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Hallow Turned Ancient Prayer Into a Consumer Habit - Here’s the Playbook and the Catch
The Chicago startup sells no new theology. It sells a better doorway into old rituals - and its mix of habit design, seasonal launches and famous voices has carried a Catholic app to nearly 24 million installs.
Steve Gatena
Steve Gatena is the founder and CEO of Pray.com, the world's #1 app for daily prayer and faith-based audio content. A former NCAA football champion who won a Rose Bowl at USC, he built and sold a fast-growing video agency (REP Interactive) and ran a $150M aerial production company (Helinet) before the death of his business partner in a plane crash redirected his life toward faith. Launched in 2016, Pray.com became a leading destination for prayer, sermons, Bible stories narrated by celebrities, and faith community, raising more than $30M from investors including TPG Growth, Greylock Partners, Spark Capital, and Science Inc. In 2025 Gatena received the LA Times Executive Leadership Award.