In this episode of Profiles in Risk - Nick spoke with Matthew Queen co-founder and COO of Tricura, an MGA specializing in liability risks for skilled nursing facilities.

About the Guest
- Company: Tricura
- Focus: Managing General Agent (MGA) in the insurance industry
- Expertise: Skilled nursing facilities and specialized risk management

Key Topics Discussed:

1. MGA Model Evolution
   - Comparison with traditional carrier models
   - Increased agility and innovation capabilities
   - Role in modern insurance market
   - Specialization advantages

2. Technology and Risk Management
   - Integration of modern technology
   - Challenges with legacy systems
   - Innovation in underwriting processes
   - Data-driven decision making

3. Underwriting Approach
   - State law considerations
   - Decision-making speed
   - Risk assessment methodology
   - Portfolio management strategies

4. Actuarial and Underwriting Dynamics
   - Comparison of actuaries to fortune tellers
   - Underwriter role as calculated risk-takers
   - Modern hedge fund-like approach
   - Balance of art and science in underwriting

5. Strategic Portfolio Management
   - Claims payment importance
   - Long-term profitability focus
   - Risk management strategies
   - Portfolio diversification

Additional Context:
- Episode focuses on the evolving role of MGAs in the insurance market
- Highlights the importance of specialization and innovation in insurance
- Discusses the balance between traditional insurance principles and modern approaches
- Emphasizes the importance of agile decision-making in today's market

Tony chats with Josh Riley, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Upfort, a leading platform for cyber security and insurance that provides holistic protection from evolving cyber threats. They do proactive loss control for your cyber insurance portfolio and lower your loss ratio.

Josh Riley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshrileyins/
UpFort: https://www.upfort.com/

Video Version: https://youtu.be/3k84vtxd9PQ

Tony chats with Brennen Grone, EVP of Sales at Rainbow; they are a vertically focused MGA known for specializing in restaurants and are excited to announce new verticals today. They are not a bind or decline platform, they have top-of-the-line technology upfront and real underwriters on the background to help agents win in the gray areas. They are excited to announce new verticals in beauty and wellness, health and fitness, electrolysis, and even piercing studios.

Brennen Grone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brennen-grone/
Rainbow: https://www.userainbow.com/

Video Version: https://youtu.be/gdQnlmyJqaQ

Tony chats with Tyler Amundsen, CEO at LightDoc, a technology platform built for commercial insurance brokers to help them improve retention, save time, and focus on higher-value account management tasks. It allows agencies and brokers to unlock the data they're sitting on and make the most of AI agentic workflows. It allows Account Managers to do contract reviews, COI requests, and policy checks in under 3 minutes. All of that with minimal changes to your existing workflows.

Tyler Amundsen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-amundsen-3051b5142/
LightDoc: https://www.lightdoc.ai/

Video Version: https://youtu.be/xGFeK222BjI

Tony chats with Greg Purdy, CEO at Rival Insurance Technology, they offer a broker product, an MGA product, and a quoting product. RPM, the Rival Platform and Marketplace, launched last July as an AI-first platform that has no menus. It allows the user to interact with the software conversationally. RPM sits on top of your AMS/BMS. They do also offer their own AMS/BMS. It was built specifically for the needs of the largest agents and brokers in the world to serve them in a way the traditional competitors haven't been able to.

Greg Purdy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-purdy-b1b5772/
Rival Insurance Technology: https://rivalit.com/

Video Version: https://youtu.be/_5M1KdgRuMA

Tony chats with Eliron Ekstein, CEO at Ravin.AI, they have built a platform that combines AI-assisted image capture technology that helps insureds get the right photos of their auto accident. It also helps prevent fraud. The platform uses AI to assess the repairs needed for that vehicle.

Eliron Ekstein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliron-ekstein-41609819/
Ravin: https://Ravin.ai

Video Version: https://youtu.be/cj1tJwA3Hfo

Tony chats with John Harvey, Founder and CEO at CrashBay, they are a digital marketplace for collision repair. Basically, it's an Expedia for auto-collision repair. Their mission is to connect car owners and carriers with trusted repair shops in a digital marketplace. They can significantly lower the number of days it takes to get a car repaired by making sure it makes it into the right qualified shop with the right availability right now. This is an excellent discussion on optimizing auto repairs closing the claim faster, and getting the customer back into their own vehicle ASAP.

John Harvey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnharveymbacrm/
CrashBay: https://www.crashbay.com/

Video Version: https://youtu.be/HBfZmFFnDDQ

David Thorne from Thumbscore brings expertise in behavioral economics and financial wellness to discuss innovative approaches to reducing employee financial stress. As a leader in the employee benefits space, David focuses on helping organizations create more effective financial wellness programs by incorporating behavioral science and personalized decision support.

 Episode Summary
In this episode, we explore how Thumbscore is revolutionizing the employee benefits space by applying behavioral economics principles to financial wellness programs. David shares insights on how understanding human behavior can lead to better financial decisions and improved mental health outcomes for employees.

 Key Topics Discussed
- Integration of behavioral economics in financial wellness programs
- Addressing employee financial stress through personalized insights
- The connection between benefits decisions and mental health
- Importance of renters insurance and emergency savings
- Improving broker onboarding and customer experience
- Human behavior patterns and decision-making in financial contexts
- Digital transformation in the benefits space
- Personal and corporate growth parallels

 Resources and Links
(https://www.thumbscore.com)

 Additional Reading Materials
- "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
- "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely
- "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel

 Key Takeaways
1. Financial wellness programs are more effective when they incorporate behavioral economics principles
2. Understanding human behavior is crucial for developing effective financial support systems
3. Digital transformation is reshaping how benefits are delivered and managed
4. Personal development and corporate growth share similar behavioral patterns
5. Successful change requires both understanding individual strengths and environmental factors

 Connect with David
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjthorne/


 Episode Quotes
 "The best way to help people make better financial decisions is to understand their behavioral patterns and create systems that work with, not against, human nature."

 "Digital transformation in benefits isn't just about technology – it's about understanding and improving human experiences."

Video Version: https://youtu.be/kVxBL3At1P8

David Thorne from Thumbscore brings expertise in behavioral economics and financial wellness to discuss innovative approaches to reducing employee financial stress. As a leader in the employee benefits space, David focuses on helping organizations create more effective financial wellness programs by incorporating behavioral science and personalized decision support.

 Episode Summary
In this episode, we explore how Thumbscore is revolutionizing the employee benefits space by applying behavioral economics principles to financial wellness programs. David shares insights on how understanding human behavior can lead to better financial decisions and improved mental health outcomes for employees.

 Key Topics Discussed
- Integration of behavioral economics in financial wellness programs
- Addressing employee financial stress through personalized insights
- The connection between benefits decisions and mental health
- Importance of renters insurance and emergency savings
- Improving broker onboarding and customer experience
- Human behavior patterns and decision-making in financial contexts
- Digital transformation in the benefits space
- Personal and corporate growth parallels

 Resources and Links
(https://www.thumbscore.com)

 Additional Reading Materials
- "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
- "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely
- "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel

 Key Takeaways
1. Financial wellness programs are more effective when they incorporate behavioral economics principles
2. Understanding human behavior is crucial for developing effective financial support systems
3. Digital transformation is reshaping how benefits are delivered and managed
4. Personal development and corporate growth share similar behavioral patterns
5. Successful change requires both understanding individual strengths and environmental factors

 Connect with David
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjthorne/


 Episode Quotes
 "The best way to help people make better financial decisions is to understand their behavioral patterns and create systems that work with, not against, human nature."

 "Digital transformation in benefits isn't just about technology – it's about understanding and improving human experiences."

Tony chats with Richard Spradley, Founder and CEO and Richard Spradley, SVP Insurance at Whooster. Originally developed for criminal investigations, Whooster is a sophisticated case management platform that allows the user to measure the risk of a situation they're associated with from open-source intelligence and their own data. It's used in claims investigations, bringing all their investigation information into a single platform.

Richard Spradley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-spradley-1ab00918/
Gary LaFond: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gjlafond/
Whooster: https://whooster.com/

Video Version: https://youtu.be/3Wos2UpOhWM