[Emerging Tech] Compounding Institutional Knowledge for Growth With Ian Karnell

[Emerging Tech] Compounding Institutional Knowledge for Growth With Ian Karnell

From The Customer Wins by Richard Walker

March 2, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

Ian Karnell discusses how advisory firms can leverage AI and data to enhance client acquisition and growth strategies.

Ian Karnell is the Co-founder and CEO of VastAdvisor, an AI-powered growth platform that helps RIAs and wealth management firms build scalable, compliant client acquisition systems. He has over 25 years of experience at the intersection of FinTech, SaaS, and digital marketing, leading innovations that combine technology with financial services growth strategies. Before founding VastAdvisor, Ian built one of the largest independent digital agencies in the US and held senior roles driving strategic initiatives at firms like Envestnet. He is focused on replacing traditional lead generation with AI-driven systems that lower acquisition costs and accelerate organic growth for advisory firms. In this episode… Many financial advisors rely heavily on referrals, but that strategy may not be enough in a rapidly changing market. With trillions of dollars shifting to digital-first generations, traditional growth tactics are becoming less predictable and harder to scale. How can advisory firms build a repeatable, data-driven growth engine that compounds over time instead of starting from scratch each year? Ian Karnell, an entrepreneur and AI strategist specializing in wealth management growth…

People in this episode

Host: Richard Walker

Guest: Ian Karnell

Topics covered

  • AI in wealth management
  • client acquisition
  • digital marketing
  • financial advisory growth
  • data-driven strategies

Keywords

  • AI
  • wealth management
  • client acquisition
  • digital marketing
  • growth strategies
  • FinTech
  • SaaS

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: VastAdvisor, Envestnet

Places: US

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