3/25/2025

By Kristen Castell

When we set out to build CAFE (Center for Accelerating Financial Equity), we had a vision, but no large budget, no marketing dollars, and no pre-existing structure—just a mission: to advance financial wellness for low-to-moderate-income (LMI) individuals by supporting fintech innovation and partnerships.

In a world where funding often determines the success of new initiatives, we had to take a different approach—one that didn’t rely on financial capital but instead on social capital. Through strategic networking, authentic relationship-building, and a shared mission, we transformed a simple idea into a thriving ecosystem of founders, funders, and industry leaders all working together to shape the future of inclusive finance.

Here’s how it happened—and how you can use the same principles to build something extraordinary.

1. Start with a Mission That People Want to Support

At its core, CAFE was built to address a massive gap in financial services—the lack of solutions tailored to LMI people. While fintech had transformed banking and lending, many innovations weren’t reaching the people who needed them most. Financial access is important for people to achieve what matters most in their lives, like healthcare, housing, education, and family.

To reach our mission, we decided to build programs to help support fintech startups with products in the market that improve financial wellness for LMI people and provide them with the resources and connections needed to scale. We were going to build a nation-wide fintech accelerator program to support fintech companies grow their businesses and impact.

But the vision and plan to execute it alone are not enough. You have to communicate it in a way that inspires people to get involved. Instead of just talking about what we wanted to build, we focused on the WHY—why inclusive finance matters, why innovation is critical, and why collaboration between startups, banks, regulators, and investors is essential.

2. Build a Community Before You Build a Program

Before launching any official CAFE programs, we knew we needed to build a strong support network. That meant identifying and connecting with key players in the fintech ecosystem:

✅ Fintech Founders – Early-stage tech startups working on financial wellness solutions
✅ Banks & Financial Institutions – Partners who could help pilot and scale fintech solutions
✅ Regulators & Policymakers – To ensure compliance and influence industry standards
✅ Investors & Venture Capitalists – To help startups secure funding to grow
✅ Academia & Nonprofits – To provide research, education, talent, and resources

We focused on relationship-building first. The CAFE Managing Director, Advisors and Board leveraged our existing networks from financial services, academia, investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts. We reached out on LinkedIn, attended fintech and finance events, and set up hundreds of short meetings to share the vision and get feedback.

Each conversation led to new introductions, new supporters, and new opportunities. Within months, we had a growing community of industry leaders who wanted to contribute—not because they were getting paid, but because they believed in the mission and our plan to put it into action.

3. Leverage Social Capital to Scale

With no marketing budget, how did CAFE grow from an idea to a nationally recognized fintech accelerator and organization? Through the power of social capital.

🔹 Leveraging Existing Relationships – I started by reaching out to people I had worked with in financial services through the last two decades of my career at large asset management firms. Many were eager to support, whether by mentoring startups, making introductions, or providing strategic advice.

🔹 Creating a Network Effect – As more people got involved, they naturally introduced others who aligned with our mission. This snowballed into a larger network of banks, investors, and leading industry organizations who wanted to participate.

🔹 Tapping into Social Media – Instead of traditional marketing, we relied on LinkedIn, industry forums, and word-of-mouth to spread awareness. Founders, partners, and mentors shared their experiences, which led to organic interest and applications.

The result? 75+ fintech startups from across the U.S. applied to our brand new accelerator program, without a single dollar spent on advertising.

4. Partnerships: The Key to Building Without Big Budgets

One of the biggest lessons I learned in building CAFE is that you don’t need a big budget to create impact—you need the right partnerships.

By forming strategic alliances with organizations that shared our values, we were able to:

💡 Secure Grants & Funding – We won grants and secured sponsorships from industry and government partners, allowing us to scale operations.
💡 Expand Our Reach – Partnering with large financial institutions and industry associations gave us access to broader networks.
💡 Provide Value to Startups – Through our partnerships, we were able to connect fintech founders with potential customers, investors, and regulatory guidance.

One key example was our collaboration with one of the largest prominent bank industry associations in the U.S. Despite being a relatively new nonprofit, we were able to form a partnership because they believed in our mission and saw value in what we were building in the industry and for their member banks.

5. Creating a Culture of Collaboration, Not Competition

One of the most rewarding aspects of CAFE is seeing how founders help each other.

While many fintech startups might be seen as competitors, the reality is that they thrive through collaboration. Founders in our program openly share investor contacts, advice, and even partner on product integrations.

This mindset shift—from competition to co-opetition—is what makes CAFE more than just an accelerator. It’s a community.

By prioritizing relationships over transactions, we’ve built an environment where:
✔ Founders support each other
✔ Mentors and industry leaders genuinely invest their time
✔ Investors and banks see the value in long-term partnerships

Key Takeaways: How You Can Build Something From Nothing

If you’re looking to build your business, a nonprofit, or a new initiative, here are the biggest lessons from our journey building CAFE:

1️⃣ Start with a mission that excites people – Make your “why” clear and compelling.
2️⃣ Build relationships before you build a product or program – Engage potential supporters, partners, and customers early.
3️⃣ Use social capital to scale – Leverage your network, create a ripple effect, and tap into social media platforms, like LinkedIn.
4️⃣ Prioritize partnerships over funding – Strategic collaborations can help you grow without big budgets.
5️⃣ Foster a culture of collaboration – An abundance mindset beats competition every time.

Bottom Line: You don’t need massive funding to build something impactful—you just need the right people, the right message, and the willingness to put in the work. Start today, start with “little victories,” and watch your network grow into something powerful that makes an impact in the world.