At the T3 Conference in New Orleans, Softlab360 CEO Henry Zelikovsky joined advisors, fintech leaders and media to talk about what really matters in advisor technology right now: integration, AI, and owning your data.
Executive Summary:
The next phase of wealthtech will be driven by AI layered on top of clean data, strong integrations, and advisor judgment.
- Softlab360 CEO Henry Zelikovsky left the T3 2026 conference with a reinforced focus for RIAs: prioritize integration, practical AI, and true data ownership.
- Henry highlights the power of applying AI and machine learning to long-term portfolio history so firms can better understand how strategies perform and why.
- One theme running through the conversations is the need for robust “bridges” and data lakes that consistently move information across platforms and provide both advisors and AI with a trustworthy data foundation.
- Calls out recurring pain points: weak CRM-portfolio alignment and inconsistent data standards. Explains how better data quality makes AI agents more reliable.
Across three interviews and dozens of conversations, Henry’s message was consistent: advisors do not need more disconnected features; they need cleaner data, better integration logic, and AI tools that support, not replace, human judgment.
AI Everywhere, but Applied Carefully
Henry’s T3 reflections describe a conference where AI was front and center, including an “AI University” day and vendor demos focused on assistants, note-taking, meeting prep, proposal generation, and onboarding automation.
He also noted what was mostly missing: meaningful use of long-term, historical data to improve portfolio decisions. That remains an underused but high-potential area where machine learning can help advisors understand how strategies performed over time and why.
Integration IS the Real Foundation
If AI was the headline, integration was the through-line. Henry returned repeatedly to a simple point: firms only get value from their tech stack when data can move consistently and with purpose between systems.
In different conversations, he described Softlab360’s role as designing the “bridges” and logic that let portfolio, CRM, and trading platforms share data without constant manual intervention — turning scattered information into a unified operational view.
Why Data Ownership Matters
In his goRIA OnLocation interview with host Chuck Failla, Henry emphasized the importance of data lakes as a way for RIAs to control their information outside individual platforms, especially during transitions from banks, broker-dealers, or legacy tech.
He stressed that even smaller or emerging firms benefit from creating an independent copy of core account, position, ownership, and transaction data so future platform changes are faster and less disruptive.
Media Highlights from T3:
Wealth Management: Integration with a Human Purpose
In the Wealth Management interview with host Shannon Rosic, Henry unpacked why integration remains a pain point and how Softlab360 helps unify “islands” of technology into a coherent data foundation.
They also discussed how Softlab360 applies machine learning and modern language models to decades of portfolio data, generating digital insights and then explaining them in everyday language — while keeping advisors as the final decision-makers and the “humans in the loop.”
Watch the full interview here.
Maximizer Podcast: Is your CRM Telling the Whole Truth?
On the Maximizer podcast, hosted by Alex Ackermans, Henry explored why CRM and portfolio systems often do not align and how CRM tools have historically been light on portfolio accounting data.
He highlighted the need for better standards, validation, and data classification so firms can trust the client picture they see, and so AI agents have a reliable foundation instead of fragmented or conflicting inputs.
Listen to the full episode here.
goRIA OnLocation: Future‑Proofing with Data Lakes
In his goRIA OnLocation conversation, Henry defined integrations as the logic that connects the multiple tools RIAs subscribe to and explained why a neutral data lake or similar store is crucial as data moves between them.
He discussed that owning a consistent, platform‑independent version of firm data helps advisors future‑proof major transitions and switch to “better mousetraps” without starting from scratch each time.
Catch the full interview here.
T3 SocialCam
In his T3 SocialCam segment, Henry reflected on day three of the conference and the uniquely structured debut of AI University, which he describes as especially valuable for helping advisors understand AI conceptually, whether they have it before or not. He highlighted the rapid emergence of agentic AI across note-taking, calendering, meeting prep, and portfolio management, while cautioning that the learning curve can feel high for those just entering the space, which is why he urges advisors to treat AI as a conversational partner, build their prompting skills, and steadily refine how they ask questions to get better outcomes overtime.
Henry also reinforced a core Softlab360 theme: as AI evolves, integration will be the key that plugs richer context into these systems so they can explain results, suggest actions, and ultimately deliver more tangible benefits when advisors design portfolios, revalue positions, shift themes, and articulate their value to clients.
T3 Hot & Happening Podcast
Henry’s T3 Hot & Happening Podcast interview digs into how advisory firms can turn messy, fragmented data into clean, unified intelligence that actually powers AI in day-to-day workflows. He explains that most firms are sitting on a mountain of data that is not structured or connected enough to be useful, and emphasizes the need for strong data foundations such as consistent schemas, integration across planning and portfolio systems, and auditable reporting, to make AI reliable rather than risky. Throughout the discussion, he reinforces that AI should serve as a practical copilot for advisors, not a replacement, and that real transformation depends as much on human adoption and behavior as it does on the underlying technology.
Listen to the full episode here.
Looking ahead
T3 2026 reinforced that the next phase of wealthtech will not be driven by AI in isolation, but by AI combined with clean data, thoughtful integration, and advisor judgment.
For Softlab360, that means continuing to partner with RIAs and fintech providers on the integration architecture, data foundations, and intelligent workflows that make new tools genuinely useful in day‑to‑day advisory work.
