Most MGA launches take longer than they should.

In this episode of The Age of the MGA Podcast, we sit down with Chris McKechnie and Dani Lefland from Vivere, a new E&S MGA building around an underwriting-first, tech-enabled model.  We kicked off the conversation with Vivere’s partnership announcement with Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and quickly turns into a deeper operator discussion about launch timelines, carrier diligence, core systems, underwriting talent, and claims feedback loops. 

This is a practical episode for MGA founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem builders trying to understand what actually slows a launch down and what it takes to build a more durable platform from day one. 

What You’ll Learn

✔ Why Chris believed a good MGA program should not take 9 to 12 months to launch
✔ Why Vivere thinks InsurTech 1.0 got the order wrong
✔ What “underwriting-driven, tech-enabled” actually means in practice
✔ Why Vivere chose to build its core systems in-house
✔ How carrier due diligence can quietly add weeks to launch timelines
✔ What Dani is watching on the operations side as the platform scales
✔ Why claims visibility should inform underwriting, pricing, and future data inputs
✔ How Vivere is thinking about adding new lines of business without losing discipline 

This is the kind of episode that makes MGA builders think harder about sequencing, control, and what really creates operating leverage early.

👉 Watch the full conversation and subscribe for more real MGA operator insight.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

🎧 Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube
📲 Follow Age of the MGA on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/age-of-the-mga/

Connect with the Hosts:

Doug Ver Mulm → https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasvermulm/
Dylan Brand → https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanbrand/
Peter Tilbrook → https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-tilbrook-50832336/

Connect with Our Guests:

Chris McKechnie → https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mckechnie-21aa3a2/
Dani Lefland → https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-lefland/
Vivere website → https://www.viverepartners.com/ 
___

🌀 Sponsored by Typhon Risk — The MGA’s Strategic Growth Partner

Most MGAs don’t stall because of lack of ambition.
They stall because operations don’t scale with intent.

Typhon Risk helps MGAs build the operational backbone required to grow with discipline—from underwriting and claims to distribution and vendor strategy.

🔹 Learn more → https://www.typhonrisk.com
___