Hallow CEO Says Founders Need to Be Part of Something Bigger Than Themselves

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Hallow is the primary Catholic prayer and meditation app on the earth with over 12 million downloads. And after a surge in downloads following its Tremendous Bowl advert, it took the highest spot on Apple’s App Retailer throughout all apps.

The corporate has raised a complete of $105 million so far, thanks, largely, to the blood, sweat, and tears of co-founder and CEO Alex Jones. On this episode of The CEO Sequence, we visited Hallow’s headquarters to talk with Jones about all issues enterprise, management, and religion. Under are some highlights from that highly effective dialog which have been edited for size and readability.

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Divine inspiration

“Hallow is a prayer and meditation app for anyone trying to develop nearer to God. Its origin goes again to my religion journey. I used to be raised Catholic however fell away from my religion in highschool and school. After I graduated, I acquired actually into meditation. I discovered these apps that had simply launched, Headspace and Calm, and I began utilizing them every single day and I beloved them. However each time I’d meditate, my thoughts would oddly really feel pulled in the direction of one thing religious, like a picture of the cross. So I began reaching out to clergymen, pastors, and people I knew from Notre Dame and requested what I assumed was a extremely fascinating query: Is there any manner that there is some type of intersection between this religion factor and this meditation factor? And so they just about all laughed at me and mentioned, “Yeah, we have been doing it for 2000 years. It is known as prayer!” And that modified my life. I knew I wanted to do that. I knew code just a little bit so we constructed the primary model and went from there. The app has helped me develop tremendously in my very own spirituality, which has been phenomenal.”

One thing greater than themselves

“My cousin handed away when he was 45. He died in his sleep randomly. He had simply gotten married and his spouse was pregnant with their first child. His mother, who’s my aunt, was clearly heartbroken. We had simply launched the app and she or he despatched us a notice that I’ve saved to today. It mentioned, ‘I truthfully did not suppose I would be capable of make it by my first Christmas with out my son and I simply need you to know that these little meditations on the app are the one factor that is jogged my memory that I can have hope and that I can get out mattress and keep it up on this deep time of a ache.’ And I identical to broke down crying on the ground in my tiny little studio condo.”

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The challenges of fundraising

“The fundraising factor is tremendous irritating for any CEO as a result of it’s loopy arduous, particularly in right this moment’s world. If you do the seed spherical, you haven’t any actual numbers to talk of. It is simply your individual story. And individuals are simply judging you and also you’re questioning your self. Do they like our idea? Are you sitting up straight sufficient? Are you trying within the eyes? Do I like this man? I had roughly 80 conferences within the first two weeks, simply pitching continuously. I keep in mind I went again to my studio condo after listening to no after no — individuals principally telling me that the core of who I’m is silly and this concept isn’t going to work. It was so heavy. I used to be so burdened. My coronary heart was in ache. My again had all these knots in it. I began praying and I mentioned, ‘God, look, that is an excessive amount of. I am unable to do that. I am performed. I am unable to take this weight.’ After which I used to be like, ‘I am gonna make a cope with you. I promise if this factor works out, you are all the time gonna get the credit score. I am by no means gonna trick myself into considering I am some profitable startup CEO who figured all these items out. It was all you.’ That huge weight instantly lifted and the following day we went for a pitch assembly at a espresso store with this man and he gave us a time period sheet. And we then get like three, 4 extra the following day. It was simply God being like, ‘Simply wait.’ I simply wanted to give up.”