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Wesley is CEO and Co-Founder of Sola Insurance based in Atlanta, GA. Wesley comes from a tech background and jumped into the insurance industry at a flood insurance startup where he was tasked with working on the data side with private and FEMA flood maps. Realizing this data was telling us exactly where the damage is, Wesley became obsessed with how data can be used to automatically trigger an insurance claim payout. Sola is starting with supplemental tornado coverage for homeowners but plans to expand into every type of natural disaster to help people cover their deductible and immediate expenses. Sola has already been approved in 15 states as the first ever admitted personal lines parametric product, is fully reinsured through Lloyd's of London, and has partnered with hundreds of insurance agencies across the Midwest and Southeast. Highlights from the Show Sola Insurance is a new class of financial insurance products that helps homeowners cover their deductible and immediate expenses after natural disaster events Sola is developing new products that pay period faster and more transparently so they can get back on their feet Right after a disaster, there's an immediate need for assistance while you wait for a traditional claim to get handled (even if it's handled quickly) Deductibles have increased across many lines of insurance, with homeowners choosing $2,500 deductibles twice as frequently just over four years ago, which is more than most Americans have saved for emergencies Many homeowners policies or coverages within them have significantly higher deductibles, like for wind or quake The pressure to increase deductibles is only getting worse, as discussed in this WSJ article we mentioned The cost of capital and providing insurance for carriers is going up, with 30% increases in reinsurance The initial product is a Tornado parametric coverage, which is the first time a startup has launched an admitted parametric product They have capacity from Beazley and fronting from Spinnaker They've just had their first two claims after the Hendersonville tornado outside of Nashville, Tennessee, and paid both within 60 hours of the tornado touching down They see this as complementary to existing coverage, and have seen a lot of interest and support from independent agents who are looking for ways to create coverage to fill in for increasing deductibles to keep insurance affordable With the original HO policy developed in the 1950s, Sola is trying to create solutions for what risk looks like today Their next priority is Wind & Hail, which is segmented out on traditional HO policies and is a frequent cause of loss Wesley started Sola in the Global Insurance Accelerator in 2021 and is young, along with his co-founders, and they haven't let that stop them or slow them down in an industry where tenure and tradition continue to carry weight Wesley credits a two things with their success despite their age: An innate sense of curiosity, which helped him to really get into the issues at hand and stay open to learning People can't deny the work that you've done, so the team has ensured they keep delivering and proving themselves, balancing the need to spend time building relationships with delivering tangible milestones and results This episode is brought to you by The Future of Insurance book series (future-of-insurance.com) from Bryan Falchuk. Follow the podcast at future-of-insurance.com/podcast for more details and other episodes. Music courtesy of Hyperbeat Music, available to stream or download on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music and more.
Tony chats with Sheldon Ohringer about the Global Insurance Accelerator and his new operation "How to Buy your 1st Business".Sheldon Ohringer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldon-s-ohringer-3985565/Video Version: https://youtu.be/hmawpfaNhT4
The Global Insurance Accelerator started in 2014 with a mission to drive innovation through the insurance industry. It was formed as a partnership between insurance carriers, innovation leaders, and local governmental leaders in Des Moines. Their goal was to bring a program to the industry that would combine mentor-led programming and early-stage capital to truly accelerate the best founders in the industry. And since ideas and founders could come from anywhere and anyone, the GIA has brought in founders from all over the world in the years since, attracting founders from five continents and invested over $3 million in early-stage insurtech companies. Today, with successful founder exits and an eye for growth in the future, the GIA is ready for the next decade, to bring innovation to the insurance industry through partnerships between companies, mentors, founders, and investors. Dan joined in 2022 as Managing Director. Prior to the GIA, he held roles in innovation, management and strategy, finance, and operations within a number of industries. Dan has an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business. Highlights from the Show This episode is brought to you by The Future of Insurance Volume III. The Collaborators, part of the Future of Insurance thought leadership series (future-of-insurance.com) from Bryan Falchuk. Follow the podcast at future-of-insurance.com/podcast for more details and other episodes. Music courtesy of Hyperbeat Music, available to stream or download on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music and more.
Daniel McChesney, MD is the Founder and CEO of TripDoctor, pioneering digital health insurance and health care access for expats and nomads. As a world traveler and long-time expat, he saw an opportunity to improve the healthcare access issues of his fellow expats and nomads through better insurance products. Expat insurance is a much larger market than travel insurance, a market of $25B where the rate of Americans moving abroad having tripled since the pandemic. TripDoctor is responding to that demand with an insurtech that makes expat healthcare simple, acting as a digital broker with access to the best plans and doctors for expats in their country-of-choice. TripDoctor is a graduate of the Global Insurance Accelerator. The company's mission is to make expat healthcare simple, affordable, and accessible, and to improve the quality of life for expats. In the longer-term, the company will help drive down the cost of care by keeping people out of the emergency department and utilizing more telehealth and outpatient visits. TripDoctor understands the local market policy standards and costs of care and expats situation, coupling them to products that make sense in that market, and connecting them with the best providers in that market. Daniel describes a classic insurtech story of how the company pre-GIA would meet with carriers and ramp up meetings until they reached the predictable "no" person, either a threatened PnL owner or IT. And how the company realized through GIA they would write insurance themselves. The company launched in Mexico, where expats are concentrated in five cities, building a network of physicians through neighborhoods where expats live. They work with local insurers to create products that are both attractive and accessible to expats. In terms of growth markets, TripDoctor is seeing high demand for other types of insurance beyond healthcare, for example in commercial business lines, as well as life products that work outside the US and work with reputable carriers. Daniel has +20 years of experience in early-stage MedTech, digital health and other healthcare ventures, Prior to TripDoctor, he co-founded DeciBio and helped to grow it into the industry standard for molecular testing and next-generation sequencing data analytics. This episode was recorded live at Insurtech Insights New York 2023 in conjunction with InsurTech Association. Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.
In this exciting new episode of the Women on the Move Podcast, hosted by Sam Saperstein, listeners are introduced to the new "Founder's Feature" segment. This biweekly addition showcases founders who participated in the Techstars Founder Catalyst program. These inspiring short episodes shed light on entrepreneurs refining their business models, perfecting their pitches, and building networks to take their ventures to the next level. The spotlight of this episode falls on Marnee Goodroad, the founder of ReBLDing, a company dedicated to supporting homeowners, contractors, and insurance companies working to rebuild homes after catastrophic events. Marnee aims to streamline the process of restoration and repairs, benefiting all parties involved and addressing the challenges faced by the industry. She describes her ambitions to help as many people as possible, making the rebuilding process easier and more transparent for homeowners and contractors alike. Throughout the conversation, Marnee discusses the challenges she has encountered as a small business owner and the importance of perseverance. She also expresses gratitude for the Techstars Founder Catalyst program, which empowered her and provided invaluable mentorship, helping her secure a place in the Global Insurance Accelerator. To learn more about ReBLDing and its innovative approach to rebuilding communities after disasters, visit reblding.com. Disclaimer: The speakers' opinions belong to them and may differ from opinions of JP Morgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates. Views presented on this podcast are those of the speakers; they are as of August 10th, 2023 and they may not materialize. Full transcript here
At the GIA, Dan Israel is responsible for the overall strategy and operations of the organization - emphasizing the growth, development, and success of the programs, as well as ongoing support of all of the accelerator's portfolio companies. His goal is to bring together strategic and forward-thinking investors with innovative founders who can enhance both groups' opportunities for growth and the insurance space overall. Key things to know about working with the GIA: -GIA lets the enterprise's strategy, champions and leadership drive where the work should happen -Measuring results at GIA means understanding how innovation impacts their business, typically how many PoCs, partnerships, whereas GIA defines success as progress and depth of challenges partners are trying to solve -GIA differentiates itself as an accelerator as it was founded by insurers, so the primary mission has never been equity stakes but rather innovation outcomes for carriers -GIA focus all activities whether mentorship or workshops on building a business ie. product market fit and customer understanding rather than the funding journey or just finding your next investor Prior to the GIA, Dan worked in innovation, management and strategy, finance, and operations at Rolls-Royce and Target Corporation. Dan has an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business. Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.
Jason Gross is Vice President & Head of Platform for ManchesterStory an early-stage InsurTech venture capital in Des Moines Iowa. Key insights in today's episode: ✅Leaders often assume employees are resistant to change, but as it turns out the most experienced employees are the most excited about change because they have felt the 'pain points' for the longest time. ✅ManchesterStory is 6-years old, is US-focused on seed-stage insurtechs and fintechs and will lead early rounds, having invested in 5 companies since last November so are not slowing the pace given current market conditions. ✅Jason recommends carriers be open to hiring non-traditional innovation leaders who can take organizations in new directions, but also closely partner with business line leaders to gain traction. Previously Jason was VP Innovation for a top-60 carrier that partnered with over two-dozen insurtech companies. He is currently Co-Chair of the Global Insurance Symposium and has served as Vice Chair of the Global Insurance Accelerator. Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.
Trent Cooksley is co-founder and COO of Cowbell Cyber. Cooksley is responsible for the strategic direction of Cowbell's insurance operations and has built the company's innovative cyber insurance portfolio along with its wide distribution network. As an insurance executive and three-time startup co-founder, Cooksley has held executive and investor roles in all stages of an insurance company's growth. Prior to Cowbell, he was Head of Open Innovation for Markel Corporation and Managing Director of Markel Digital and brought to market numerous innovations such as the first pay-as-you-go insurance technology solution. Highlights from the Show Trent started his career in insurance at an early pioneer in the Workers Comp space in the early-2000s where he got to work across many different roles and functions They sold that company to Markel, so he joined them, and helped form Markel Digital, Markel InsurTech Underwriters and Markel Digital Ventures In 2019, he left and helped co-found Cowbell Trent worked with Scott Whitehead at Markel, helping to support Thimble, which I wrote about in The Future of Insurance Volume II The team at Markel looked at startups and InsurTech with an underwriter's eye, which meant looking at the fundamentals of the insurance involved and the economics behind it The other founders were going through the Global Insurance Accelerator on their idea for solving cyber insurance issues, and Trent was a mentor to them Jack Kudale, co-founder and CEO of Cowbell, drove to see Trent to white board the idea after the GIA ended, and asked him to join the founding team The team had a strong mix of technology and insurance expertise across the three of them From Trent's experience at Markel, he saw how certain barriers can be navigated more effectively, including how risk bearers who would back you think about risk so you can build your offering in a way that can work through things easier and faster Trent learned the lesson clearly that you should have someone on the team who understands the depths of the industry in addition to outsiders who can think freely of it While natural catastrophe modeling is much slower to change because of the speed of the dynamics in question, cyber catastrophe modeling and risk theory is changing daily, which is where Cowbell can find its advantage They do a lot of scoring and modeling in-house to connect to how they want to look at the marketplace They continuously monitor 23 million businesses in the US so they can take a real-time view on almost any risk that comes to them Their approach is aimed at closing the information asymmetry at underwriting and at claim, and tying the feedback loops together so claims and underwriting learn from each other constantly Many underwriters don't tie internal feedback loops together to make product decisions in real-time, but they also don't tend to use data that comes through their various operations since it's not usually data so much as disassociated information held in a risk record or claim file Cowbell thinks about all of this as they also look at risk engineering, to change the nature of the firm's risk, not just for cyber, but more broadly because of the way technology pervades business Cowbell is an MGA, but also has a captive so they can share in the risk with their capacity providers, which they feel is important There's been a shift in how the insurance market thinks about being a carrier or not He does think there will be an evolution toward taking more risk because that is the insurer model, but it requires different disciplines and capabilities to make it work well There's disruption potential from insurtechs looking to take risk and avoid having other companies defining their product, but there are other constraints you come into when you go full-stack, too Trent reminds us that insurance isn't boring – it's complex and important for protecting the entire world This episode is brought to you by The Future of Insurance USA 2022 from Reuters Events(future-of-insurance.com/foiusa), and by the the book series, The Future of Insurance: From Disruption to Evolution by Bryan Falchuk (future-of-insurance.com). Follow the podcast at future-of-insurance.com/podcast for more details and other episodes. Music courtesy of UPbeat Music, available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Google Play. Just search for "UPbeat Music"
Proud welcome to Nick Gerhart, Chief Innovation Officer at Homesteaders Life, former Iowa Insurance Commissioner, Board member and investor at several successful insurtechs including Carpedata and Sureify. Top Trends & Predictions in today's episode: 1. 7 of the Top 10 carriers today will still be there in a decade. However there will be a strong series of acquisitions from the companies with a massive capital-base. 2. Access to capital, whether VC or insurers, is critical to improving insurance 3. Iowa's Global Insurance Accelerator is an example of bringing together all the tech themes and solutions that specifically solve problems insurers have identified 4. Becoming a subject matter expert and being inquisitive on how the insurance core business works is key for young people to try out their new ideas 5. Insurance may be 'different' but customers don't care - they still compare it to Amazon and expect the same seamless experience 6. Agents/brokers own the customer but insurers have a part of that relationship, it's the innovator's dilemma as to who owns the customer experience with a nuanced-hybrid approach to distribution Follow Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.
Nicole Gunderson sits down with Mike Colwell to discuss her path to becoming the Managing Director for the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA).
Adnan Pathan is a Mentor and Advisor at Global Insurance Accelerator. Global Insurance Accelerator is a business accelerator that utilizes a mentor-driven system to boost the growth of innovative insurtech startups. Adnan specializes in commercial casualty underwriting in the US and the Middle East markets. He earned his MBA in Entrepreneurship from Babson College and his CPCU in Insurance Underwriting from the Insurance Institute of America. Today, Adnan joins us to discuss the difference in markets between the US and the Middle East as well as their similarities. He shares how he gained experience as an underwriter in the Middle Eastern markets and discusses his career trajectory. He explains what Global Insurance Accelerator is all about and his role in that company. Adnan also shares advice on how to become successful in the Middle Eastern insurance industry as well as the stigmas around insurance and how insurance agents sell it. “Learn the industry better. Get an idea of where it is and where it's going. Look for that future trend.” - Adnan Pathan Today on Spot On Insurance: Adnan Pathan's plans growing up, his dreams and aspirations, and what he became. The insurance market in the Middle East and how it differs from the US. The experience he accumulated while working as an underwriter in the Middle East. How Middle Eastern insurance companies provide coverage for large risks. Cultural differences in how they conduct business in the Middle East. Dubai's car culture and why the brand of the car makes a difference. The role of the Global Insurance Accelerator and what he does. What it takes to become successful in the insurance industry. The stigma around insurance and how agents sell them. Key Takeaways: When working in the Middle East, you are approached by various people from countries like India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other nearby regions. Worker’s compensation practically doesn't exist in the Middle East area. Dubai has a strong underwriting center and its capacity is large for the region. Connect with Adnan Pathan: Global Insurance Accelerator LinkedIn This episode was brought to you by….. Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com. Connect, Learn, Share Thank you for joining us on this week’s episode of Spot On Insurance. For more resources and episodes, visit SpotOnInsurance.com. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Love what you’re learning, Spot Light your review on iTunes and share your favorite episodes with friends and colleagues!
In this special episode of Profiles in Risk, I host a panel of judges for the upcoming Insurance Nexus Awards to be held on September 12, 2019, in Chicago. We discussed:- Why is it important to recognize excellence in our industry?- There are 4 categories with the word "innovation or innovative" in them. What does innovation mean to you? How did you go about thinking and quantifying it for judging purposes?- How much has pure technology played in "innovation"? How much innovation are you seeing that doesn't necessarily require technology?My panel includes:Dawn LeBlanc, Managing Director of Hartford Insurtech Hub: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-leblanc-innov11/Margaret Resce Milkint, Managing Partner at The Jacobson Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-resce-milkint-2599311/Nicole Cook, Managing Director of The Global Insurance Accelerator: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolejunecook/Paul Carroll, Editor in Chief at Insurance Thought Leadership: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-carroll-3a91694/Scott McCormick, President of The Connected Vehicle Trade Association: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-mccormick-391b19/You can download you nominations pack, register to attend and learn more about the event here: https://events.insurancenexus.com/awards/?utm_source=INS+Nerds&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=5087SUBSCRIBE AT:Buzzsprout RSS: http://www.buzzsprout.com/87086Google Play: https://goo.gl/WMAvW4iTunes: https://goo.gl/7SqwvP Overcast: https://goo.gl/8b4cbD Spotify: https://goo.gl/niAbGN Stitcher: https://goo.gl/DmE7MiYouTube: https://goo.gl/1Turar
Last week I was very fortunate to attend the 2018 Global Insurance Symposium in Des Moines, IA. With well over 650 attendees, this is one of the biggest insurance focused events of the year. Besides great speakers and panel discussions, we got to hear the final pitches from the latest cohort of the Global Insurance Accelerator, a Des Moines based insurtech accelerator lead by Brian Hemesath. Another perk of the event is that I can walk around and talk to people. This special episode of Profiles in Risk comprises my random conversations with a variety of attendees of the conference. The interview list is below. Here is a video with Ryan Hanley (I am the last interviewee). On the show: Stephen Goldstein Mica Cooper Sonny Patel & Maya Strasser Ryan Hanley Laura McKiernan Boylan Paul Winston Kaitryn Patchett Holli Gronset Subscribe at: Stitcher iTunes Google Play YouTube Buzzsprout RSS
The Top Entrepreneurs in Money, Marketing, Business and Life
In Episode #622, Nathan interviews Nektarios Liolios. He’s the CEO and co-founder of Startup Bootcamp, Financial Technology, and Insurance Technology—the leading innovation program in the financial and insurance industry. They provide funding, mentorship, office space in the heart of London, Singapore, New York and Mumbai and access into their global network including investors and VCs, up to 10 folks, each time they do it. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Lean Startup What CEO do you follow? – N/A Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – Nektarios wished that at 20, he would have known that he didn’t know everything and to be less scared Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:28 – Nathan introduces Nektarios to the show 02:08 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech is a network of accelerators 02:17 – It is cohort-based 02:24 – The programs are industry focused programs 02:58 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech has 400 companies that have graduated 03:12 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech was launched in January 2014 03:29 – Nektarios shares how Startup Bootcamp FinTech started 03:56 – “To add real value, you need to be super sharp in your focus” 04:20 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech doesn’t take investments, but they take equity 04:30 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech takes 6% equity 05:52 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech has a variety of programs 06:35 – One of their teams is in Singapore 07:30 – Walnut Algorithms of France is part of their program 07:47 – It was built thinking it would revolutionize the algorithm industry 07:57 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech usually works with pre-seed startups 08:05 – Their products are not ready to launch yet 08:38 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech had 60 companies that are FinTech focused 08:52 – Buzzmove is one of the companies that have raised the most 09:05 – It provides accurate data for home insurance 09:25 – It is a data provider solution 09:35 – It sells to insurance providers 09:54 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech programs are funded by the industry players 10:26 – Nektarios shares what drives their company 11:07 – Who will win, Betterment or Wealthfront? 11:49 – It is difficult for Nektarios to discern which company will succeed 12:25 – Nathan shares his interview with Andy of Wealthfront 12:58 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech is the only program with the global reach 13:08 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech offers every entrepreneur in the globe access to their network 13:24 – The Global Insurance Accelerator is their only competition 13:34 – Nektarios shares what he thinks of the insurance space 13:58 – Insurance people are relevant to the industry 14:24 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech creates fund structure for every program 14:42 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech needs a minimum amount to run a program 15:05 – Every location of Startup Bootcamp FinTech has 5 people 15:53 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech isn’t driven by a commercial perspective 17:40 – The Famous Five 3 Key Points: To add real value, you need to be razor sharp in your focus. Insurance space has so much potential to be a lucrative space—it’s less crowded and there are so many problems to solve. Just go for it—take the consequences as it’s going to be a ride. Resources Mentioned: The Top Inbox – The site Nathan uses to schedule emails to be sent later, set reminders in inbox, track opens, and follow-up with email sequences Organifi – The juice was Nathan’s life saver during his trip in Southeast Asia Klipfolio – Track your business performance across all departments for FREE Acuity Scheduling – Nathan uses Acuity to schedule his podcast interviews and appointments Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for the cheapest price possible Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he’s driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5-hour drive) to listen to audio books Freshbooks – Nathan doesn’t waste time so he uses Freshbooks to send out invoices and collect his money. Get your free month NOW Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
A great interview with Brian Hemesath, Managing Director at Global Insurance Accelerator.