In this episode of Preferred Return, we sit down withJack Boudreau, Co-Founder & CEO ofHabits, to explore the challenges and triumphs of building a fintech startup from the ground up. Jack shares his journey from JPMorgan to launching Habits, a platform that connects young professionals with financial advisors, breaking down the barriers to financial guidance. He opens up about the realities of fundraising, the lessons learned from hearing ‘no’ hundreds of times, and how resilience and adaptability have shaped his approach to building Habits.

In this episode you'll learn:

• The Realities of Raising Capital:Jack reveals what it takes to fundraise successfully, from pitching VCs to securing investment from early users.
• Why Financial Planning is Broken for Millennials & Gen Z:Discover how shifting financial habits and trust in digital communities are changing the advisor landscape.
•  The Startup Mentality That Drives Success:Learn why chasing rejection, embracing uncertainty, and staying close to your customers are key to building a company that lasts.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction to Jack Boudreau

(01:13) Raising $1.1M pre-seed with Atlanta Ventures

(03:16) Why trust in finance is shifting to digital communities

(05:25) The rise of YouTube and TikTok as financial educators

(07:16) Leaving JPMorgan: The moment Jack took the leap

(09:31) Spotting an untapped market for financial guidance

(11:18) Bootstrapping Habits to $100K ARR before raising

(13:19) Fundraising realities: Hearing ‘no’ 99 times out of 100

(16:23) Pitching investors at 6:30 AM while on the road

(22:24) How pitching an angel vs. a VC is completely different

(26:28) Learning how to pivot while keeping investors aligned

(30:49) Staying close to customers and evolving the product

(42:41) The mental toll of entrepreneurship and resilience

(53:44) Advice for taking the leap: Chase the hard things

(01:00:32) Why Habits is just getting started

Resources:

• More from Altvia:https://altvia.com/

  
  

  Connect with Jack Boudreau

  💡 LINKEDIN:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack--boudreau/