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InsurTechNY
InsurTechNY connects insurance incumbents with Northeast startups through an accelerator program with no equity requirement.
InsurTechNY
Founded around 2018 by insurance and venture operators David Gritz and Brian Harrigan, InsurTechNY built a community that now spans the Northeast corridor. The entity is less a traditional family office and more a startup accelerator, functioning as a bridge between venture-scale startups and major insurance carriers seeking to modernize their distribution, underwriting, and claims capabilities. Its model is built on corporate sponsorship rather than a permanent capital pool. The accelerator runs two cohorts per year, selecting roughly ten startups per cycle for a curriculum that pairs founders with executive mentors from partner carriers. The program does not require equity or invest directly — it monetizes through corporate sponsorships. Portfolio companies from past cohorts have included firms focused on parametric flood insurance, AI-driven claims adjudication, and embedded warranty products. The accelerator culminates in a demo day held at a major venue in Manhattan, attended by corporate venture arms and strategic investors. InsurTechNY also runs a standing event series, including the annual InsurTechNY Spring Conference, which draws over 1,000 attendees from across the sector. The conference has hosted speakers from branches of Axis Capital, QBE North America, and the New York State Department of Financial Services. David Gritz serves as the co-founder and managing director, acting as the public face of the organization and program lead for the accelerator. The structural differentiator is its complete divorce from a fund model. InsurTechNY operates as a community-based platform, earning operating revenue from corporate sponsors rather than management fees or carried interest. This means the organization has no commercial incentive to push particular startups toward funding rounds — its success metric is relationship formation between insurers and technology founders, a rare posture in a space increasingly dominated by financial-first venture models.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, United States
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
What is InsurTechNY's investment model?
InsurTechNY does not operate a fund or invest directly in startups. The organization runs a zero-equity accelerator program, funding its operations through corporate sponsorships from insurance carriers and service providers. Its primary output is a relationship-brokering platform between founders and incumbent insurance executives.
Who runs InsurTechNY?
David Gritz and Brian Harrigan co-founded InsurTechNY around 2018. Gritz serves as the managing director and program lead for the accelerator, while Harrigan is an operator with a background in insurance innovation. The duo established the organization to fill a gap in geographic concentration, as most insurance-focused accelerators were operating on the West Coast or in the Midwest.
Which insurance carriers participate in the InsurTechNY ecosystem?
Corporate partners have included Guardian Life, Nationwide, Travelers, QBE North America, and other major carriers with significant New York City presence. These companies provide executive mentors for the accelerator program and often attend demo days as strategic observers evaluating potential vendor relationships or partnership opportunities.
Does InsurTechNY take board seats or equity in the startups it supports?
No. The accelerator program is explicitly structured as no-fee, no-equity. Founders retain full ownership of their companies. InsurTechNY's value proposition to both startups and sponsors is community access, curated mentorship, and exposure to insurance carrier decision-makers.
What types of startups has InsurTechNY supported?
Alumni of the program span property and casualty, life insurance, and health insurance verticals. Past participants have included parametric insurance platforms, AI-native claims processing tools, underwriting data enrichment services, and embedded insurance distribution companies. The common thread is enterprise-scale technology that enables incumbent carriers to modernize existing workflows.
Which geographies does InsurTechNY cover?
While the accelerator is anchored in New York City, the organization's remit covers the Northeast corridor broadly, including startups based in Boston, Philadelphia, and Connecticut. The annual InsurTechNY Spring Conference and periodic community meetups draw attendees from across the United States and select international insurance hubs.
How does InsurTechNY differ from a traditional venture capital firm?
InsurTechNY generates revenue from corporate sponsorships, not management fees or carried interest. It does not raise external capital from LPs, deploy deployable AUM, or hold any stake in the startups passing through its program. This completely separates its incentives from those of a venture firm, as its primary output is relationship density between founders and carriers.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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