#45 - Walter Ward III, CEO and Co-Founder at TiiCKER

Join us on this week's episode of the Slice of Finance podcast, hosted by Jared S. Taylor!

Our Guest: Walter Ward III, CEO and Co-Founder at TiiCKER.

What you’ll get out of this episode:

TiiCKER rewards shareholders: Public company investors get perks like discounts and products just for holding shares.
Walter Ward III’s unique journey: From JPMorgan to BlackRock to TiiCKER CEO, Walter blends corporate experience with startup innovation.
AI for effortless investing: TiiCKER’s new tool lets users verify stock ownership via a simple photo of a brokerage statement.
Future of finance is social: Investing behavior is evolving with community, identity, and consumer-brand alignment at the center.
Startup culture insights: Walter critiques traditional fundraising narratives, advocating for human-centered design and thoughtful prioritization.

A Corporate Insider Turned Visionary Leader

Walter Ward III’s path to becoming TiiCKER’s CEO was anything but typical. Raised in Detroit and now based in Atlanta, Walter built a career in financial services, consulting, and executive strategy at firms like JPMorgan, Silicon Valley Bank, and BlackRock. His foray into TiiCKER started serendipitously—as chief of staff to investor relations veteran Jeff Lambert, who birthed the idea for the company. Walter’s deep operational and strategic insight ultimately led him to helm the company full-time.

What Is TiiCKER?

At its core, TiiCKER is a shareholder loyalty platform. It connects retail investors with perks from the public companies they support—be it free pints of Haagen-Dazs for holding Dolphin Entertainment stock or discounted streaming for Lionsgate shareholders. The platform provides tangible benefits for stock ownership, a feature long absent from the market.

TiiCKER uses automation and data intelligence to solve a problem that’s plagued investor relations for years: companies often don't know who their retail investors are. With TiiCKER’s verification tech and demographic insight, brands can personalize perks and even plan IPO strategies more effectively.

Tech Innovation and AI Integration

Walter announced the rollout of an AI tool allowing users to verify stock holdings via image upload—a game-changer for accessibility and user experience. This innovation is a stepping stone to “TiiCKER 3.0,” a UX/UI evolution grounded in empathy and behavioral design.

Culture and Philosophy

Walter is vocal about startup culture. He critiques the industry’s trend of copying well-funded ideas rather than solving real human problems. His leadership philosophy is rooted in design thinking—observing users, reducing friction, and building experiences around real-world behavior.

He draws parallels to Square and Amazon Go as examples of tech designed from daily human interactions. For TiiCKER, this means not just giving perks but building an intuitive, human-centered financial experience.

The Social Investing Era

The future of finance, Walter believes, is social. Investing decisions are increasingly influenced by Reddit, YouTube, and finfluencers. TiiCKER embraces this shift by aligning perks with consumer habits and brand loyalty, making investing not only rewarding but also more relatable.

Looking Ahead

TiiCKER is exploring new revenue streams—including perks funded by brands targeting specific investor groups and early partnerships with pre-IPO companies. This opens doors for private companies to engage potential investors early through lifestyle-oriented perks.

Walter likens his strategic approach to managing "poker chips"—allocating limited time and resources to initiatives with the greatest impact. With a platform rich in monetization possibilities, focus and execution are key to scaling.