Have you ever watched two people reconnect after fifteen years and realized they were in the same room because of something you helped create? I have.
It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t the goal. But it quietly shifted how I think about building a community.
Let me get to that in a moment.
Eight months ago, we started wondering ‘why does networking in finance feel so transactional’?
Most events felt formal, surface-level, and often sales-driven. We weren’t sure what the alternative looked like but we knew something was missing. A space where finance professionals could actually connect, without anyone pitching anything to them.
So, we decided to build one.
The filter for every decision
From the very beginning, everything we did was shaped by one core principle filter: Does this add value?
If it didn’t help finance professionals in any way, we didn’t do it. That principle became the foundation of everything that followed.
It started with a simple idea: good chai and better conversations
The first step was ChAI with Alaan - a gathering of thirty people in Finance, talking over chai about AI, finance, and everything in between. We weren’t sure what to expect, but what happened in that room was special. People didn’t just attend - they stayed back, exchanged ideas, and had conversations that went beyond their day-to-day work. You could feel the warm energy in the room. That’s when we knew this was more than just an event, it was the start of a community.
How it’s grown
In just eight months, our community has grown into something that feels real, built by people in finance showing up for one another. From quiet, thoughtful circles to rooms buzzing with conversations, each event has created space for learning and support.
We also launched the Chief Future Officer series, where CFOs have shared their journeys, leadership advice, and personal stories of navigating challenges.
But we didn’t want those conversations to end when the events did or when the last question was asked.
So we started FinTalk- an online community where these people could actually talk to each other. Ask, share and support in real time.
Later, we built the Job Vault, not as a job board, but as a quiet way to open doors for people in this network and connect them with opportunities that rarely make it to Linkedin.
And we’ve been adding to it ever since.
Here’s a quick look at what we’ve built together so far
2,000+ finance professionals in the community
20+ events hosted
1 shared goal: to help each other grow
This is why we do it
The numbers are a great way to measure how far we’ve come, but the moment that made it all feel worth it wasn’t in a chart or a dashboard. It was the one I mentioned at the beginning.
It happened at one of our events, when Fouad and Ahmed crossed paths. They go way back, but life got in the way and they hadn’t seen each other in over fifteen years. Somehow, they ended up in the same room at ChAI with Alaan. Not planned, just pure coincidence.
Watching them reconnect, not just politely, but with real joy, it hit me.
We hadn’t just created a platform for finance conversations, we created a space where things like that could happen. Where people could show up as more than what their titles were.
It made me stop thinking about “community” as something we build, and start thinking of it as something we make space for.
The right room, the right energy, and the right people. That’s when you really see things shifting.
From an idea to a loved community
Every time we see a wave of sign-ups or hear from someone who left feeling more connected, it’s a reminder of why we started.
To those who’ve been part of this, thank you. And to those just finding us, we’d love to have you.
We set out to create events that weren’t packed with pitches and surface-level small talk.
And somewhere along the way, it became something more, a space where people could show up, feel welcome, and leave a little better for it.
And to us, that feeling is quite like hearing: “I’m home.”
