The Founders Arena WealthTech Accelerator, in partnership with First Rate SEI, Republic Capital Group, the City of Arlington, and the Arlington Economic Development Corporation, announced the selection of the next cohort of companies that will join its second global accelerator program beginning today.
Building on the success of its inaugural program, this year’s lineup includes Bento Engine, Caribou Wealth, Responsive AI, Testimonial IQ, Trustate, and Upswot. This highlights another milestone in the accelerator’s mission to advance wealth management through technology.
Starting today in Arlington, Texas, the 12-week accelerator program was designed to propel early- to growth-stage WealthTech founders in scaling their revenue and go-to-market efforts. And the participating startups benefit from mentorship, strategic partnerships, and direct engagement with leading financial institutions through highly curated in-person and virtual “VIP Days”.
Each company in this cohort brings a distinctive approach to wealth management challenges:
1.) Bento Engine—Bento Engine is focused on the intersection of technology and impactful wealth management advice. It combines a powerful Advice Engine, a Proprietary Content Library, and timing expertise to make Financial Advisors more impactful and efficient. Bento Engine is based in Westport, Connecticut.
2.) Caribou Wealth—Caribou is a non-commissioned healthcare planning company based in San Francisco, California. It works exclusively with financial advisors and their clients to create holistic and accurate financial plans for current and future healthcare costs.
3.) Responsive AI—Responsive is a hybrid wealth advisor solution for banks and private managers. It specializes in building software that enhances advisors’ productivity and engagement. Its behavioral data analysis enables advisors to identify and act on client opportunities and risks. Responsive AI is based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
4.) Testimonial IQ—Testimonial IQ is a fully compliant marketing validation platform tailored for financial advisors. It enables them to generate client testimonials, enhance their digital presence, and effectively accelerate growth. The platform streamlines the process, from gathering reviews to sharing them publicly on sites like Google Reviews, with built-in disclosures and compliance oversight. Testimonial IQ is based in Denver, Colorado.
5.) Trustate – Trustate is the world’s first estate operations platform that automates the tedious tasks associated with trust funding and estate/trust administrations. Trustate’s solution saves professionals countless hours of non-billable time, enabling them to focus on what matters most—their clients. Trustate is based out of Tampa, Florida.
6.) upSWOT – upSWOT is a white-label embedded finance and business management platform designed to uncover critical data-driven insights for relationship managers. The data insights platform allows small and mid-size businesses to connect their accounting, ERP, payroll, eCommerce, marketing, CRM, and other apps to get accurate cash flow forecasts, credit score boosts, business valuation tools, and actionable insights for advisors to enhance their digital wealth offerings to their clients. UpSWOT is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This 12-week program will take place in the heart of Arlington, Texas, a hub for technological innovation. With this funding round from the Arlington Economic Development Corporation, The Founders Arena WealthTech Accelerator runs various year-round community programming, including student hackathons, networking events, technical assistance workshops, and more, in partnership with local schools and organizations, including Tarrant County Community College and The University of Texas at Arlington.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our second cohort represents the forefront of WealthTech innovation, with solutions that promise to reshape the industry’s future. As society approaches the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history, the wealth management industry must evolve to meet the digital-first preferences of newer generations. These startups are at the helm of this transformation.”
– Pamela Cytron, President of The Founders Arena
“The global wealth management landscape is ripe for innovation, and The Founders Arena WealthTech Accelerator has demonstrated an ability to identify and grow the next generation of companies that can transform WealthTech. We’re excited to build brave futures and continue building meaningful connections between financial institutions and the program’s startups.”
– Sneha Shah, Head of New Business Ventures at SEI
“The Founders Arena WealthTech Accelerator has brought tremendous innovation and economic vitality to Arlington. As we welcome and celebrate the new cohort of companies, we continue to embrace the spirit of entrepreneurship and technological advancement that defines our city.”
– Marty Wieder, executive director of the Arlington Economic Development Corporation
“We are excited to partner once again with The Founders Arena WealthTech Accelerator as we welcome this second cohort of impressive startups. These companies have already proven they can add value to the wealth management sector, and through the accelerator, they will also be able to have a positive impact on the local ecosystem here in Arlington.”
– Trina Stone, Co-Founder, First Rate
“Republic Capital Group is excited to join as an official partner of The Founders Arena WealthTech Accelerator. We pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve by bringing the very best WealthTech solutions to our clients in the wealth management industry, and our participation in the accelerator will help us do just that.”
– John Langston, CEO, Republic Capital Group
