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In an industry often geared toward individual and family financial planning, Jason Early, CEO and Co-Founder of RISR, is charting a new course—one designed specifically for advisors working with business owners. At the 2025 Future Proof Festival, Early shared his vision, the story of RISR’s founding, and the unique features that make this company a rising star in advisor technology.
The Inspiration Behind RISR: Connecting the Dots
Early's journey is a testament to recognizing unmet needs within the advisory sector. “I think it's a Steve Jobs quote that says, you know, you can only connect the dots looking backwards. I think that's certainly true for the founding of RISR,” he reflected. Early launched his career working closely with business owners at a Philadelphia-based advisory firm. “I had a front row seat to watching great advisors give advice to business owners,” he explained, noting how this experience revealed both the potential and the shortcomings in how owners are served by advisors.
A decade spent in fintech and as the president of the first business valuation platform in the space further solidified his conviction. According to Early, it became clear that “the market was screaming at us to build advisor-relevant, specific financial planning software for business owners.” This understanding, coupled with demographic trends—an aging wave of business owners seeking to transact or transition—drove the creation of RISR. Advisors needed “better tools and technology,” and Early and his team answered that call.
Understanding the Business Owner Challenge
Advising business owners goes far beyond portfolio management; it requires deep insight into a client’s primary asset—their business. Early put it bluntly: “Business owners have a million challenges, specific to financial planning, succession, and exit planning … they've got a real data problem.” Unlike other assets, business ownership data is often “disparate and disorganized,” which historically made it difficult for advisors to see the full picture and provide tailored guidance.
RISR’s solution is a three-pronged platform: data capture, insights, and client-ready deliverables. “Utilizing technology, you can aggregate and reanalyze that data and surface the relevant insights for the owners across key areas like valuation, wealth, risk, and then succession and exit,” Early explained. This means that instead of treating a business generically on a balance sheet, advisors can deliver clarity and actionable advice in the context the owner cares about most.
Empowering Advisors: Relevance is Everything
What sets RISR apart isn't simply the software—it’s the philosophy woven into every feature. “The biggest differentiator … is like a core belief of ours, which is we believe deeply in the advisor part of financial advice,” said Early. Every element of RISR’s user experience and deliverable is scrutinized for relevance: “It has to really hit on two vectors, meaning the business owner has to care about it, and the advisor has to want to talk about it.”
This “relevance in every word, every experience” is what launches meaningful planning conversations. RISR doesn’t just pull together numbers; it equips advisors to address topics that bridge business value, personal goals, and generational transitions. For advisors aiming to stand out in an increasingly competitive market, this ability to lead nuanced, individualized conversations is now mission-critical.
Strategic Partnerships and Market Momentum
The rapid adoption of RISR by leading financial institutions speaks to market demand. “All of financial services is starting to surround the business owner,” Early observed. Major firms are “looking at the game on the field, and they're saying, we need to empower our advisors. And that means with education, and that means with better tools and technology.”
This industry-wide awakening isn’t just transformative for business owners—it's a wake-up call for advisors. As Early points out, “Every wealth manager on the planet wants to manage those assets when they get liquid. But if you wait until they transact, you're way too late. So you've got to be there now providing advice.”
The Risks of Not Adopting Specialized Tools
The evolution in technology for financial advisors has brought a proliferation of bundled “wealth tech” tools, but Early sees RISR’s niche focus as essential: “You're starting to see the rise of these … vertical-focused SaaS businesses that address certain problems. All of those problems matter.” The risk in ignoring this shift, he warns, is missing the biggest wealth transfer opportunity for business clients. Advisors who lack specialized platforms “are not going to be there, when the demographics happen and all these businesses transact and transition.”
Shaping the Next Era of Advisory Services
Looking ahead, Early’s enthusiasm is unmistakable. “We've got the right team going at the right problem, at the right time,” he said, highlighting the launch of RISR’s new succession and exit planning deliverable. Now, “with RISR, you can deliver tailored custom succession and exit plans to business owners.”
The true differentiator? Empathy and engagement. “If you can get out of the owner, their goals, hopes, and dreams, you can present them with a plan and a guide that lays that out. So that's what we're here to empower and give advisors a fighting chance to get that data out of the owner and then present them with a path forward.”
The Human Side: Grit, Growth, and Having Fun
For Early, success isn’t just measured in software features or institutional partnerships. It’s about the journey—with all its challenges and rewards. “It's as hard as you could ever imagine … but I wake up most days going, I can't believe I get to do this. And it's incredible. So, yeah, we're having a blast. We've got such an incredible team and we're having a hell of a lot of fun.”
Key Takeaways for Advisors
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RISR was born from lived experience, a deep belief in advisor relevance, and a recognition of the untapped potential in business owner clients.
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The platform’s data aggregation, actionable insights, and deliverable tools are engineered for business owner planning needs.
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Strategic timing, partnerships, and a strong advisor-centric philosophy make RISR a must-watch for firms looking to capture business owner wealth and retain multi-generational relationships.
Business owners are the next great client segment. Advisors ready to move beyond generic solutions—and connect with owners on what matters most—now have a purpose-built ally in RISR. As Early’s own journey shows, connecting the dots sometimes means creating them.
Want to learn more about how RISR can deepen your client conversations and practice value? Visit risr.com and join the movement now reshaping business owner financial advice.
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