Spike Lipkin of NewFront - HighTech, HighTouch Insurance

Welcome to episode four of the What’s Your Ethos podcast. In each episode, we focus on topics affecting the life insurance industry, its challenges, and innovations. What’s Your Ethos provides a space to hear from thought leaders in the insurance industry today.

In this episode, host Peter Colis, CEO of Ethos, welcomes Spike Lipkin, CEO and Co-founder of NewFront Insurance. NewFront is transforming the delivery of risk management, employee experience, insurance, and retirement solutions by building a modern insurance platform.

Prior to Newfront, Spike was one of the first employees at Opendoor and an investor at Blackstone, where he served on the startup team that built Invitation Homes into the largest owner of single-family real estate in the United States. At both Opendoor and Blackstone, Spike experienced the pain of buying and managing insurance and was inspired to help build a more modern solution. Spike grew up in Colorado and received degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (BA), Cambridge (MA), and Stanford (MBA).

Leading insurtech company NewFront has over 750 employees, 120 brokers, and serves 10K clients across 20 industry and service groups. The firm is recognized as the industry leader in providing insurance and risk management solutions to VC-backed technology and life science companies. They help companies scale, function as an advocate, and help clients understand the unique risks inherent in their business. 

The What’s Your Ethos podcast is brought to you by Ethos Insurance and is hosted by Ethos’ CEO Peter Colis. In each episode, Peter sits down with some of the life insurance industry’s biggest movers and shakers. You’ll hear them talk through their biggest breakthroughs, business insights, and leadership challenges — and get to know them on a more personal level. 

Founded in 2016, Ethos is a technology company providing access to instant, accessible life insurance online. Ethos’ mission is to help millions protect their families with access to simple, affordable life insurance. The company has redesigned the application process from start to finish to ensure the customer always comes first. Ethos offers flexible coverage options, access to valuable online tools, and a team of licensed agents ready to help you through it all. Ethos always puts the customer first. 

Discussion points:

• Spike stumbled into his insurance career
• Why build in the commercial insurance space?
• Advantages to building your company’s own technology
• Newfront’s growth strategy, client acquisition and employee recruiting
• What Newfront is today
• Structured data in insurance
• Merger with ABD on the West Coast
• Raising capital, organic growth, and a view to the next ten years
• Spike’s philosophy as a leader, working with a coach
• Most/Least appealing parts of his job
• Balancing metrics with growth
• Lightning round personal questions

Resources:

Spike Lipkin LinkedIn

Newfront Insurance

Peter Colis LinkedIn

Ethos Life Insurance