From Quant to Clarity: Eugene Yashin’s Journey to Building Holistico’s Human-Centered AI

After two decades at the helm of institutional investing, Eugene Yashin realized that everyday investors were being left behind—confused by jargon, underserved by tools, and caught in the noise of hype-driven apps. That insight sparked Holistico, a platform designed to empower both retail investors and financial advisors with clarity, confidence, and AI-guided insight. In this Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, Eugene shares how building a calm, rigorous alternative to chaotic fintech trends transformed his own path—and why investing in simplicity might just be the boldest strategy of all.

Hi, Eugene! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

At Holistico, we help individual investors and financial advisors build smarter, more resilient portfolios — without the noise or complexity traditionally associated with investing. Our platform combines professional-grade quantitative analysis with the power of AI, wrapped in a user-friendly interface that speaks plain English.
We serve two core audiences:

— Individual investors who want to grow wealth responsibly but feel underserved by flashy, short-term trading apps.
— Financial advisors and RIAs who need robust tools to enhance portfolio design, manage compliance risk, and communicate insights more clearly to clients.

The impact? We simplify investment research, reduce emotional decision-making, and empower people to build lasting wealth with confidence. By translating complex models into actionable recommendations, we’re closing the gap between Wall Street-grade tools and everyday investors.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

That moment came when I realized we weren’t just building a feature — we were creating a framework. Holistico wasn’t an experiment anymore. It was gaining traction, resonating with users, and solving real, painful problems.

When Google expressed interest in our AI-driven approach and began supporting us with cloud infrastructure and Gemini integration, it validated our direction. Our user base grew 5x in three months, and advisors began asking for white-label solutions. But what hit deeper was hearing early users say, “I finally understand my portfolio.” That’s when it became real.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

After spending over two decades in the investment industry — including as a Director of Research for a multi-billion dollar firm and co-founding Signet Financial Management — I saw the same problems over and over. Retail investors were overwhelmed — or drawn into platforms optimized for engagement, not outcomes.

Despite the noise in the fintech space, there wasn’t a solution that combined real financial rigor with an intuitive interface. I knew the platform we had built internally — using multi-factor analysis and quant strategies — could help a much broader audience if paired with AI. That realization was the spark for Holistico.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

Our AI co-pilot, Holi™, has been transformative. She interprets complex financial data — from risk metrics to backtesting simulations — and translates it into plain-language suggestions. Investors can ask things like, “How do I reduce risk in this portfolio?” or “What are the top-rated dividend stocks right now?” and Holi™ responds with clarity and context.
It’s more than automation — it’s intelligence with guidance. This is what makes Holistico more than a portfolio analysis tool; it’s your full investment cycle co-pilot.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

One of our early oversights was launching without any onboarding at all. When new users logged into Holistico, they were dropped directly into a powerful dashboard full of macroeconomic trends, portfolio analysis tools, and quant insights. While technically impressive, it was overwhelming, especially for those just beginning their investment journey.

We assumed the product’s excellence would drive adoption. It didn’t. Users couldn’t get to that “aha” moment fast enough. Many explored briefly, then dropped off. The engagement data made it clear: we needed to rethink how we greet new users the moment they log in.

That’s when we introduced a structured onboarding flow that begins with a simple question — “What brings you to Holistico?” From there, users choose a goal (like retirement, portfolio analysis, or long-term investing) and are guided step-by-step through setting up their portfolio, assessing risk, and planning ahead. The process ends with a smart investment snapshot and a first experience with our AI assistant, Holi™.

It taught us that value isn’t just in what a product can do — it’s in how intuitively users can reach that value. A good tool explains itself; a great tool walks beside you.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

We embraced what most platforms try to avoid — the so-called “boring” fundamentals of investing. While many fintech apps lean into gamification and short-term hype, we deliberately went in the opposite direction: clarity, discipline, and long-term investing.

Those boring concepts do not need to be boring. They’re actually not boring if you realize that they will make you money in the long run.
That mindset shaped how we built Holistico — from our interface to the way our AI assistant Holi™ communicates. We avoid financial buzzwords, flashy charts, and dopamine-driven design. Instead, we focus on giving users a calm, intuitive experience that leads to real insight. That contrarian positioning helps us cut through the noise and attract users who are serious about investing, not just trading.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

Think of entrepreneurship like building a long-term portfolio — the best returns come from focusing on what you know, what you believe in, and what you’re willing to hold through volatility.

Too often, early-stage founders chase the equivalent of market fads — jumping from idea to idea, hoping one pops. But just like in investing, your best compound gains come from alignment: doing something you’re genuinely good at, that energizes you, and that solves a real problem.

That combination doesn’t just drive traction — it gives you staying power. In business, as in investing, time in the market matters more than timing the market.

Want to dive deeper into Eugene's work? Find out more in the links below:

• Visit Holistico's website holisticoinvest.com
• Subscribe to Holistico's YouTube channel
• Follow Holistico on LinkedIn
• Find Holistico on Facebook 
• Follow Holistico on X @holisticoinvest
• Find Holistico on Reddit r/holisticoinvest