Letter from the CEO & 2016 Trade Show Directory
            
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In Context Newsletter
   

 

Letter from the CEO

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In a recent analysis of all technology investments announced on a single day on CrunchBase, there was more than $250 million in venture capital spending. If that single day is representative of every other business day, that means there was approximately $65 billion in new investment capital last year, and I believe a sizeable chunk of that was directed to new organizations that may cause global disruption in a variety of the world’s traditional financial models.

Smart venture capital and private equity firms have long recognized that all parts of the traditional financial industry are burdened with legacy business practices and systems. To push past these antiquated methods, I expect to see more and more innovative organizations – these “disruptors” – utilize Silicon Valley thinking (regardless of where they are located), turning the tables on those that fail to embrace 21st century realities.

In fact, we’re already seeing these changes through many of the companies we work with. One example is former Google executive Suresh Ramamurthi, CEO of Kansas-based Yantra Technologies, recently named “Innovator of the Year” by American Banker, which includes past recipients like Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and the inventor of Square. Other disruptors include Texas-based Malauzai Software, showing financial institutions that cool, mobile apps that are easily managed and measured will hasten the demise of traditional online banking in a mobile world. It’s also no accident that former CEO and co-founder of Internet banking pioneer S1 founded Live Oak Bank, and in just a few short years, became the nation’s Number Two SBA lender. Much of Live Oak Bank’s success has come from investment in their own Salesforce-based technology, now available from our client nCino.

What a lot of folks don’t realize is that almost all great innovation comes from either outside an industry or from organizations that embrace technological change and are ready, willing and able to prove it. This is the way it’s always been. After more than three decades in FinTech, I’ve seen spectacular successes with just as many failures, but in almost every case, you will find the ascent of these organizations was based on a new way of thinking and doing business coupled with a new technology infrastructure.

Take Walmart as an example, started by a franchisee of the Ben Franklin retail store chain, which later bankrupted. Walmart didn’t become the low-price leader and world’s largest retailer because Sam Walton did business the way other retailers had in the past. Walmart invested heavily in NCR’s data-driven, just-in-time inventory and merchandising technology from the point of sale to warehouse distribution.

I’ve watched tremendous capital investment in FinTech innovation over the past five years in both our clients and other innovative organizations. The time is ripe for forward-thinking companies to leverage these technologies to change the financial industry as we know it.

Welcome to 2016 and let the disruption begin.

 

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William Mills III

 

 rsz_tradeshow_directory_coversm.png2016 Trade Show Directory

In today’s fast-paced, competitive marketplace, businesses depend on trade shows to build brand awareness, generate leads and increase credibility in the financial industry. To keep track of these innovative and exciting events, William Mills agency has created a list of trade shows by industry sector.

This guide will help keep you up-to-date with the most important conferences in your industry. Our 2016 Trade Show Directory provides the information you need with links to conferences, dates, locations and the hosts.

Industry sectors:

  • Payments
  • Banking
  • Credit Unions
  • Mortgage
  • Insurance
  • User Conferences

 

Download Our 2016 Trade show Directory

Fintech Media Updates

  • Penny Crosman was named Editor at Large at SourceMedia @pennycrosman
  • Robert Barba is the new Tech Editor at American Banker @Barba_AB
  • American Banker announced that it will no longer provide a print edition and a digital news platform will be coming soon.
  • Joe Adler has been promoted to Editor of BankThink @JoeAdlerDC and Mary Wisniewski has been promoted to Deputy Editor @MaryMWisniewski
  • Bryan Yurcan has joined American Banker as a senior writer covering technology @BryanYurcan
  • Jacob Passy has taken over half of the Morning Scan @jepassy, and Tanaya Macheel is the lead writer for the weekly Women in Banking newsletter @TanayaMacheel
  • Sarah Todd is now Deputy Ideas Editor at Quartz @SarahLizChar
  • Don David is now Editor-in-Chief at Internet Retailer @dondavisIR
  • Mary Schaeffer is Editor in Chief at Financial Operations Matters.
  • Walt Albro of ABA Bank Marketing has retired and the magazine's print edition has been discontinued.

PR & Social

rsz_social_media.jpgAs our agency continues to grow, we are expanding our public relations services to include "social PR". In this digital age, social media has become an important way to promote PR content to target audiences, network with key industry players and increase online visibility.

When used in conjuction with PR, social PR provides a cost-effective method to amplify the earned media content and results that our agency generates for clients. This service is available to all new WMA clients. We want you to get the most out of our public relations programs, and extending your PR messages via social channels is a great step forward in this process.

Learn how social media can help boost your PR Program here.

If you are interested in PR and social media or would like to expand your current offerings, please contact your account representative or Kelly Williams at 678-781-7202 or kelly@williammills.com

HubSpot-Gold-e1448919204639-915940-edited.jpgAgency News

We are pleased to announce William Mills Agency is now a Hubspot Gold Certified Agency Partner, placing them in the top 15% of all HubSpot partners! 
 
The HubSpot tier system recognizes not only those partners who are bringing content marketing to the most clients, but also those who execute content marketing to the highest standards.
 
Want more information about our Content Marketing Services? Learn more here.