Harper

What do they actually do

Harper is a commercial insurance brokerage that uses software to automate most of the intake and quoting work and keeps humans for expert review and closing. Businesses submit details via a web form, phone, or email; the data flows into Harper’s internal “Hub,” where AI agents extract information, assemble submissions, and generate quotes or submission packets. Human insurance specialists then review, answer underwriting questions, negotiate terms with carriers, and Harper stays on to manage renewals and claims support afterward Harper site investor post.

Today they serve businesses (with an emphasis on mid-sized companies with more complex needs) and run a hybrid model operated by AI tools, sales reps, and licensed experts. They appear to be live and scaling: public demos describe agent-driven quoting across hundreds of deals, and the company is hiring AI sales and operations roles to expand throughput YC profile YouTube demo jobs page. The product is not fully autonomous yet; Harper still relies on human review/closers, and some published efficiency claims come from company/investor materials rather than third-party studies Harper site investor post.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Mid-sized companies with complex commercial insurance needs: Buying and renewing coverage is slow and manual, with long back-and-forth with carriers and unclear timelines that consume internal time and delay deals Harper site YC profile.
• Operations-heavy businesses (e.g., contractors, multi-site manufacturers): Standard submission templates often miss non-standard exposures, leading to inconsistent quotes or coverage gaps when risks aren’t captured accurately Harper site.
• Heads of finance or procurement at mid-market firms: Opaque timelines and unpredictable costs complicate budgeting and slow transactions; they want faster, clearer placement to hit internal deadlines investor post jobs page.
• Internal risk/compliance owners without large insurance teams: Renewals and claims management are time-consuming, and broker service is often reactive, forcing them to chase information and next steps Harper site.
• Fast-growing companies that need quick quotes to close deals or hire: Lead times for bespoke policies can delay contracts and projects; traditional brokers struggle to scale turnaround speed YC profile YouTube demo.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Founder-led, high‑touch pilots via YC/investor networks: push same‑day intake through the web form and run each placement with a fully staffed human+AI workflow to ensure referenceable wins YC profile Harper site investor post.
• First 50: Targeted outbound by vertical (e.g., contractors, multi‑site manufacturing) run by a few AI Sales/BD Operators, using 3–5 pilot case studies and standardized onboarding playbooks to reduce carrier friction jobs page Harper site.
• First 100: Add channel referrals from carriers, trade associations, and procurement platforms into the Harper Hub; productize self‑serve intake and automated quoting for repeatable segments while scaling closers for exceptions Harper site YouTube demo.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

U.S. commercial P&C direct premiums written were about $502B in 2024; P&C overall exceeded $1T for the first time, with commercial roughly half the market S&P Global III. If intermediated commercial policies pay roughly 10–15% commissions (varies by line and carrier), that implies a U.S. brokerage revenue pool on the order of $50–$75B The Hartford commission ranges.

Bottom-up calculation:

As a wedge, if Harper focuses on 50,000 mid‑market U.S. accounts with an average $60,000 in annual commercial P&C spend routed through a broker, at a 12% blended commission rate that’s roughly $360M in obtainable annual brokerage revenue.

Assumptions:

• Targetable mid‑market account count ≈50,000 in reachable verticals and geographies
• Average annual commercial P&C premium per account ≈$60k managed by a broker
• Blended commission (base plus typical adjustments) ≈12%, varying by line and carrier

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Embroker: Digital-first commercial broker providing tailored online policies with self-serve quotes plus human support; overlaps on faster, tech-enabled placement for mid‑market and specialty risks.
• NEXT Insurance: Tech-native carrier offering instant quotes and bindable policies for small businesses; competes on end‑to‑end automation and embedded distribution for lower‑complexity segments.
• Bold Penguin: Commercial insurance exchange and workflow platform used by agents and carriers to route, quote, and bind faster; competes as an infrastructure layer for automated submission/underwriting rather than a retail broker.
• Aon / CoverWallet: Aon’s acquisition of CoverWallet created a digital small‑/mid‑market platform that pairs enterprise‑grade carrier access with online buying flows, a strong incumbent digital alternative Aon press release.
• Marsh: Global incumbent broker investing in digital placement and program tools (e.g., Bluestream, digital trading initiatives), competing for customers who want large‑broker breadth with modern tooling Bluestream digital trading.