Informed Tip of the Week: Take a look at our recent series of posts covering Informed’s premise and our business model. We will be adding additional content over the next few weeks. At the beginning of the year, I wrote about most of the obvious bubbles out there and how Continue Reading
Elon Musk: Too Big To Fail?
Elon Musk never fails to surprise. No, I’m not talking about him buying Twitter. I’m talking about how he bought Twitter. He has made himself the first walking, talking LBO. What do I mean? While everyone focuses on how much debt he put on Twitter (a lot…the interest will likely Continue Reading
Insuretech Act II: The Unicorn and the Candy Corn
Informed Tip of the Week: Read yesterday’s post about how we uncovered one of the big insurers promoting inaccurate information in its TV ads. Last week, I wrote the epilogue on Insuretech, Act 1. Today, we will move on to Act 2, the Revenge of the Tortoise. No, no, that’s Continue Reading
Insuretech Act I: The Curtain Falls on the Hare
Informed Tip of the Week: If you’ve been affected by the winter weather on the east coast, be aware that just because the snow is over doesn’t mean your home isn’t still at risk. As the snow melts, ice dams and heavy snow on the roof may cause leaks. If Continue Reading
How Insuretechs Sabotage Themselves By Growing Too Fast
Today’s topic is a bit of a capstone to several prior articles regarding different choices startup insuretech carriers face. You can imagine I have spent a lot of time thinking about these issues and how to prepare for them if I am fortunate enough to eventually face these same choices. Continue Reading
Romanticism vs. Realism: Why Some Insuretech Carriers Chose The Wrong Growth Strategy
With hurricane season officially beginning this week, I thought it would be a good time to write a bit about Florida, specifically personal lines in Florida. At the same time, I thought I could share a little bit of my thinking about my plans for Florida for Informed and how Continue Reading
Insuretech Builds Castles in the Sky
Before anyone asks, “is that some new insuretech I haven’t heard of? They’re literally building giant castles and insuring them”? No, nobody is insuring giant castles (…yet). Today’s topic is unrealistic assumptions. Yes, that is often the topic when I discuss insuretech, I know. But this time it isn’t about Continue Reading
A Market Murder Mystery: Who Is About to Kill the Tech Bubble?
Earlier this week, I wrote a mystery that probably was easier to solve than an Encyclopedia Brown book. This week, I’m not even going to pretend there’s a mystery. I’m just going to cut to the chase and tell you what the crime is and who dun it. What’s the Continue Reading
How to Evaluate CAC: An Alternate Framework
If that title sounds familiar, yeah, I cribbed it from the recent TAM piece. Today, we’ll explore how CAC (cost of acquiring customers) is misused. Traditionally, the cost of acquiring a customer for an insurance company was pretty easy to measure. You paid a commission to the producing agent at Continue Reading
How to Evaluate TAM: An Alternate Framework
In the startup world, the best way to become a Hare and get a high valuation is to talk up the giant total addressable market (TAM) of your product. Nothing gets a tech investor more excited than a company with bold plans to take over the world! Rational people often Continue Reading