Surround’s COO Kate Terry talks insurance, epiphanies, and explosions(!) on FNO:InsureTech Podcast

The FNO:InsureTech Podcast features leaders from across insurance to get up-to-date ideas and perspectives on how technology is disrupting and transforming the industry. The hosts recently sat down with Surround’s COO and Co-Founder Kate Terry to discuss trends in the industry, her accidental path to entrepreneurship via an epiphany during a road trip in Ohio (who could have guessed Ohio played a role in this founder story?!), and what makes Surround unique.

During the wide-ranging interview (Welsh? Exploding chemistry experiments? What?!), Terry captures the essence of the problem with today’s insurtechs: the “…idea that Millennials want to do everything digitally really isn’t true. What is true is that they want to do as much as they can digitally but when they have a question, especially about a complex product, they want somebody to call, and they want somebody to pick up the phone and have an answer, and also to have a little warmth and concern for them as well.” By focusing initially on selling their product through independent agents, Surround is offering Millennials someone who will “pick up the phone” when they have a question. Surround's market research also suggests that independent agents will jump at the chance to tap the Millennial market that has been lost to them due to the fact that “coming of age moments [such as buying a car] are no longer happening.”

Terry also describes how the use of second-party data through API’s can bridge the gap to future use of telematics for Surround’s insurance. These technologies allow individualized risk assessment and personalized recommendations. Upgradable products are just one of the innovations Terry sees in Surround’s future.

Listen to the full podcast hear more about Surround’s relationship development via startup incubators such as Plug And Play, MassChallenge FinTech, DCU Fintech Innovation Center, and Launch Lab X at Harvard’s Innovation Labs and much more.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms.

About Surround Insurance

At Surround, we're reinventing age-old insurance products to serve modern consumers. We're with them as they reach for their dreams with insurance that feels designed for them. We're angel- and venture-backed by insurance and technology veterans who share our vision for a new era of customer-centric, technology-enabled insurance. Our members are changing the world; we’re changing insurance.

For more details on the Surround product offering or media inquiries, please email care@surroundins.com.