors, fintech challengers, and industry investors to increase their value for banks and credit unions. Our subject matter experts merge their knowledge of fintech and banking to deliver custom engagements that get results.
Market Pulse
We kickoff our fintech engagements using Market Pulse.
Market Pulse is our proprietary combination of industry, customer, and competitor knowledge aggregated from hundreds of annual technology and strategy engagements. It informs our strategy recommendations on your behalf and delivers actionable insights for “right now” and longer term implementation.
Want that information on a regular basis? Cornerstone offers this invaluable intel through a subscription service that will deliver ongoing, continuously-updated industry intel and custom tailored recommendations directly to your executives including:
• Current market position & industry changes
• Buyer/persona perceptions & win/loss realities
• Strengths/challenges vs. competition
• Buying criteria, priorities, and attribute weightings
• Semi-annual executive briefing & sales team session with prescriptive deliverables
• Quarterly access sessions with expanded group of subject matter experts across any area
• Calendar of coordinated recommended content, thought leadership and social media activities
• Annual client, investor, or advisory group event breakout-session speaking engagement
Research
Cornerstone is known throughout the financial services industry for its independent, unbiased research and analysis of the issues, challenges and trends facing the financial services industry. Our annual What’s Going on in Banking report is one of the industry’s most highly anticipated read-outs of the state of the financial services marketplace every year.
You can leverage the power of our knowledge too. We partner with fintechs to develop authoritative, unbiased research that will help you generate valuable industry conversations and drive lead generation opportunities. The types of report include:
• Consumer & business surveys and studies
• Industry executive surveys & interview-based studies
• Expert opinion editorial pieces and white papers
• Brand awareness and affinity studies
Media & Influencer Services
In addition to our industry-recognized research, fintechs regularly seek Cornerstone subject matter experts to participate on their behalf for important industry and vendor-led events. We can work with your organization to custom-tailor these opportunities for your audience, bringing deep insight delivered in Cornerstone’s gritty, no-nonsense, but wildly prescriptive style.
Our experts partner with your executives to bring credibility and recognition to your organization through a variety of options including:
• Keynote speeches
• Panels & group discussion facilitations
• Podcasts & videos
• Webinars & fireside chats
Seeing the Market from all Sides
We bring perspective from all angles, but we keep it simple. We identify the capabilities that need to be built, the audiences likely to care, the business models and messages that will perform, and the talent necessary to drive it across the enterprise.
Meet Your Fintech Experts
Ron Shevlin
Chief Research Officer
Ron Shevlin has been a management consultant for more than 25 years, working with leading financial services, consumer products, retail, and manufacturing firms all over the world. As Chief Research Officer at Cornerstone Advisors, Ron calls on his analytical acumen to author a variety of corporate and commissioned research reports. Considered one of the banking industry’s most notable experts, Ron’s opinions are regularly sought for inclusion in major banking publications.
Sam Kilmer
Managing Director
Sam Kilmer leads Cornerstone Advisors’ fintech advisory practice working with industry providers, fintechs, and investors. He also leads select strategy engagements with banks and credit unions. Sam is a nationally sought-after speaker, industry research author, a regular contributor to Cornerstone's blog, GonzoBanker, and moderator of the Fintech Hustle podcast. He is often quoted in industry publications and serves as a judge for Finovate and BAI Global Innovation awards. He is an active member of the Association for Financial Technology (AFT).