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Kevin Adams, AIF®
Vice President • Retirement + Wealth Fintech
Professional Background
Kevin Adams, AIF®, is a seasoned professional in the financial services and technology sectors, renowned for his expertise in retirement plan data analysis and management. Leveraging a wealth of experience in API and SaaS sales, Kevin has dedicated his career to simplifying the complexities surrounding retirement and wealth management. He has played a pivotal role in various organizations, showcasing his impressive ability to bridge the gap between technology and finance.
One of Kevin's notable roles was at dailyVest, where he led enterprise API and SaaS sales initiatives in the retirement and wealth sector. Under his guidance, dailyVest revolutionized the way retirement plan data is accessed and analyzed. The innovative solutions offered by dailyVest do away with cumbersome recordkeeping and complex data extractions, enabling businesses to effortlessly connect with hundreds of relevant retirement data points. This resulted in quicker, more intuitive analyses that allowed for faster answers, better decision-making, and improved client outcomes.
In addition to his work at dailyVest, Kevin is also recognized for his entrepreneurial spirit. He co-founded Asktra, a side endeavor where his focus was on SMB growth utilizing AI and SaaS technologies. This venture illustrates Kevin’s commitment to fostering innovation and helping small to mid-sized businesses harness the power of technology to optimize their operations.
Kevin has also held significant positions at various other notable firms, including Codat and Twilio Inc., where he excelled in enterprise sales within the financial services sector. His experience at Hightower Advisors, specializing in mid-market M&A within the wealth segment, further solidified his expertise in managing complex financial processes and finding transformative solutions that benefit both clients and companies.
Throughout his career, Kevin has also served as a fractional Chief Revenue Officer for Venture (k) Corp, where he was able to leverage his extensive knowledge to drive revenue and market growth in the retirement and wealth industry.
Education and Achievements
Kevin’s academic background is as impressive as his professional journey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from DePaul University, equipping him with a solid foundation in business principles. Following this, he advanced his education with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Regis University, where he honed his strategic thinking and management capabilities. Currently, Kevin is furthering his expertise by pursuing a degree in Cybersecurity Law and Policy at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. This unique blend of business acumen and legal knowledge positions him at the forefront of cybersecurity in the financial services industry, a critical area as technology continues to evolve.
Kevin's commitment to education and professional development underscores his belief in continuous learning, a trait that reflects well in his career accomplishments. He remains actively engaged in industry trends and innovations, ensuring that he stays ahead of the curve in this rapidly changing field.
Achievements
Beyond his instrumental roles in various companies, Kevin Adams, AIF®, has secured his position as a thought leader in the intersection of technology and retirement planning. His efforts have contributed to countless organizations optimizing their retirement solutions, helping thousands of people achieve better financial outcomes.
Kevin’s insightfulness and forward-thinking enabled him to be a key player in developing tools that aid financial advisors and businesses in handling retirement plans more efficiently. By streamlining the data analysis process, he not only enhances decision-making but also empowers firms to serve their clients more effectively. This dedication not only helps financial advisors level up their game but also assists organizations in navigating the intricacies of retirement planning with ease.
His passion for fostering economic empowerment through innovative solutions has made him a sought-after contributor to discussions surrounding financial technology in retirement planning. Kevin’s expertise not only enriches the conversations but also inspires action, promoting a shared vision of accessibility in data analysis for retirement services.
Highlights
Recently I’ve been interviewing for a new #fintech sales opportunity. Occasionally funny things happen…
Last week I received an automated email titled “Scheduling Final Interview”. Great, right? Wrong. I had not been interviewing with this company. Haha.
I replied that I had not spoken with anyone there. So a final interview seemed out of sync. Another automated email reply. “Do I want to continue with the final interview or not?"
It’s an honest mistake. And I considered scheduling the final interview out of curiosity. But I don’t want to embarrass anyone. We’re all human (or are we?) Haha.
I’m a huge consumer of #AI and automation. But sometimes connecting with a human is best.
#fintech #saas #ai #api #banking #finance #accounting #wealthmanagement
While beginning my #fintech sales career, I interviewed with a CEO and VP of Sales. I wanted this job badly but then came the dreaded “We appreciate your interest but…” message. I was devastated.
My next step. I thanked them, restated my interest, and gave them 10 reasons to hire me. In three days they called me back in. One week later I received the offer I was hoping for.
Soon I discovered it had been the CEO who had liked my persistence and pushed for my hiring. Our paths crossed several times over the years. I always shake his hand and thank him for giving me that first opportunity.
Have someone in your career or life that made a difference? Expressing gratitude to someone who has significantly influenced your career is a kind gesture. And it communicates the impact they’ve had on you.
#fintech #saas #ai #api #banking #finance #accounting #wealthmanagement
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.