For some people, October is insurance month, thanks to ITC. Along with a few thousand others, I was there a few weeks ago, too.
But October is my month of insurance innovation because it’s the birth month of Wallace Stevens, 1916-1955 employee of the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company and the most innovative poet of the 20th century. It seems like Stevens was pretty good at evaluating surety claims (he was made Vice President at the Hartford in 1934), while continuously publishing poetry, beginning with Harmonium in 1917. In 1955, he was offered a job at Harvard, but he turned it down because he really liked insurance.
Stevens’ work is characterized by playful verbal precision and a deep, but indirect philosophical approach to the most intense questions about the meaning of human life. Usually, Stevens intellectually organizes the chaos of the world around a set of noticed sounds and images, and this organization serves as a framework for our chaotic human minds. For Stevens, the artist is like the insurance lawyer, whose analytical prowess orders the accident of existence. If you don’t believe me, check out The Idea of Order at Key West.
Stevens didn’t discuss poetry at work. I get it. Most people hate poetry. In VC, everybody brags about how industrious they are at their more-than-full-time job. Not everybody can brag about their 1955 Pulitzer.
Portfolio Updates
Amplify Ranked #1 Permanent Life Insurance Product by Forbes
Kaiko Partners with Murex to Enhance Real-time Portfolio Management for Digital Assets
Four Questions with Hanna Wu, Founder and CEO of Amplify
Hanna is the CEO of Amplify, insurtech democratizing access to life insurance policies traditionally used by the wealthiest 1%. Hanna founded Amplify in 2019 with the mission of building the first digital and customer-centric life insurance platform focused on helping consumers and adjacent financial industries build and access tax efficient wealth through transparent and low cost life insurance savings and investment plans.
R: What have you been up to lately?
H: On the company front, we’re in the final stages of developing our proprietary life insurance product, aiming to launch this quarter. This will be the first consumer-focused life insurance solution with a seamless quote-to-bind experience designed to support customers in wealth accumulation. We’re excited to lead the way in delivering life insurance wealth to digital-first consumers, as well as to our fintech and financial services partners.
On the personal side, we’re navigating a 4-month-old’s sleep regressions and the “terrible twos”!
R: What are you excited about?
H: I’m thrilled about the strong new additions to our executive team, our exploration of new B2B distribution channels, and the innovative solutions we’re building to leverage data and AI/ML for enhanced customer engagement and fulfillment.
I’m also looking forward to dressing up as a dinosaur family for Halloween!
R. What do you need from the Foxe Capital universe?
H: Please check us out in Q1 once our product is launched and give us feedback!
R. What's your walk-up song?
H: Unstoppable by Sia.
Recent Ideas
Writing Venture Capital’s New Fintech Playbook
Even as mega-rounds and mega-funds grow, a subset of investors is quietly instructing founders to prioritize capital efficiency and ownership over valuation.
WVC:E Maternity in VC Insight Report
This report from Sophie Winwood and WVC:E seeks to tell the untold stories of mothers in VC, including their challenges related to parental leave, returning to work, setting boundaries and more.
Foxe Capital in the News
Listen to Ruth on Fintech Insider News 10/28/2024
Listen to Ruth on BBC Breakfast 10/03/2024 (skip to 26:02)
Listen to Ruth on Wake up to Money 10/03/2024 (skip to 20:30)
See You Soon?
Money20/20 USA, Las Vegas, October 27-30 – catch Ruth on stage!
SuperVenture, New York, November 11-14 – catch up with Ruth & Sophie at WVC lunch & happy hour!
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