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.