Guide · Choosing a partner
How to choose a fintech growth partner.
Choose a fintech growth partner on proof in your category, the seniority of the people who will actually do the work, how they measure success, and whether they can help with what comes after the first channel. Generalist agencies can run campaigns; fewer understand how financial products are bought, regulated and retained.
Have they grown a company like yours?
Ask for case studies in your product category and at your stage, with numbers. A partner who has run affiliate for a neobank, partnerships for an insurer or paid media for a lender has already learned what you would otherwise pay to learn.
Who will actually do the work?
Meet the people on your account, not just the people in the pitch. Senior operators who have run growth inside fintech companies will spot problems a junior media buyer won't.
How will they measure success?
Agree on outcomes that matter to the business, such as funded accounts, approved applications, CAC and payback, rather than clicks or leads. Ask what benchmarks they will measure you against and where those benchmarks come from.
Do they understand financial-services compliance?
Ask how they handle disclosures, partner placements and ad review for regulated products. The answer tells you whether they have done this before.
What happens after the first channel works?
Every growth curve flattens. The best partners help you see the next stage coming: the next channel, the hires to take work in-house, and what the numbers need to look like before your next raise.
Agency, in-house, or fractional?
An agency fits a defined channel you want run well. An in-house team fits once a channel is proven and core to the business. A fractional growth team sits in between: senior strategy and execution now, with a plan to hand the work to your own hires.