Fiat Growth Newsletter #7

Community as a Growth Engine

Hey it’s Fiat!

Welcome to the Fiat Growth Newsletter. This issue takes 7 minutes to read, but here’s the quick rundown if you’re in a hurry:

• Community as a Growth Engine: How Fiat hosted 16 curated events and turned them into 16 deals—proving that niche communities drive deeper connections and growth.

• Pro-Tips for Event Success: From RSVPs to swag, learn the five essentials that make every event seamless and impactful.

  Looking ahead, we’re doubling down on in-person experiences in 2025 to activate and scale our fintech community.

Happy reading!

This issue is brought to you by Fiat Finance.

Community as a Growth Engine

How Fiat Turned 16 Events into a Growth Engine

In the last six months, Fiat has hosted 16 hyper-curated events that have confirmed one thing: niche communities drive deeper, more meaningful connections. While mega-conferences like Money20/20 and Fintech Meetup remain valuable, smaller, tailored gatherings have proven to create unmatched opportunities for trust-building and collaboration.

Our Thesis:
Halfway through the year, our marketing team recognized an untapped opportunity: doubling down on in-person events. Fiat had always hosted in-person gatherings, but they were tied to massive conferences like Money20/20 or SXSW. While these events delivered incredible value, they also required significant operational lifts.

The insight? We realized the lift was worth it. The connections, leads, and loyalty gained through curated, intimate events couldn’t be ignored.

We committed to activating Fiat’s niche community with more frequent, high-impact experiences. These events were designed to create authentic relationships with customers, partners, and industry peers.

At Fiat, our ecosystem spans Fiat Growth, Fiat Ventures, Fiat Finance, and Fiat Advisors—all united in scaling the fintech space. Our ICP includes growth executives, VCs, and fintech founders, from seed to public companies. With this focus, we leaned into what we do best: connecting the fintech world through meaningful in-person experiences.

What We Did:
We restructured internally, transitioning Adrian Hunter, GM of Fiat Advisors, into a Head of Platform role to lead this initiative. The mission was clear: prioritize community activation and engagement over immediate revenue.

Key Initiatives:

• Strategic Partnerships: Collaborated with top fintech brands like Brex, Puzzle, Carta, Mercury, Mastercard, and Stifel Venture Banking to amplify event impact.

• Intimate, High-Impact Events: Hosted dinners with fewer than 15 attendees and happy hours capped at 50 participants to foster authentic, 1:1 connections.

• Curated Experiences: Every event was tailored to its audience, ensuring attendees left with actionable value and memorable experiences.

The Logistics:
Operating with lean budgets of $2,000–$5,000 per event, we proved impactful experiences don’t require massive spending. Each event was meticulously curated, with a focus on creating spaces where meaningful conversations thrived.

The Results:
The numbers demonstrate the power of this approach:

• 45 warm leads directly generated. These weren’t cold contacts—they were advanced-stage leads, cutting down the sales cycle significantly.

• 16 deals closed in just six months. These wins highlight the trust and relationships built through our events.

$100,000+ pipeline impact per event, proving the long-term value of investing in community-driven strategies.

Why It Worked:

1. Personalized Engagement: Small, focused events enabled deeper connections and alignment on shared goals.

2. Community-Centric Design: By emphasizing quality over quantity, we created a reputation for events that fintech leaders prioritized attending.

Value Over Volume: Attendees knew they’d leave with actionable insights or valuable relationships, eliminating the uncertainty of ROI.

Takeaway:
Communities are no longer defined by size but by the quality of their connections. For early-stage B2B companies, building niche communities isn’t just smart—it’s a competitive advantage.

How Can You Apply This Strategy?

• Focus on Impact: Host smaller, highly intentional events that prioritize depth over breadth.

• Leverage Partnerships: Collaborate with complementary brands to co-host, pay or co-pay and expand your reach.

• Curate the Experience: Tailor every detail to ensure attendees leave with value.

• Measure What Matters: Track warm leads and pipeline acceleration, not just head counts.

Pro-Tips

1. Use Lu.ma for RSVP and logistics management—simple and stress-free.

2. Hire a photographer to capture moments for follow-ups and social media.

3. Choose hats for swag—easy, one-size-fits-all, and always appreciated.

4. Ask about dietary restrictions to make everyone feel included.

5. Assign one organizer to own the event; avoid chaos.

Looking ahead, our goal for 2025 is to double the number of events we hosted in 2024. For B2B companies, the future isn’t just about building communities—it’s about creating transformative experiences that activate them.

That’s all for this edition. Cheers!

Fiat Growth Team