MGA Founders Podcast
Socotra
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MGA Founders Podcast is hosted by Dan Woods, CEO of Socotra. Tune in each episode to hear Dan chat with innovative MGA founders to learn their stories, their challenges, and their visions.
Available episodes
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Oct 29, 2022
Tyrre Burks, Founder and CEO of Players Health
In today’s episode, Socotra CEO Dan Woods is joined by Tyrre Burks. Tyrre is the Founder and CEO of Players Health, a risk services and insurance firm that protects athletes and sports organizations with a comprehensive risk management platform.
We talk about:
- What Players Health does and the problems it solves (2:08).
- Transitioning from risk management to insurance (4:01).
- The importance of insurance for sports organizations (4:18).
- Players Health’s tech journey and what they have learned, including the value of starting manual and automating your processes later (11:53).
- Providing insurance to small and boutique fitness clubs (18:42).
- How Tyrre went from playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to founding the company (23:04).
- The importance of messaging in insurance (31:50).
- What the future holds for Players Health (38:46).
#Insuretech #MGA
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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Sep 21, 2022
Preetam Dutta, Co-Founder and CEO at Elpha Secure
In today’s episode, Socotra CEO Dan Woods is joined by Preetam Dutta, Co-Founder and CEO of Elpha Secure. Elpha Secure is a cyber MGA serving small and midsize businesses. It provides them with proprietary cybersecurity technology and full insurance coverage.
The following topics are discussed:
…and much more.
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
#Insurtech #MGA
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Sep 16, 2022
Matan Slagter, CEO at Armadillo
In today’s episode, Socotra CEO Dan Woods is talking to Matan Slagter, CEO and Founder of Armadillo, a platform that offers subscription-based warranties to help homeowners repair and replace things that break in their homes.
We talk about:
* What led Matan to take the leap from working at AIG to founding his own startup (2:40)
* How Matan met his co-founder, Lansdon Robbins (8:45)
* The importance of a strong founding team (11:18)
* Building a startup during Covid (14:38)
* Approaching SEO as an insurtech company (21:53)
* How Armadillo recruits partners (22:32)
* How Home Warranty works (26:09)
* How Armadillo has grown over time (29:56)
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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Sep 13, 2022
Gage Caligaris, Founder and CEO of Ledgebrook
In today’s episode, Socotra CEO Dan Woods talks to Gage Caligaris. Gage is the Founder and CEO of Ledgebrook, a tech-enabled E&S MGA looking to provide the fastest, easiest quoting experience to wholesale brokers.
Gage talks about his mission and what the team at Ledgebrook wants to achieve, gives some background on E&S (excess and surplus), and shares how Ledgebrook came about (2:59).
Gage also discusses his transition from purely actuarial work into complex areas like launching new products (5:46), the differences between big insurance companies and startups (11:53), and what Ledgebrook is working on now (13:42).
Dan and Gage also talk about making the leap from a tech background to insurance (22:03), where Ledgebrook is in its current timeline (23:24), the future of innovation at big insurance companies (25:39), and what the future holds for Ledgebrook (28:11).
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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Aug 21, 2022
Martin Young and Dustin Walsey, Founders of Buckle
On this episode, Socotra CEO Dan Woods is talking to Buckle’s CEO Martin Young and President Dustin Walsey. Buckle is an inclusive digital financial services platform serving the rising middle class and providers to the gig economy.
Martin and Dustin talk about the founding ethos behind Buckle, the insurance needs within the gig economy, and how projects like Buckle are addressing these demands at a high level (3:23). They discuss the different functions of rideshare companies (10:55), and how Buckle got started (13:12).
Martin and Dustin go on to talk about why they chose to work with multiple carriers (22:54), how they work with MGAs today (24:53), and how they avoid competing with their partners (28:20). Martin and Dustin also talk to Dan about some common problems they see with early MGAs, and share some advice (29:20).
Finally, Martin and Dustin talk about how the rideshare industry has changed over the years and what is to come (35:55).
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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Aug 2, 2022
Andrew Jernigan, CEO of Insured Nomads
In this episode of MGA Founders Podcast, Socotra CEO Dan Woods chats with Andrew Jernigan, CEO of Insured Nomads, a company whose mission is to make travel as safe and smart as staying at home.
Andrew talks about how his early travel experiences ultimately inspired him to start Insured Nomads (1:20), what he was doing before he got into insurance (3:12), and what initially motivated him to get into insurance (4:10).
Andrew and Dan go on to discuss the first product Andrew started with (5:27), the business opportunity with telecoms in the African market (7:30), Insured Nomads’ distribution hook (9:20), and how Andrew is planning to expand Insured Nomads’ product offerings (12:50).
Andrew then shares his thoughts on travel technology and how it relates to Insured Nomads’ products (15:00), a new acquisition (15:55). and the wild journey of starting a travel insurance company just before the start of a global pandemic (22:30).
Andrew discusses why late June is actually a good time to raise money (23:30), some of the things that make Insured Nomads unique (29:01), the lessons he’s learned on his journey (32:56), and some of his favorite places to travel and live (34:41).
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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Jul 17, 2022
James Hobson, CEO of Attune Insurance
In this episode of MGA Founders Podcast, Socotra CEO Dan Woods talks to James Hobson, CEO of Attune Insurance—an insurance company focused on empowering brokers to help small companies get the insurance they need to protect and run their businesses.
Dan and James talk about how Attune works, the main problems Attune focuses on solving, and the similarities and differences between the industry James came from (lending) and the insurance industry (2:50). James also shares his experience as COO of OnDeck Capital (4:30) and some of the useful lessons he learned (5:30), including some things he had to unlearn to make Attune successful.
Dan and James go on to discuss brokers, how important they are (10:39), how interactions with brokers will need to evolve as technology advances (15:30), and what can get brokers excited about writing a $3,000 insurance policy (20:00). James shares Attune’s genesis story and what made it unique enough to interest investors (23:38).
Finally, Dan and James discuss the challenges of scaling (28:55), why Attune isn’t doing machine learning (32:56), and how innovation often involves solving problems people think are already solved (34:40). James also reveals how he decided which products to focus on first (36:27) and what’s next for Attune (40:41).
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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Jun 27, 2022
Dustin Lemick, CEO of BriteCo
Welcome to the MGA Founders Podcast, where Socotra CEO, Dan Woods, chats with innovative MGA founders to learn their stories, challenges, and visions.
In today’s episode, Dan talks to Dustin Lemick. Dustin is the founder and CEO of BriteCo, a personal property insurtech transforming the status quo in a timeless industry: jewelry retail.
Dustin talks about growing up in a family of jewelers and how it led him into the world of insurance (4:50), including some of the challenges and quirks of the jewelry business (21:00). Dan and Dustin discuss the unique claims process for expensive jewelry items (11:18) and how to mitigate the potential for fraud (14:10).
Dan and Dustin also talk about embedded distribution (24:44), reinsurance in the jewelry industry (27:41), and some of the exciting things on the horizon for BriteCo.
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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Jun 13, 2022
Douglas Ver Mulm, Co-Founder and CEO of Stable Insurance
Welcome to the MGA Founders Podcast, where Socotra CEO, Dan Woods, chats with innovative MGA founders to learn their stories, challenges, and visions.
In today’s episode, Dan chats with Douglas Ver Mulm, Co-Founder and CEO of Stable Insurance, an MGA focused on insuring and providing tools for vehicle owners in the mobility economy.
Hear Doug explain more about the “mobility economy” (1:04), which includes rideshare, carshare, and delivery vehicles. Doug talks about the difficulties that taxi and rideshare drivers face in getting insurance and how Stable Insurance is solving those issues (3:12). Learn how Stable developed a distribution strategy through brokers, direct, and community outreach (6:25).
Doug also shares how he built the company with a lean team of experts, including a rideshare insurance veteran (9:23). Dan and Doug also discuss how Stable navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted much of the rideshare business (15:16). Doug talks about how Stable was one of the first companies to leverage Uber’s APIs to pull driver data and assess individual risk (18:56), as well as the many types of insurance coverages in the mobility economy.
Doug talks about his background in entrepreneurship, law, and fintech consulting (24:10), as well as the value of mentoring and networking for startup founders (30:16). Dan and Doug also chat about how insurtechs and incumbents can cooperate with one another, even when they’re competing (33:17).
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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May 24, 2022
John Henry and Carey Anne Nadeau, Co-CEOs of LOOP
Welcome to the MGA Founders Podcast, where Socotra CEO Dan Woods chats with innovative MGA founders to learn their stories, challenges, and visions.
In this episode, Dan chats with Carey Anne Nadeau and John Henry, Co-founders and Co-CEOs of LOOP, a mission-driven insurtech MGA based in Austin offering fair and equitable car insurance for all.
Hear Carey Anne and John talk about the unique mission of LOOP and how the company is revolutionizing auto insurance (0:51). Listen as Carey Anne shares how her background in city planning inspired LOOP’s data-driven approach to insurance, and how technology is creating new actuarial capabilities for insurers (5:38). Learn how they founded the company, why they split the role of CEO, and how they approached commercializing their proprietary technology (12:25). Hear John explain how his past experience as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist translates to his present role, and what founders should consider when fundraising from institutional investors (16:28).
Carey Anne and John also break down the complexities of the MGA business model (19:08), and their early challenges learning about it (24:26). They detail the geopolitical considerations that impact MGA go-to-market strategies, and why they chose to launch LOOP in Texas (27:04). Carey Anne and John also talk about policy administration systems, the challenges they experienced finding the right solution, and the value of a modern insurance core platform (30:57).
Connect on LinkedIn with Carey Anne Nadeau (https://www.linkedin.com/in/careyannenadeau/) and John Henry (https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhenrystyle/), or visit ridewithloop.com. Connect with Dan Woods on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/danwoods1).
This podcast is brought to you by Socotra, the modern core platform bringing unparalleled speed and ease to insurance technology. With Socotra, global insurers and insurtech MGAs can accelerate innovation, reduce costs, and improve customer experiences. Visit socotra.com/mga to see why more insurtechs trust Socotra than any other core platform.
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May 1, 2022
Philippe Regazzoni and Alexander Sanders, TONI Digital
Welcome to the MGA Founders Podcast, where Socotra CEO Dan Woods chats with innovative MGA founders to learn their stories, challenges, and visions.
In this episode, Dan chats with Chairman Philippe Regazzoni and CTO Alexander Sanders from TONI Digital, an insurtech MGA based out of Zurich offering an insurance-as-a-service platform that provides white-label insurance solutions to large, established companies and other MGAs.
Hear how Philippe and Alexander launched TONI Digital as an insurance-as-a-service provider and broke into the competitive Swiss insurance market (4:25). Listen to Philippe, a long-time reinsurance executive, explain the competing challenges of fundraising and gaining reinsurance (8:31), and Alexander, a technology expert with no prior insurance experience, discuss the importance of finding a flexible core platform that enables rapid product development and iteration (9:17). Hear how TONI Digital partnered with Migros, the largest retailer in Switzerland, to offe…
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Mar 14, 2022
Nestor Solari, CEO of Sigo Seguros
Welcome to the MGA Founders Podcast, where Socotra CEO Dan Woods chats with innovative MGA founders to learn their stories, challenges, and visions.
In this episode, Dan chats with Nestor Solari, Co-Founder and CEO of Sigo Seguros, an insurtech MGA offering transparent, reliable, and affordable personal auto insurance for the Spanish-speaking community.
Hear Nestor talk about the personal story behind his startup (1:43) and how he got into the insurance industry (4:42). Dive deep into the complexity of finding reinsurance (7:43) and the crowded—but collaborative—ecosystem of insurtechs (12:38).
Nestor also shares his growth plans for Sigo Seguros (16:12) and his thoughts on relationship-building in a remote world (21:04). Throughout the conversation, Nestor offers best practices for starting an MGA, from the importance of storytelling to the single best resource for founders (hint: it’s other founders).
Connect with Nestor Solari on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/nestorhugosolari)…
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