In this episode of FNO: InsureTech, Rob Beller and Lee Boyd welcome Stacey Brown, Founder and President of InsurTech America, for a thoughtful conversation on how curiosity, timing, and community can quietly reshape an industry. Stacey shares reflections from his career in insurance technology, the early signals that convinced him something new was forming in insuretech, and the personal decision that led him to step beyond a traditional corporate path.

The discussion follows the evolution of InsurTech America from small, informal gatherings into a growing network of regional communities, touching on the challenges of scale, the importance of trust, and the realities of building something without a predefined blueprint. Along the way, Stacey offers perspective on how industry events create unexpected collisions, why adaptability matters more than polish, and what it takes to keep people genuinely engaged as the insuretech landscape continues to mature.

Key Highlights

• The seemingly ordinary moment that became the catalyst for Stacey Brown to start building an insuretech community.

• How early exposure to new ideas and unfamiliar industry models reshaped Stacey's understanding of insurance as a whole.

• The role of small, unstructured meetups in creating momentum before insuretech became a widely used label.

• A pivotal shift that expanded the community well beyond its original geographic focus.

• The reasoning behind uniting several regional insuretech groups under a single, national identity.

• How subtle changes in event design and content are influencing the direction of the InsurTech America Symposium.

• Why long-term value in insuretech still depends on relationships, shared learning, and consistent collaboration.