Confessions of a Recovering Underwriter and InsurTech Founder

August 15, 2017 by Chad Nitschke

“So…you’ll be CEO of a website???”

Executive Summary

Chad Nitschke, a co-founder of Bunker—the first contract-related insurance marketplace for contractors and small businesses—describes his journey from the traditional insurance industry to become "CEO of a website." Moving past his frustration with the established industry, building an InsurTech isn't as easy as media reports suggest. Instead, it takes dogmatic stubbornness and drive to turn a vision into reality, he writes, also describing the importance of testing prototypes with customers and learning to understand the language of investors.

That was my parents’ confused reaction two years ago, after I spent 30 minutes walking through the rationale behind why I was going to leave the traditional insurance industry and launch Bunker. To date that was hands down my worst pitch meeting—my parents. The good news: I’m now affectionately known as “CEO of a website” to the team. Executive SummaryChad Nitschke, a co-founder of Bunker—the first contract-related insurance marketplace for contractors and small businesses—describes his journey from the traditional insurance industry to become “CEO of a website.” Moving past his frustration with the established industry, building an InsurTech isn’t as easy as media reports suggest. Instead, it takes dogmatic stubbornness and drive to turn a vision into reality, he writes, also describing the importance of testing prototypes with customers and learning to understand the language of investors.