In a recent interview, Sean Harper, CEO of Kin Insurance, discussed the challenges and motivations behind his company's approach to homeowners insurance. Kin Insurance aims to provide simple and affordable coverage for homeowners facing climate change challenges. Harper emphasized the importance of their advanced data infrastructure, which allows them to assess risks accurately by analyzing numerous data points about each property.
Harper's background includes management consulting and venture capital. He is also known for founding FeeFighters.com, a payment platform acquired by Groupon. Reflecting on global issues, Harper identified overleveraging as a significant challenge that hinders investments needed to adapt to weather volatility. "The second most important issue facing the world right now is people and governments are overleveraged," he stated.
When advising companies seeking investment, Harper stressed the importance of focusing on fundamentals and unit economics. "If you’re a company like ours looking for investors, my best advice is simple: obsess over your fundamentals and make sure your unit economics are rock solid," he said.
Harper expressed his motivation for addressing complex challenges in financial services due to its impact on daily lives and its technological potential. He noted that homeowners insurance was an area ripe for innovation because of inefficiencies in how premiums were used and risk analysis conducted.
Discussing alternative career paths, Harper mentioned public service as an interest due to his Wisconsin roots. "If I wasn’t doing what I’m doing now, I’d want to be in public service," he remarked.
Regarding partnership with Activate Capital, Harper appreciated their commitment and understanding of Kin's mission. "We chose to partner with Activate Capital because of their conviction in our mission," he explained.
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