BrokerTech Ventures, the industry’s first broker-led investor group and accelerator program, is pleased to announce 12 Insurtech startups will participate in the accelerator’s first cohort which convenes March 2 in Des Moines, Iowa, for the five-week curriculum.

Through the expertise of its nine owners and partners, BrokerTech Ventures offers the cohort earlier insights into how technology can work within and positively impact the insurance industry. Collectively, BrokerTech Ventures’ owners and partners make up more than $1 billion in annual distribution, and during the program, the cohort teams will work side-by side with a veteran mentoring network, receive seed funding for a portion of the company’s research and testing, and a gain access to a distribution platform to deploy the viable solutions. 

"As a startup founder for the better part of 20 years, having the ups and the downs of running your own company, there is nothing that helps even you out like having real customers providing valuable feedback,” said John Jackovin, executive director of the BrokerTech Ventures Accelerator. “Many programs take years to attract the caliber of companies we have here. Some never get there. With BrokerTech Ventures, we have a group of excited, potential customers hungry to start working with these startups and truly quality startups, founders, and ideas. It's the perfect set up." 

The startups, all with solutions designed specifically for the broker segment of the insurance industry, include:

• Agentero, Oakland, CA
• Broker Buddha, New York, NY
• ChalkBites, Inc., Davenport, IA
• CogniSure, Warrenville, IL
• ConsumerOptix, Dayton, OH
• Goldfinch Health, Austin, TX
• Loss Run Pro, LLC, Missoula, MT
• MakuSafe Corp., West Des Moines, IA
• ProNavigator, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
• Talage, Inc., Reno, NV
• TRUSTLAYER, INC., San Francisco, CA
• Wunderite, Inc, Boston, MA

“We feel honored to be part of BrokerTech Ventures,” said Luis Pino, founder of Agentero. “We look forward to collaborating with agencies and startups to digitize the distribution of insurance.”

“Partnering with nine industry leaders that are embracing the power of technology presents a unique opportunity for us to continue to enhance the small commercial insurance market across the channel and the country," said Adam Kiefer, CEO and co-founder of Talage. 

The accelerator will operate out of Gravitate in Downtown Des Moines. Following the five-week curriculum, BrokerTech Ventures will host an intentional Summer Road Show series, May-August, 2020.