The Founder of Ancestry.com Reveals the Future of AI Coaching | Paul Allen
The Founder of Ancestry.com Reveals the Future of AI Coaching | Paul Allen  
Podcast: The Entrepreneur DNA
Published On: Fri Mar 27 2026
Description: In this episode, Justin sits down with visionary founder Paul Allen, the mind behind Ancestry.com, to unpack the real lessons behind building, scaling, and exiting a billion-dollar company—and why the future of entrepreneurship will be radically different. Paul shares his unconventional journey from academia to entrepreneurship, revealing how a background in education and information systems led him to build one of the most recognizable platforms in the world. He dives into the early days of digitizing knowledge before Google existed, the creation of Ancestry.com, and the overlooked opportunity of MyFamily.com—a platform that could have rivaled Facebook. The conversation then shifts into powerful entrepreneurial lessons, including the importance of specificity in marketing, why most founders fail to think through ownership and exits, and how networking at the right events can completely change your trajectory. Paul also opens up about stepping down as CEO too early and the long-term impact of that decision. But the most important part of this episode is the future. Paul introduces SOAR AI Studio, a groundbreaking approach to bridging the gap between knowledge and action. He explains why “knowledge is no longer power—applied knowledge is,” and how AI is about to revolutionize coaching, sales, leadership, and personal development by giving real-time, judgment-free feedback. About Paul Allen: Paul Allen is a serial entrepreneur, technology pioneer, and the co-founder and former CEO of Ancestry.com, the world’s largest genealogy platform. He began his entrepreneurial journey by digitizing books onto CD-ROM through his company Infobases, which later evolved into Ancestry.com—helping over 100 million people discover their family history. Over his career, Paul has founded multiple high-growth, mission-driven companies, including MyFamily.com and FamilyLink, with products that reached tens of millions of users worldwide. He also served as the Global Strengths Evangelist at Gallup, helping scale the CliftonStrengths (StrengthsFinder) framework to millions of people across the globe. Today, Paul is the Founder and CEO of SOAR, where he is focused on leveraging AI to bridge the gap between knowledge and action—helping individuals and organizations perform at their highest level and unlock human potential at scale. Connect with Paul Allen SOAR Website: https://try.soar.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com (search “Paul Allen Ancestry SOAR”) About Justin: Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The Science of Flipping podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur with over and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience. Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence. Connect with Justin: Instagram: @thejustincolby YouTube: Justin Colby TikTok: @justincolbytsof LinkedIn: Justin Colby Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.