CNQ Podcast - John Badovinac

In this episode we talk with John Badovinac, whose journey has taken him from Puerto Rico to Cold War Germany, through a successful career in financial technology, and onto some of the most punishing mountain bike trails in America. John grew up in an Army family, but his path to West Point was anything but certain. A chance encounter with a visiting West Point swimmer changed his direction and inspired him to pursue admission to the Academy. Once there, he discovered that life as a cadet was considerably different from the adventures he had imagined in Puerto Rico. John recalls the challenges of Plebe Year, the camaraderie of Army rugby, an unforgettable haircut inspection, and the knee injury that redirected his military ambitions from infantry to field artillery. He went on to serve with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Germany during the final years of the Cold War. After leaving the Army, another chance conversation helped John discover that sales was fundamentally about solving problems. That insight launched a career that eventually brought him into financial technology, where he now works with software companies and entrepreneurs exploring new opportunities, including artificial intelligence and agentic commerce.