F2 has long been regarded as an authoritative source on emerging technologies in wealth management. We make it part of our mission to identify and vet new solutions so our clients can make critical technology decisions with the most current, practical insight available.
The F2 Vendor Partnership Program is a new offering designed for fintech firms that want to enter or expand within the wealth management industry. It’s a natural extension of F2’s work helping RIAs and other wealth management organizations shape technology strategy and successfully implement solutions. In this F2 Expert Q&A, we sat down with program leaders Dan Johnson and Steven Mars to discuss why F2 launched the program, how it works, and how it benefits both fintech providers and wealth management firms.
Q: Tell me about F2’s Vendor Partnership Program.
SM: The Vendor Partnership Program is designed to help fintech firms better understand the total addressable market and position themselves for growth beyond where they are today. We use a “vision, strategy, delivery” model—helping partners refine vision, develop a practical strategy, and execute against it. I’m excited because this isn’t just another advisory retainer; it’s a unique offering, delivered in a way that hasn’t really been brought to market before. We’re committed to it, and we’re moving fast.
DJ: I’d add that it’s built similarly to our OCTO model for advisors, where we can bundle the right combination of services under an umbrella relationship—tailored to what the firm actually needs. Maybe that’s go-to-market messaging support , understanding the competitive landscape, or shaping a product roadmap. We bring our strategic expertise all the way through delivery and collaboration, so vendor partners get a holistic engagement—not a series of one-off strategic conversations.
Q: What kinds of fintech firms are best served by this offering?
SM: We can work with any firm operating—or looking to operate—in the wealth management space. Where we tend to add the most value is with firms that have strong technology but need to refine their position, message, or route to market. That includes custodians launching new capabilities, AI innovators entering the wealth space, and other providers that are trying to translate real product strengths into adoption within the wealth management ecosystem.
Q: How is F2 positioned to be the right firm for this type of partnership?
DJ: We combine deep industry relationships with in-house expertise to help fintech firms increase the value of their technology in ways that support human interaction and move the industry forward. We can see where the market gaps are—and when a partner has the capability to fill one of those gaps, we can help them prioritize effectively and pivot with confidence.
SM: Vendors come to F2 because our breadth of experience and the depth of our client relationships lets us provide insights that would otherwise take months of “boots on the ground” conversations. We can speak with authority across a broad swath of the industry—what clients actually want, what platforms are doing, and what integration realities look like. Often, we help bridge the gap between messaging and market expectations so decision-making is grounded in reality.
Q: What will vendors gain from partnering with F2?
SM: They gain a partner who can help them improve efficiency and quality, identify revenue opportunities, and—importantly—ask the tough questions. Sometimes the fastest path to results is having the right hard conversations early. Ultimately, we help vendors avoid costly missteps by providing market-tested insight and clear execution support.
Q: F2 has always been vendor agnostic. Does this change that? And how does the program benefit F2’s wealth management clients?
DJ: It doesn’t change our commitment to recommending the best solutions for each client’s unique needs. If anything, it strengthens our value to wealth management firms because we’re providing feedback and insight that helps vendors build more effective tools—and those tools better serve advisors and their clients.
SM: I agree. The better we understand the technology landscape, the better recommendations we can make. And the more deeply we understand platforms—how they work in practice, how they integrate, where they shine, and where they fall short—the more ROI our clients can get from them. At the same time, our vendor partners benefit from a real market perspective, which helps them make better decisions and deliver better outcomes.
Get in touch to learn more about F2’s Vendor Partnership Program.
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