Greg Robinson tells WP how the firm has paired startups with advisors to accelerate AI-driven solutions, tackle the historic wealth transfer and reshape client outcomes for generations to come
One year after launching with an ambitious mandate to help shape financial wellness for the next century, Edward Jones’ venture arm is measuring progress less by dollars invested and more by the real-world outcomes it believes innovation can deliver to clients and advisors alike.
Greg Robinson is the principal and head of Edward Jones Ventures and he’s been telling WP that the firm’s approach was never intended to resemble a traditional venture capital strategy.
“When we launched about a year ago, we set a clear vision: We’re not just investing for the sake of returns, we’re investing for the impact these innovations will have on our clients for generations to come,” he said. “Our success is measured by the real-world results we’re creating for clients, financial advisors, and the broader industry.”
Robinson describes significant engagement across Edward Jones’ advisor network. Rather than focusing solely on deployment metrics, the venture operation has emphasized commercialization and participation inside the broader firm.
“As we enter our second year, the Edward Jones Ventures portfolio now includes 15 companies with 10 active commercialization efforts underway, and to date, more than 70% of the firm’s US financial advisors have been engaged through pilots and other activities,” he said.
That engagement reflects what he calls a broader ecosystem strategy designed to connect founders directly with practitioners.
“Edward Jones Ventures has built an ecosystem of innovators, entrepreneurs and industry leaders who are coming together to drive meaningful value creation for our clients, practice teams and the industry as a whole,” he said.
The urgency behind that collaboration is tied to large demographic and industry shifts already underway.
“We view success as accelerating solutions that streamline financial milestones for clients and financial advisors and address major industry shifts, like the $124 trillion wealth transfer that’s underway,” Robinson added.
Lessons from co-creation with advisors
Central to EJV’s model is co-creation by pairing startup founders directly with Edward Jones’ roughly 20,000 advisors. Robinson said the experience has reinforced how critical advisor insight is to building usable technology.
“As the wealth management industry manages more complex client needs, we’ve learned that pairing founders directly with financial advisors is critical to truly understanding the pain points we are working to solve,” he said.
The scale of advisor interaction with clients provides a constant feedback loop.
“Edward Jones’ financial advisors have more than 100,000 client interactions every day,” Robinson noted. “Understanding clients’ needs, wants and wishes — and the tools and technologies financial advisors need to help them achieve their goals — is critical to product development.”
The result, he argues, is faster innovation grounded in practical realities.
“Together, we can accelerate solutions to real issues for real people faster than any of us could do alone, making it possible for more people to achieve financial fulfillment,” he said.
Rethinking the corporate venture model
Robinson believes EJV’s structure distinguishes it from conventional corporate venture capital arms.
“Unlike traditional corporate venture capital arms that primarily deploy capital, Edward Jones Ventures offers multiple ways to engage — investing strategically in emerging technologies, incubating new businesses and piloting solutions — that give us the agility to build solutions where the market hasn’t yet caught up,” he said.
The philosophy, he added, centers on human outcomes rather than technology for its own sake.
“Our philosophy centers on human impact: pairing founders with financial advisors to co-create practical, scalable solutions rooted in real financial advisor and client needs,” Robinson said.
That approach extends to how startups interact with the firm.
“We intentionally focus on cultivating a founder-friendly ecosystem, and we invite startups into the entire process,” he explained. Operating within a partnership-funded structure also allows longer timelines for experimentation. “We provide a massive, real-time test-and-learn environment for founders through our network of 20,000 financial advisors.”
Ultimately, the goal is commercialization at scale.
“We work hard to give every one of our startups the full chance to commercialize across our entire platform and scale.”
What EJV looks for in founders
Selecting companies begins with alignment around mission and adaptability.
“We look for founders who are mission-aligned, deeply curious about financial advisor and client pain points and committed to designing with and for the people they aim to serve,” Robinson said.
He added that responsiveness to advisor insight often determines success.
“Our most successful relationships are those where all parties embrace collaboration and adapt quickly based on financial advisor feedback,” he said. “Above all, we choose teams focused on driving real-world impact.”
Two portfolio companies are already in market, and Robinson said the pace of adoption has exceeded expectations.
“Against the backdrop of the $124 trillion wealth transfer underway, one of the biggest surprises has been the speed and scale that we’ve been able to get these technologies in client hands,” he said.
In one incubation effort, he noted, the timeline from concept to usage moved rapidly.
“In our first incubation, we went from PowerPoint to product usage in less than 240 days,” Robinson said. “When innovation genuinely improves financial advisor client relationships, adoption is both quick and enthusiastic.”
Where the next opportunities lie
With four new investments already completed in 2026, Robinson sees opportunity emerging where financial complexity intersects with new technology capabilities.
“We’re seeing major opportunities in AI-powered financial planning tools to help simplify complex financial moments, like estate settlements, long-term care planning, equity compensation and business ownership, where clients increasingly need both advisor intelligence and artificial intelligence,” he said.
He pointed to Alix, an estate settlement platform, as an example.
“It combines AI-driven automation with a human-led settlement team to guide families through the administrative, tax and legal steps that follow a loss,” Robinson said.
Beyond AI, demographic trends are shaping investment priorities.
“We’re also leaning heavily into technologies and solutions for aging well and longevity, navigating intergenerational wealth transfer, supporting business owners and simplifying taxes,” he added. “These are spaces where financial advisors are hungry for tools and where the right technology can meaningfully improve financial wellness.”
Balancing innovation with a long-term mission
While EJV is moving quickly, Robinson emphasized that experimentation must remain aligned with Edward Jones’ broader client-focused culture.
“Edward Jones is a human-centric, relationship-driven firm,” he said, noting that approach has helped the company grow to $2.5 trillion in assets served across more than nine million clients.
“Our Edward Jones Ventures approach is grounded in disciplined experimentation,” Robinson said. “We run small, fast pilots to validate near-term impact and only scale solutions that clearly support long-term advisor client relationships and financial fulfillment outcomes.”
Technology, in his view, should enhance — not replace — human advice.
“AI and technology are enablers, not replacements for human advice,” he said. “Our balance comes from prioritizing tools that give time back to financial advisors while ensuring innovations remain aligned with our 100-plus-year mission of serving clients more completely.”
That dual mandate shapes EJV’s long-term ambition.
“This dual focus allows us to meet immediate needs while building an enduring ecosystem of solutions that will benefit clients across generations,” Robinson said. “At the end of the day, it’s about helping clients achieve whatever goal or dream they have. If I can make it easier and help you do that — and you get to engage with technology alongside a human that’s always there for you — that’s an incredible value proposition. And that’s where we are hoping to head.”
