On this episode of Denim Rivet, Gregory discusses the latest technology insights with leaders from two Des Moines-based insurtech startup companies: Gain Compliance and Denim itself.

Jason Jones, Founder and CTO at Gain Compliance, talks about the shift happening to the economics of software delivery because of cloud and software as a service (SaaS). He has experience with two different startup companies and, it has influenced his own approach to building and delivering software.

Mike Clark is Denim’s own Senior Software Engineer. Mike and Greg continue the conversation on cloud and SaaS by discussing how they allow Denim to build value. They also talk about Denim’s approach to data and the opportunity that exists within insurance.

Jason Jones – Gain Compliance

Jason is amazed that the cost to bring something valuable to a business has come down so much. With the barrier to entry dropping as well, he finds that there are a plethora of solutions today that would have been impossible in years past.

Prior to starting Gain Compliance, Jason hadn’t been introduced to the insurtech scene. He quickly found that every meeting he had with other companies and professionals revolved around how they could help Gain Compliance get on its feet. On top of the great insurtech community, Jason has realized the full value of how important it is to have a team you can work with. He has an incredible amount of responsibility and can’t be there to micromanage everyone in the company. Every employee needs to be able to think on their feet and problem solve. He’s chosen people he can trust to execute Gain’s vision, and he fills in the details where needed.

Mike Clark - Denim

Mike finds that one of the greatest benefits of distribution through cloud systems is how it lets companies like Denim focus on building value, rather than constructing infrastructure to eventually produce value.

With platform as a service, Mike has learned at Denim how to quickly adapt to complex problems. This architecture enables Denim to move quickly — maybe spin up a new API, website, or product in a week or two. Denim doesn’t have to spend time provisioning servers and purchasing licenses like companies had to do 5-10 years ago.

A Billion Data Points

Denim has recently surpassed one billion data points around how consumers interact with ads powered by our platform — a milestone we’re very proud of. Mike has been instrumental in how to organize and structure this data. To him, and Denim, data is both a tool and an opportunity. We have so much data about the performance of advertising in the insurance industry that we don’t even know what we know yet, which is something that excites Mike. It feels a bit like the wild west, so wearing denim is a must.

Links

Gain Compliance

High Output Management

S3E5: Denise Garth on the Digital Age of Insurance