RFG Advisory, a wealth management firm focused on supporting independent financial advisors, has appointed Mark Gilbert and Jim Patrick to its board of directors and announced a strategic investment in Zocks Communications, an AI-driven workflow automation and business intelligence platform for financial advisors. RFG participated in Zocks’ Series B round, co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and QED Investors, alongside other new and existing investors.
Mark Gilbert is the co-founder and CEO of Zocks and brings extensive experience building enterprise software platforms across communications, CRM, and developer ecosystems. His addition to the board reinforces the deepening relationship between RFG and Zocks, giving RFG a more active role in shaping how Zocks’ capabilities are developed rather than simply integrating them as a third-party tool.
Jim Patrick is a former Envestnet executive with a career spanning investment management and financial services. His appointment strengthens the institutional investment side of RFG’s platform and will support the continued expansion of RFG’s Bluemonte investment platform.
The investment in Zocks advances RFG’s strategy to build a fully integrated, AI-powered operating system for independent advisors. Zocks captures and structures data from client conversations and automates key workflows, helping to power RFG’s recently launched ClickONE environment, a unified platform connecting data, workflows, and tools so advisors can operate from a single interface. By investing in Zocks, RFG positions itself to embed AI more deeply into the core of how advisors operate, surfacing growth opportunities and reducing administrative complexity.
RFG has described its ambition as building the operating system for the modern independent advisor, combining institutional investment capabilities with a unified data and intelligence layer designed to help advisors scale their businesses with greater efficiency and clarity.
KEY QUOTES:
“RFG is not interested in building a collection of tools. We are laser-focused on building the operating system for the modern independent Advisor. The future of this industry belongs to firms that can unify data, intelligence and execution into a single intuitive experience that elevates how Advisors operate. We’re building something that’s designed to help Advisors move faster, serve clients more effectively and be well positioned for generations to come.”
Shannon Spotswood, CEO, RFG Advisory
“The wave of innovation coming is greater than anything we’ve yet seen in the industry. We believe the ‘human in the loop’ wins every time and Advisors armed with this tech will win. We’ve already built the foundation with ClickONE. Our investment in Zocks accelerates that build, allowing us to embed AI into the core of how Advisors operate, giving time back and surfacing opportunities for organic growth. That’s where you start to unlock real scale and enterprise value.”
Ed Swenson, President, RFG Advisory
“RFG has a clear vision for the future of the Advisor experience, one that is fully integrated, intelligent and built for how Advisors actually work. We share a belief that AI should not sit on the sidelines, but should actively power workflows, decisions and outcomes. Together, we are building something fundamentally different from what exists in the market today.”
Mark Gilbert, Co-Founder and CEO, Zocks Communications
“The industry has traditionally tried to solve problems through a product lens rather than a client engagement lens. That’s one of the reasons I’m excited to join RFG. The investment being made in the platform for Advisors is designed to create a flywheel, where greater adoption leads to deeper client engagement and, ultimately, better client outcomes.”
Jim Patrick, Board Member, RFG Advisory
