The Albany Gazette - Vero Technologies Hosts Second NextGen Leadership Dinner in Dallas, Bringing Together Over 25 Emerging Asset Finance Leaders

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / April 15, 2026 / Vero Technologies, a financial technology platform built for asset and wholesale finance, hosted the second installment of its NextGen Leadership in Asset Finance Dinner Series on March 11, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Co-hosted with Accend, the evening brought together more than 25 rising professionals from across the vehicle finance, equipment finance, commercial lending, and financial technology sectors for a night of peer-to-peer dialogue and relationship building.

The Dallas dinner followed the series' inaugural event in Atlanta last fall, which drew participants from major captive lenders, banks, and specialty finance companies. The program was designed with a specific purpose: to create space for the next generation of industry leaders to connect outside their own organizations, share real experiences, and build the kind of cross-company relationships that traditional conferences rarely produce.

Attendees in Dallas represented captive finance companies, banks, fintechs, and financial services firms, spanning a wide range of roles, experience levels, and geographic backgrounds. The evening's roundtable discussion was facilitated by Marguerite Watanabe, Principal of Connections Insights Consulting and a recognized industry connector in asset finance and was structured around round-the-table sharing sessions and paired discussion topics that were then opened to the full group.

Discussion topics ranged from the practical to the personal, covering AI adoption and its impact on day-to-day workflows, legacy technology modernization, mentorship, effective communication and influence, emotional intelligence, delegation, work-life balance, managing generational differences in the workplace, and the role companies play in employee well-being. AI was the most discussed topic of the evening, with attendees sharing concrete examples of how they are already using AI tools in credit analysis, collections, performance reviews, and inbox management, while also grappling with questions about job displacement and the irreplaceable value of human relationships.

"The best ideas rarely live within the four walls of a single organization," said John Mizzi, Co-Founder and CEO of Vero Technologies. "This dinner series is about giving rising leaders a room where they can talk openly with peers who face similar challenges in different settings. The conversations in Dallas were proof that when you put the right people together in the right environment, you get something valuable that a panel discussion or keynote simply can't replicate."

The evening closed with a discussion on the difference between traditional networking and what the group called "net weaving" - a shift from asking what someone can do for you to asking what you can offer them. From the icebreaker exercise to the closing remarks, the program was built around that idea: pushing attendees toward sharing knowledge, making introductions, and investing in relationships that go beyond a business card exchange.

"What stood out in Dallas was how quickly the room moved past surface-level conversation," said Jason Bartz, VP of Partnerships at Vero Technologies. "Typical industry events tend to focus on the C-suite perspective, but the people shaping these organizations day to day have their own set of challenges and insights worth hearing. We're building something that goes well beyond a single evening: a network these leaders can lean on for years."

Every conversation in Dallas came back to AI, and my takeaway is that the technology is the easy part. The harder part is building the judgment to know when to trust it and that's something you only learn from the people sitting around a table like this one," said Pranjal Daga, Co-Founder and CEO of Accend. "The next generation of asset finance leaders won't be defined by who adopts AI first, but by who adopts it most thoughtfully.

Following the dinner, attendees were connected through a private LinkedIn group and received a summary of key themes and takeaways from the evening's discussion. The next installment of the NextGen Dinner Series is slated for late April in Indianapolis, continuing the program's expansion across major asset finance markets.

About Vero Technologies

Vero provides an end-to-end SaaS and servicing platform designed to streamline wholesale, supply chain, rental and fleet financing. The modular platform supports every function across a lender's organization with process automation, analytics, and workflow management systems. Vero enables lenders to grow efficiently, reduce manual work, and enhance borrower experiences.

About Accend

Accend is an AI-powered platform transforming credit and underwriting for modern financial institutions. By leveraging advanced machine learning and automation, Accend helps lenders make faster, more accurate credit decisions while reducing operational complexity.

To learn more, visit www.vero-technologies.com | www.withaccend.com

Contact: Jason Bartz, [email protected], 404-383-7048

SOURCE: Vero Finance Technologies

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(K.Lee--TAG)